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Baltimore Orioles: Three Reasons To Cheer The Washington Nationals In The World Series

By Jesse Morrison |
BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 28: Fans hold up signs during the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 28, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. MLB players across the league are wearing special uniforms to commemorate Memorial Day.(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 28: Fans hold up signs during the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 28, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. MLB players across the league are wearing special uniforms to commemorate Memorial Day.(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
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BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – SEPTEMBER 22: A general view during the Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 22, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – SEPTEMBER 22: A general view during the Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 22, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

The Washington Nationals and Houston Astros begin their battle for the 2019 World Series title on Tuesday night. Who are Baltimore Orioles fans cheering for? Contributor Jesse Morrison says it’s ok to root for the Nationals.

While the Baltimore Orioles are the focus here at Birds Watcher, the other team in the DMV, the Washington Nationals, have all the magic right now as they qualified for their first World Series in franchise history last week.

To the outsider unfamiliar with the Beltway Series, one may be flabbergasted to think an Orioles fan would cheer for the Nationals in the World Series, knowing how Cubs fans and White Sox fans act toward each other as well as Yankees fans and Mets fans.

However, it is perfectly ok for Baltimore Orioles fans to root on the Nationals in this year’s World Series and here are the reasons why.

The Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles are not rivals.

While people may think the Nationals and Orioles are rivals just as the Cubs vs. White Sox, A’s vs. Giants and Yankees vs. Mets interleague matchups are, the proximity of the teams to each other is not close enough for it to be a crosstown rivalry.

While being approximately 40 minutes apart, Baltimore and Washington are not the same city, obviously.  I even believe a lot of Oriole fans, just like my family, were excited when the Montreal Expos franchise moved to D.C. and believed there should be a baseball team in our nation’s capital.

Sure, the Nationals have stolen away fans from the Orioles but those fans were not true O’s fans if they jumped ship so quickly. The Nationals aren’t a terrible go-to National League team for any Oriole fan looking to find one. The Nats play just down the road from Baltimore and their fans have never done anything to anger Orioles fans. Their fanbase is just sort of there. An article on WUSA9.com quoted Orioles fans as saying “they have always considered games with the Nationals more like neighbors coming over for a beer.”

Orioles fans should root for the Nationals to beat the Astros just like we root for our best friend in life, celebrating his or her achievements even if it does not benefit us but because we close to that person.

WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 15: Juan Soto #22 of the Washington Nationals celebrates with the trophy and teammates in the clubhouse after they won game four and the National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals at Nationals Park on October 15, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 15: Juan Soto #22 of the Washington Nationals celebrates with the trophy and teammates in the clubhouse after they won game four and the National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals at Nationals Park on October 15, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) /

The Nationals lost their biggest star and are doing just fine.

The Nationals’ loss of Bryce Harper is something Baltimore Orioles fans can relate to. The Nats could not afford the deal their ex-star wanted so they let him walk. They decided to bank on younger outfielders such as Juan Soto and Victor Robles, who have proven to be electric talents.

Robles and Soto have delivered and shown that Washington did not need Bryce Harper to have success. This example gives hope to Orioles fans. The Orioles were forced to trade away star Manny Machado last year because they knew they could not afford him.

While the Nationals have some great talent, far beyond the talent the Orioles have, they have shown this year that picking and choosing who to pay can win. They have proved winning is not always about big names.

This can give Orioles fans hope. The Nationals have proven they can win by developing players in their farm system while signing a few key free agent pitchers. It is a strategy the Orioles can look to and seem to be primed to use over the coming years. If the Orioles develop some players who end up being a Stephen Strasburg or a Juan Soto, they can be in place to sign one or two free agent starting pitchers and they are right where the Nationals are.

WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 01: Juan Soto #22 of the Washington Nationals celebrates after hitting a single to right field to score 3 runs off of an error by Trent Grisham #2 of the Milwaukee Brewers during the eighth inning in the National League Wild Card game at Nationals Park on October 01, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 01: Juan Soto #22 of the Washington Nationals celebrates after hitting a single to right field to score 3 runs off of an error by Trent Grisham #2 of the Milwaukee Brewers during the eighth inning in the National League Wild Card game at Nationals Park on October 01, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

The Nationals are the underdog.

The obvious reason Baltimore Orioles fans should root on the Nationals is the Nats are the underdog. The Orioles are a consistent underdog, being doubted by the media members and fans without true knowledge of the team. Even during the good seasons under Buck Showalter, the Orioles were normally not expected to finish high in the standings but would end up surprising people.

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Nobody expected the Nationals to be where they are. They were expected to possibly make the playoffs but a World Series birth was out of the question with the Los Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, and Milwaukee Brewers all featuring outstanding lineups. The Nationals run to the World Series is a parallel for whenever the Orioles win a championship. I am sure no one will expect them to advance as far as they do. They will do it through the farm system and a few smart acquisitions.

It makes sense for an Orioles fan to root for the underdog, for a team that has never won the World Series, for a team that began the season 19-31 and for a team known for collapsing and not being able to get over the hump.

Even though the Orioles are not playing and are a long way off, I am calling out all Orioles fans to watch the World Series. Enjoy the World Series, and if you are so inclined, root on their friends to the south.

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What do you think, O’s fans? Are you cheering on the Nationals or are you rooting for the Houston Astros and their unbelievable pitching staff? Let us know!

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