This story was excerpted from Jessica Camerato’s Nationals Beat newsletter. This edition was handled by reporter/producer Paige Leckie. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
BALTIMORE -- It’s the inaugural Rivalry Weekend in Major League Baseball, in which current (and former, in the case of the Braves and Red Sox) geographical rivals are facing off for bragging rights -- and in some cases, the season series is on the line. So how better to celebrate than with the second series of this year’s Battle of the Beltways!
In honor of the weekend, here’s a smattering of some of the Nats’ favorite rivalries -- in baseball and beyond.
Kyle Finnegan: “Obviously, playing here, this one has always been fun -- the Beltway Battle. And I guess, growing up -- I grew up in a Yankees household, so, Red Sox-Yankees obviously was huge. I remember my dad always getting super pumped up to watch those games, and we’d all watch them together, me and my brothers.
“There’s a lot, you’ve got Lakers-Celtics; the Steelers-Ravens games for me I love to watch -- that whole division is like tons of good rivalries, especially the winter time when those teams play each other in the snow and stuff, it’s always awesome like low-scoring, just dirty games.”
Dylan Crews: “Historically, I think Yankees and Red Sox is always a good one. I mean, they have the Subway Series [Mets vs. Yankees] now coming up, so that’d be fun to watch. I think for me, LSU is always fun to play with Tennessee, that’s always a fun matchup. …
“The crowds get all like, rowdy and stuff. So crowds get into it a lot more, it gets a little chirpy on both sides. It’s just, you get a little bit more adrenaline rush when you play your rival, so it’s always fun.”
Andrew Chafin: “Growing up in Ohio -- I’ve never been a real sports fan, of any sports, but I’d say like, Ohio State-Michigan is the first thing that comes to mind. But outside of that, I don’t really care.
“From a fan’s perspective, I could see how it could carry a little bit more weight and be a little bit more exciting from that perspective. But for me as a player, I don’t care who I’m playing against, I’m just trying to go out there and get my job done.”
Nathaniel Lowe: “Red Sox-Yankees for sure. … But I did, the last couple years I did like seeing when San Francisco would pack out Oakland Coliseum, because I’ve never really gotten to play on the West Coast. And then, playing in Texas, going to the West Coast, that was interesting. And the Seattle-Toronto thing, that’s kind of growing into something, too. So I like that one.”
Josh Bell: “Growing up a Mavs fan, I hated the Spurs. And they were so good, and they had such a good team. Like, Tim Duncan, [Gregg] Popovich coaching his [butt] off. But they had their moments, and we had ours. But I remember like, every time I saw a Spurs uniform or jersey or whatever, I’d hate it. Like, whoever’s wearing that, ‘I hate that guy.’ So yeah, it’s funny to look back on that. …
“It’s hysterical, the fandom experience where people care so much. I was that kid. Things have changed for me now, but who knows when I get back home and get to a Mavs game, if we’re playing the Spurs, I’m probably still going to hate them.”
Manager Dave Martinez: “I remember, you know, I played for both sides as you know, with the Cubs and the White Sox. That used to be a big, big deal. I think, to me, baseball is baseball. Every team we play is a rival, really.”