The Washington Nationals baseball club is a relatively new returnee to the nation’s capital, having come to the banks of the Potomac only in 2005. Prior to that, the club had played ball in Montreal, Canada from 1960 to 2004, as the Expos. Though Washington Nationals tickets would be far off, the old Montreal Expos sold a fair number until financial issues and declining fan interest would lead to them being bought by Major League Baseball in 2002 in a complicated deal. The new club – with new ownership – hopes to carve out a successful niche in the near future.

The era of the Montreal Expos would be a mostly average time for the future Washington Nationals and the old club would make the playoffs only one time, in the strike-shortened 1981 season. Though some might look at that as a harbinger for future sales of Washington Nationals tickets, other would say that the Expos mainly held the historical place-mark in anticipation of a new, invigorated Nationals ballclub in the future.

An interesting end to the saga of the Montreal Expos is that the team played its first and last games against the very same team, the New York Mets, this time losing to the rival National League club down at Shea Stadium on October 3, 2004. Pre-arrival sales of Washington Nationals tickets would be steady, and the city waited in some anticipation for the return of major league baseball for the first time since the old Washington Senators last played back in the early 1970s.

After some consideration, the nickname of the team became the Nationals, due in part to a bit of political opposition to the name “Senators” because the city itself did not enjoy representation in the Congress. Initially, the move to Washington was vigorously opposed by Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos, for obvious reasons. Eventually, the league struck a deal with the Orioles owner and then was forced to deal with a stadium controversy which took some time to iron out. This didn’t detract from the allure of Washington Nationals tickets, however.

The inaugural 2005 season was played by the club while it was still owned by MLB, though 2006 would finally see the sale of the club to billionaire real-estate developer Ted Lerner. That first Washington season would be a pleasant surprise, with the club sitting in first place midway through, with a fine 50-31 record. Star pitcher Livan Hernandez would help to keep sales of Washington Nationals tickets strong.

That 2005 season would feature, among other things, an 81-win campaign, though the years since have proven a bit of challenge. Along the way, the club has featured individual excellence from a number of players, including Hernandez, Alfonso Soriano – who would hit 40 homers and steal 40 bases for the 2006 season – and Christian Guzman. 2008 proved that the club is serious about taking the rebuilding role seriously in hopes of going for long-term success down the road while still selling large blocks of Washington Nationals tickets in the present..

Building on the lessons learned from the 2008 campaign, it seems certain the club will continue to improve gradually but steadily, including having improved its record in 2009. Players such as Livian Hernandez and manager Jim Riggleman continue to believe – with good reason – that the quality of the team will only continue to improve.