Team UP Touch Base August Newsletter

Team UP Spotlight

The Montréal Expos (1968-2004)

Montréal Expos

"Midsummer Classic" is another name for Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game. The top players from each league, the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) face off in this game. Fans select the starting lineups for the All-Star Game and the remaining players are chosen by players, coaches, and the All-Star Game managers. The game is played every year in July.

On July 6, 1933, the Chicago White Sox hosted the first-ever All-Star Game. Since then, the only years when there was not an All-Star Game were 1945 (due to travel limitations during World War II) and 2020 (due to the coronavirus pandemic).

In July 2018, Washington, DC, and Nationals Park hosted the 89th Major League Baseball All-Star Game. That was the fifth time MLB held the All-Star Game in the nation's capital. Here is a little bit about the 1937 and 1956 All-Star Games played in the Nation’s Capital.

JULY 7, 1937

On July 7, 1937, Griffith Stadium hosted the 1937 Midsummer Classic, the fifth Major League Baseball All-Star Game. This All-Star Game was historic because it was the first to be played in front of a current President, Franklin D. Roosevelt. With the 8-3 victory, the American League improved its record to 4-1 through the first five games.
Two runs were scored in the bottom of the third by the American League, and the National League scored one run in the top of the fourth to make the score 2-1. After the National League scored in the top of the inning, the American League scored three runs in the bottom of the inning. Twenty-one future Hall of Famers played in the game.

JULY 10, 1956

The 1956 All-Star Game returned to Griffith Stadium for a second time. The National League defeated the American League 7-3, their sixth win in seven years.
The game’s highlights were home runs by four of the greatest players ever to play the game: Willie Mays and Stan Musial for the NL and Ted Williams and Mickey Mantle for the AL. After the NL built a 5-0 lead, Williams and Mantle hit back-to-back homers for the AL in the bottom of the sixth inning to make it a 5-3 game, but that was as close as the AL would get. The game featured 18 future Hall of Famers.

Negro League Baseball - Chicago American Giants

The Father of Black Baseball - Rube Foster

MLB Player Spotlight

STEM Education

DO THE MATH

What was Juan Soto’s OBP in 2019?
Hits: 153
Walks: 108
Hit by Pitch: 3
Plate Appearances: 659
OBP formula
OBP = (153 + 108 + 3) / 659 OBP = .401

A good OBP is usually above .340, while a poor OBP is below .300. Anything above .400 is considered elite
Upcoming Events

Summer Reading Sundays Are Here!

Summer Reading Sundays Are Here

Join Nationals Summer Reading Ambassador, Sean Doolittle, for learning-filled activities from 12:15 pm to 1:15 pm on Sunday, August 28 at Nationals Park. Events are free for fans with game tickets.

Sean will participate in a read-along, followed by other reading and literacy-focused activities led by Nationals education partners, including Arlington Public Library, DC Public Library, the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution and the National Children’s Museum. For more information on this event and other Washington Nationals Summer Reading initiatives, click here.

Book List

Kids Eat Free Program Returns to Nationals Park

Nationals Calendar

The Nationals reserve the right to change any and all 2022 access, benefits, promotions, seating locations and events (including, without limitation, location, dates and times) without notice based upon: 1) federal, city, state and/or local government orders, mandates or restrictions; 2) the guidance or recommendations of a recognized health agency (i.e. Centers for Disease Control or the World Health Organization); 3) the ongoing developments of the COVID-19 pandemic; and 4) any other reason as determined by the Nationals and/or Major League Baseball in their sole discretions.