After months of waiting, Opening Week is finally upon us, and the Nationals’ 2026 regular season campaign will finally kick off Thursday afternoon at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs. It will be the second time they’ve kicked off a season on the road against the Cubbies, with the last time coming in 2012, when Stephen Strasburg threw 7 scoreless innings and an Ian Desmond go-ahead single in the 9th lifted the Nats to a 2-1 victory.
Opening Day is one of the most-watched and discussed games every year for every ballclub, and the Nationals have played some thrillers in their history. Let’s go ahead and rank the very best Opening Days the Nats have been a part of.
HM: 2005, Nationals 4 Phillies 8
Opening Day 2005 marked a historic moment in DC baseball history, the first game in Washington Nationals history and the first game for a DC ballclub in 34 years. It was a rather unremarkable game, but marked some important milestones in team history, such as Josh Willingham knocking the first hit in club history and Terrmel Sledge hitting the first home run.
HM: 2013, Nationals 2 Marlins 0
Opening Day 2013 marks what truly was a golden age of Nationals baseball at the time, as the 2 young phenoms, Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg, led the way to a 2-0 victory, with Harper hitting 2 solo home runs and Strasburg throwing 7 scoreless innings. While the 2013 season didn’t go the way the club or fans would’ve hoped it would, that reality couldn’t dampen the vibes on game 1, as the defending NL East champ Nats handled their division rival Marlins with ease in front of a sold-out home crowd.
5th: 2016, Nationals 4 Braves 3
After an extremely disappointing 2015 campaign, which led to the firing of manager Matt Williams, the 2016 club, led by new manager Dusty Baker, faced high expectations to get back to postseason play. From game one of that year, this team showed why they were different than the year prior’s team, showing resilience in an extra innings win at Turner Field against the Braves. Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy both clubbed solo shots in the early innings, and a Murphy double down the line in the 10th inning sealed a 1-0 start to the year.
4th: 2012, Nationals 2 Cubs 1
Opening Day 2012 was a similar story to 2016, a resilient late-inning win, but this one had some extra emphasis to it, as it marked a new chapter in Nationals history as serious contenders. In his first career Opening Day start, Stephen Strasburg threw 7 innings of one-run ball, our first glimpse at the kind of big game pitcher he would eventually become. A Jayson Werth bases-loaded walk tied the game in the 8th inning, and an Ian Desmond go-ahead single in the 9th would get the Nats their first of 98 wins in the 2012 campaign.
3rd: 2021, Nationals 6 Braves 5
The 2021 Washington Nationals would not go on to be a great ballclub, but that doesn’t take away from the hope fans had on Opening Day 2021, when in the first game with fans in the crowd for the club since 2019, Juan Soto hit his first career walkoff to lift the Nats over the Braves 6 to 5. The wildest part about this Opening Day was that it was not supposed to be the first game of the year, with the original opening series against the Mets being postponed due to 4 Nationals testing positive for COVID-19. Opening Day 2021 truly marks what an odd time it was for both Nationals baseball and the world during that time period.
2nd: 2014 Nationals 9 Mets 7
Similar to Opening Day 2016, the 2014 Nats had high expectations after a disappointing 2013 season, and they showed in game one why they had what it took to get back to playing October baseball. Tied 5-5 entering extra innings, Ian Desmond gave the Nats the lead with a sacrifice fly before a then 24-year-old Anthony Rendon hit a 3-run shot that would secure the Nationals a 9-7 victory. The Nationals have had a lot of great road victories on Opening Day, but this is the best of the bunch on the road, and would be the best overall if not for another special one.
1st: 2008 Nationals 3 Braves 2
2008 is and will likely always remain the most iconic Opening Day in Nationals history, as in game one at the newly constructed Nationals Park, Ryan Zimmerman hit a walkoff home run into the red porch seats in front of a sold-out crowd and on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. Festivities were large, and vibes were high, with President George W. Bush throwing out the first pitch and fans getting accustomed to the place the Nats have called home now for 18 years. The 2008 Nationals were not a good baseball team by any means, but Opening Day isn’t for worrying how the following 161 games will look; it’s about celebrating the return of baseball and taking it one day at a time.