History of Beltway Series between O’s and Nats

The Battle of the Beltways has been a staple series for baseball lovers all around Maryland, and for years the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals have been quite the quiet rivals in MLB.

Unlike the infamous 118-year rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, the Beltway Series began in 2006, primarily due to the two team’s close proximity to one another (about 40 miles apart).

The series name is taken from the beltway highways, the Baltimore Beltway (I-695) and the Capital Beltway (I-95/I-495), that serve Baltimore and D.C., respectively.

There have been 73 meetings between the two interleague foes, with the Orioles leading the all-time record 42-31.

Former Orioles third baseman Manny Machado laying the tag on Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon in a 2018 Beltway Series matchup

The Orioles were victorious in the first ever meeting between the two teams on May 19, 2006, defeating Washington at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium by a score of 5-1.

In that game, Jeff Conine, Kris Benson, Corey Patterson, Ramon Hernandez, and Eddie Rogers each tallied one RBI in the Orioles win.

The Nationals hold the largest victory between the two teams, after defeating the Orioles 17-5 on May 20, 2011, with the help of six home runs and 19 tallied hits.

Former Orioles manager Buck Showalter conversing with former Nationals manager Dusty Baker

Washington also holds the longest win streak in series history, winning seven straight games between 2017 and 2019.

Nowadays, the two East Coast teams play each other every year, usually splitting four games at each ballpark.

The question we have to ask ourselves is this, is the Beltway Series a legitimate rivalry? Well, to most O’s and Nats fans, it is indeed.

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Jared Watson

I was born and raised on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. I'm currently enrolled at Delaware Technical Community College in the Communications program studying to become a professional broadcaster.

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