List of Washington Nationals Opening Day starting pitchers

The Washington Nationals are a Major League Baseball franchise from Washington, D.C. who play in the National League East division. The team was known as the Montreal Expos for 1969 to 2004. The Nationals/Expos have used 21 different Opening Day starting pitchers in their 40 seasons. The 21 starters have a combined Opening Day record of 9 wins, 18 losses (9–18) and 13 no decisions. No decisions are only awarded to the starting pitcher if the game is won or lost after the starting pitcher has left the game. As the team went on to win 10 of the no-decision starts, the overall Opening Day franchise record is 19–21.

Steve Rogers holds the team record for most Opening Day starts with nine, and has an Opening Day record of 2–4, with three no-decisions. All of Rogers's Opening Day starts were on the road. Liván Hernández has the lowest winning percentage as the Opening Day starting pitcher with a record of 0–3, all of which were pitched on the road.

Until 1988, early season cold weather kept the Expos on the road for their first 19 Opening Day games, when the availability of Olympic Stadium and its retractable roof allowed Dennis Martínez to become the starting pitcher of the team's first opening day home game. The Expos never played on Opening Day in Jarry Park Stadium, their home from 1969–1976. Olympic Stadium, their home from 1977–2004 hosted six Opening Day games, with five different Expos starters accumulating a record of 0–3 (and three no-decisions). As the Washington Nationals, the team played their home games at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium from 2005–2007, with their only home opener there a 9–2 loss in 2007 by starter John Patterson. Nationals Park is the team's current field, and it was the site of the team's 2008 season opener, with starting pitcher Odalis Pérez on the mound in a game that the Nationals won 3–2 over the visiting Atlanta Braves.Antonen, Mel. [http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/sports/20080331/c5nlgame31.art.htm "Nationals open new field with 3-2 win"] , "USA Today", March 31, 2008. Accessed October 8, 2008.]

The franchise's only playoff experience was in the strike-shortened by|1981 season. In a special format created for that season, the Expos were the second-half champion, with a 30–23 record. The team won the NL Division Series to become Eastern Division champions, winning three games to two over Philadelphia Phillies, who had been the first-half champion, with a 34–21 record. [Durso, Joseph. [http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F60A14F9395D0C718DDDA90994D9484D81 "EXPOS OUST PHILLIES, 3-0"] , "The New York Times", October 12, 1981. Accessed October 8, 2008.] 1981 Opening Day pitcher Steve Rogers, faced Phillies ace Steve Carlton, and won the first game of the series by a score of 3–1. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1981_NEDIV.shtml 1981 NL Division Series] , Baseball-Reference. Accessed October 8, 2008.] The Expos then lost the NL Championship Series to the first-half Western Division champion Los Angeles Dodgers three games to two on a ninth-inning home run in Game 5 by Rick Monday. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/MON/1981.shtml 1981 Montreal Expos] , Baseball-Reference. Accessed October 8, 2008.]

Key

Pitchers

References