Why MLB Needs Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles to Succeed

The Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles got interleague baseball off to a fantastic start on Friday night in Washington, DC.

The regional rivals played a well-pitched, defensive baseball game that went into extra innings.  The Orioles won the game 2-1 in the 11th inning after the Nationals could not successfully mount a comeback in response to Nick Markakis' impressive solo home run in the top half of the frame.

Friday's game should set the tone for another great series.  The record in interleague games between the two teams is now 20-17 in favor of the Orioles.  And for once, this series means something.  Both teams are above .500 entering the series for the first time since their interleague rivalry began in 2006. 

But there is much more importance attached to the Nationals and Orioles than simply how they perform in an interleague series.  Here are five reasons why the success of both the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles is imperative for Major League Baseball.

5. The Nation's Capital Needs the Nation's Pastime

Baseball belongs in Washington, DC. 

The most storied sport in the history of this nation must exist on the highest level in the most storied city in the nation.  Tourists from all over the country and all over the world visit Washington, DC to see the story of the United States recorded in one place. 

That story must include baseball—in the past, present, and future tenses. 

4. Nationals Cannot Repeat Washington Baseball History

The Washington Nationals are the third attempt at baseball in the nation's capital. 

The first team was called the Washington Senators.  That team appeared in three World Series, and won the title in 1924.  They stayed in DC for 60 years and moved to Minnesota before the 1961 season. 

The second incarnation of the Senators was much shorter lived, and much less successful.  An expansion franchise was given to Washington for the 1961 season, providing a seamless tradition after the departure of Senators I.  But Senators II never won a World Series, never appeared in the Fall Classic, and never made the playoffs.  In fact, they only had one winning season, the magical season of 1969 when they were led by first-time manager and baseball legend Ted Williams.

When the Senators left in 1971, they would take baseball from Washington, DC for the next 34 years.  Now that baseball is back where it belongs in the nation's capital, the Washington Nationals need to win to ensure that it stays there.

3. Baseball Matters in Baltimore

Football may rule Baltimore, but the city still loves baseball. 

As proof, a few recent public relations moves by the Baltimore Orioles have met with overwhelming approval from the fans.  As part of the 20th Anniversary Celebration of the opening of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the team is commemorating the six greatest Baltimore Orioles—Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson, Earl Weaver, Jim Palmer, Eddie Murray, and Cal Ripken, Jr.—with separate ceremonies scheduled for each individual.

The fans have already turned out in force.  Plus, the team has resurrected the popular "Oriole Bird" cartoon logo from the franchise's three World Series winning teams.  This is on the heels of the team returning the word "Baltimore" to the Orioles' road jerseys for the 2009 season, a delayed but welcome response to the return of baseball to Washington.

But the most popular move the Baltimore Orioles have made is its move up the AL East standings.  Before Friday night's game against the Nationals, the Orioles had the best record in not only the East but in the American League, and ranked behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in Major League Baseball.  The team's success has set the town abuzz. 

The longer the Orioles keep winning, the louder the buzz will get.

2. Baltimore Orioles Have a Winning Tradition

Baseball constantly celebrates its traditions, and the Baltimore Orioles are one of those great traditions. 

The Orioles have been in Baltimore since 1954.  Only five of the 14 American League teams—Cleveland Indians (1894), Detroit Tigers (1894), Chicago White Sox (1900), Boston Red Sox, (1901), and New York Yankees (1903)—have resided in their current cities for a longer period of time.  Since moving to Baltimore, the Orioles have appeared in six World Series and won the title three times, each in a different decade.  The Baltimore Orioles were also the winningest team in Major League Baseball in the 1960s.

But the Orioles have not won the World Series since 1983, when they made their most recent appearance in the Fall Classic.  They have not made the playoffs since 1997, when they became the only team to go "wire to wire" and not appear in the World Series.  Their current streak of 14 consecutive losing seasons is the second longest active streak and is tied for the fifth longest in MLB history. This new tradition of losing has almost completely replaced the old tradition of winning, and as a result has alienated many fans.

The Baltimore Orioles need to return to their winning ways for the good of Major League Baseball and all those who cheer for it—both inside and outside of Baltimore. 

1. Prove Peter Angelos Wrong

When the MLB owners voted in 2004 to approve the move of the Montreal Expos to Washington, the final vote was 29-1.  And who cast the only dissenting vote?

Peter Angelos, owner of the Baltimore Orioles.

Angelos voted against the move because he knew that baseball in Washington would threaten a large portion of his fanbase.  He also claimed that two MLB teams in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area would only produce two mediocre baseball teams, neither of which could make the playoffs. 

For either the Washington Nationals or the Baltimore Orioles to make the playoffs would prove Peter Angelos wrong.  It would also be great for Major League Baseball and the Baltimore-Washington metro area.

For both of these baseball teams to make the playoffs would be even better.