What’s the Most Memorable Home Run in Nationals Franchise History?

Photo courtesy of
‘waiting for Adam’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

I was reading Craig Calcaterra’s piece on each franchise’s most memorable home runs, and I felt a little disappointed as he blew right through the history of the Nats and the long ball:

Nationals

Whether you include the Expos or just go with the Nats, I’m struggling to think of a single truly memorable home run by this franchise. I looked up every memorable moment in each team’s history and none of them involved home runs.  I think Jonah Keri is gonna have to help me out here.

I can think of two that at least deserve mention, but would love to open this one up to the crowds. My two votes:

  • Opening Night, 2008 – Ryan Zimmerman walks-off the Braves on the first night of the new Nationals Park on a Sunday night in front of a national audience.
  • Father’s Day, 2006 – Zimmerman, again, leads the Nats over the Yankees in a final at-bat homer at RFK.

Any other votes?

Dave Levy is a PR guy by day, a media researcher on the side and a self-proclaimed geek. He blogs often about how traditional media adapts – or tries to adapt – to the growing digital media world at State of the Fourth Estate. You can follow Dave on Twitter for various updates about everything from sports from his previous home in Boston to eccentric and obscure pop culture references. Read why Dave loves D.C.

9 thoughts on “What’s the Most Memorable Home Run in Nationals Franchise History?”

  4. Mudflap: That Phillies game was a hell of a time! I was in the stadium for that, and it was oh so sweet to rag on the Phillie fans on the way out.

    And I would say the Zimmerman Nats Park home opener is the most memorable dinger.

  5. I certainly wouldn’t say that this is _the_ most memorable one in franchise history, but one HR that has always stuck with me was a 2005 12th inning go-ahead shot by Brian Schneider at Wrigley. It was a Sunday afternoon game shortly before the All Star break, and was the Nats’ 6th win in a row — I remember Mel Proctor and Ron Darling absolutely flipping out about it.

    The Nats got to 50-31 with that win, and led the division by 3 or 4 games, I think. Anyway, the success ended up being mostly smoke and mirrors, of course, but that was a really, really exciting time to be a Nats fan. Great memories.

    http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN200507030.shtml

  6. When you enter the ballpark from the CF gate, there’s a huge photo of Z-man, getting the high fives.

    Is that the Yankees one?

    Also, iirc, Ian Desmond hit a walk off grand slam late Sep 2009?, the final home game of the season, to beat the Mets.

  7. @Jay – That was Olney, Md. native Justin Maxwell (since DFA’d and picked up by the Yankees system). IIRC correctly, 3 out of the first 4 times he came up with the bases loaded, he homered. Too bad he didn’t get it together.

    I’m still kicking myself for not attending that season ender

  8. Thanks WFY.

    Also, on the Yankees game, someone said Spike Lee was in attendance and said an expletive when Z-man hit the homer!

  9. Calcaterra obviously put ZERO effort into his research.

    The 2008 home opener walk-off and the R.F.K. walk-off by Zim against the Yankees (note: at the time, the largest crowd to attend a baseball game in Washington, D.C., the media reported) were both spectacular, high-drama moments; no Nats fan who attended either game will ever forget those sweet moments.