Washington Nationals

The Montreal Expos entered the National League in 1969 as baseball's first franchise outside the United States. Playing at Jarry Park and later at Olympic Stadium, the Expos developed a passionate but modest following in Quebec. The franchise's player development was superb, producing Gary Carter, Andre Dawson, Tim Raines, Vladimir Guerrero, and Pedro Martinez - Hall of Famers who largely achieved their greatest fame elsewhere.

The 1981 team reached the NLCS before falling to the Dodgers, and the 1994 Expos had baseball's best record (74-40) when the players' strike ended the season and canceled the World Series. That 1994 team, featuring Moises Alou, Larry Walker, Marquis Grissom, and a deep pitching staff, is widely considered the best team to never play in a postseason. The strike's timing was devastating for a franchise already struggling financially.

By the early 2000s, MLB was actively seeking to relocate or contract the franchise. The Expos played some home games in Puerto Rico in 2003 and 2004 before the franchise was officially relocated to Washington, D.C., for the 2005 season.

The Nationals arrived in Washington in 2005, returning baseball to the capital for the first time since the original Senators left for Texas in 1971. The franchise played at RFK Stadium for its first three seasons while Nationals Park was constructed along the Anacostia River waterfront in Southeast D.C.

The early Nationals were among baseball's worst teams, losing 100 or more games in 2008 and 2009. But the losing had a purpose: high draft picks produced Stephen Strasburg (first overall in 2009) and Bryce Harper (first overall in 2010), two of the most hyped prospects in baseball history. Combined with Ryan Zimmerman, the franchise's "Mr. National" who had been the team's first draft pick in 2005, the foundation for a contender was being laid.

Nationals Park opened in 2008 and quickly became a centerpiece of the Capitol Riverfront neighborhood's development. The franchise was building something both on and off the field, even if the on-field results hadn't arrived yet.

The Nationals arrived as contenders in 2012, winning 98 games and the NL East behind Strasburg, Harper, Gio Gonzalez, and Jordan Zimmermann. But a heartbreaking NLDS loss to the Cardinals - including a controversial decision to shut down Strasburg before the postseason - set the tone for years of October frustration.

The Nationals won the NL East again in 2014, 2016, and 2017, powered by Max Scherzer's dominance (he won two Cy Young Awards with the Nats) and Harper's 2015 MVP season. But each postseason ended in painful early elimination. The Nationals became known for their ability to dominate the regular season and collapse in October, a reputation that tested the patience of their growing fan base.

Harper's departure via free agency to the Phillies after the 2018 season appeared to signal the end of the franchise's championship window. Few expected what would happen next.