When did Washington Nationals Stadium Open?
Nationals Park opened up on March 30th, 2008. The new park replaced RFK Stadium and is known as one of the better MLB ballparks in the game. The park hosted the 2018 All-Star Game and Home run Derby.
Where is Nationals Park Located?
The location of Nationals Park is in Washington DC in the United States. The exact address of the park is 1500 South Capitol Street SE. The preferred method to get to the park is to use the Washington Metro system. The field is about one block away from the navy yard as well. Fans coming in from Virginia can expect around an hour or more car trip. Check out the Nationals parking guide if you plan to drive to the game.
In addition to baseball games, the D.C area has football, basketball, and hockey professional sports team to watch. The football team plays out at FedEx Field while the basketball and hockey teams play at Capital One Arena. If you are looking for FedEx Field Parking or Capital One Arena Parking, you can visit both links.
What Time Does National Park Open?
Nationals Park opens up 2.5 hours before game time which will surprise many fans. Check out the Nationals Park Food guide before entering the stadium!
What Team Plays at Nationals Stadium?
Nationals Park is home to the Washington Nationals who are a professional baseball team in the national league east division. In their division, the Nationals play the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, and Miami Marlins. The Nationals use to be the Montreal Expos before the 2004 season and had their games at Olympic Stadium.
What are the Dimensions at Nationals Park?
The dimensions at the ballpark are generally a hitter’s park from home plate in any direction. From left field to the right, you will see the sizes go from 337 feet, 377, 402 feet in center area, 370 feet in the right center, and 335 feet in right field.
What is the Capacity at Nationals Park?
Since the opening of the park in 2008, Nationals Park holds 41,339 seats. As the years have gone by, the Nationals have added more standing room sections which increases their total capacity. During the playoffs in 2012, the record attendance came in at 45,966.
Nationals Tickets
With the Washington Nationals winning the World Series in 2019, you can expect even more interest for games in 2020. Opening day tickets are always tough, but the same can be said when the Yankees, Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, or the New York Mets come to town. Fans can use StubHub, Ticketmaster, Seat Geek, and more to find tickets from season ticket holders trying to sell their seats. You can always show up on game day to purchase tickets as well as the games won’t be sold out.
Nearby Parks
The closest ballpark to Nationals Stadium is Camden Yards which is home to the Baltimore Orioles. The distance between D.C and Baltimore is about 45 minutes, so fans can knock off a day and night game in one day if they follow the schedule correctly. Washington DC sits southeast to Baltimore, but it’s a straight shot on the highway between both parks and is an easy drive.
If you travel north from the District of Columbia, you can find yourself at PNC Park which is home to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The total driving distance between both ballparks is about four hours, so not bad at all. If you head north, you will find yourself at Citizens Bank Park which is home to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Notable Features
Since the opening of the park in 2008, the Nationals have made many improvements to their venue. Some notable improvements come with the expansion of the Red Porch Restaurant out in center field. New statues were added to honor Walter Johnson, Frank Howard, and Josh Gibson. The park was home to the 2015 NHL Winter Classic in front of 42,000 spectators. The Washington Capitals beat the Chicago Blackhawks during the game 3-2. A home win was only the second time that the Winter Classic’s home team has won this game.
Additional features to the ballpark include adding Cherry Blossoms beyond the left field bleachers. Cherry blossoms are synonymous with the nation’s capital, so this was a nice touch added. Fans will have to wait a bit after opening day to see these trees in full effect.
Many concerts have also taken place at the ballpark over the years. Some of the most famous artists include Billy Joel, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Jason Aldean, and One Direction. The biggest attendance crowed came from Taylor Swift who brought in a crowd of over 80,000 people. In 2008, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated mass at Nationals Park as well.