There is a lot of history when it comes to Washington, D.C., baseball. It started in 1901 with the original Senators, and right-hander Walter Johnson was the team’s biggest star, winning 417 games and guiding them to their only World Series title in 1924.

By 1960, the team moved to Minnesota and became the Twins. But a new version of the Senators was born in 1961; they didn’t have the success of their predecessors before leaving for Texas after the ‘71 season. The nation’s capital was without baseball until 2005, when the Montreal Expos moved to D.C. and became the Nationals. The club has since seen its share of superstar performances, from Stephen Strasburg winning the World Series MVP during the 2019 championship run to Ryan Zimmerman’s consistency in the batter’s box during the last 15 years. The team has also honored the Expos’ best players, from Andre Dawson to Gary Carter, in their Ring of Honor at Nationals Park.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s collection of more than 40,000 three-dimensional pieces contains artifacts that tell the story of the game’s legendary players, moments and triumphs. Whether you’ve visited before or you’ve always wanted to check it out, there's always a great reason to plan a visit to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum -- the spiritual home of America’s Pastime in beautiful Cooperstown, N.Y.

Here is the Starting Nine for the Nationals:

1. The Hawk's plaque
Fun facts: Andre Dawson’s Hall of Fame plaque features him wearing the cap of the Expos. After 11 seasons in Montreal from 1976-86, Dawson left the club as the franchise career leader in games played, runs, hits, home runs, RBIs and steals.

2. Harper’s bat
Fun facts: Wielding this bat, Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper hit three home runs to lead the Nationals to a 7-5 victory over the visiting Marlins on May 6, 2015. At the age of 22, Harper became the youngest player to hit three homers in a game since Joe Lahoud of the Red Sox in 1969.

3. The Big Train’s uniform
Fun facts: The Nationals feature some of the game’s most dominant pitchers, but none have had a career quite like Walter Johnson, star of the original Senators. He is the author of 3,509 strikeouts, 110 career shutouts and 417 career wins. Johnson wore this uniform near the end of his 21st years with the club.

4. The big hit
Fun facts: In Game 7 of the 2019 World Series, Nationals DH Howie Kendrick reversed the momentum against the Astros by hitting this ball off the right-field foul pole in the seventh inning for a two-run homer, giving the Nationals a 3-2 lead they would not relinquish.

5. El Presidente’s jersey
Fun facts: Wearing this Expos jersey on July 28, 1991, right-hander Dennis Martínez pitched the first perfect game in the history of the Expos/Nationals franchise. The 2-0 victory over the Dodgers in Los Angeles made the native of Nicaragua the first foreign-born pitcher to toss a big league perfecto.

6. Charlie Hustle’s cap
Fun facts: On June 29, 1984, Pete Rose wore this Expos cap when he played in his 3,309th career game, breaking the big league record held by Red Sox great Carl Yastrzemski.

7. Mad Max’s cap
Fun facts: Throwing 96 of his 119 pitches for strikes, Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer wore this cap while whiffing a Major League-record 20 Tigers en route to a 3-2 complete-game victory on May 11, 2016.

8. Soto’s jersey
Fun facts: Juan Soto wore this jersey during his rookie season with the Nationals in 2018. In 116 games, Soto blasted 22 homers, notched 70 RBIs and finished second for NL Rookie of the Year Award honors. Soto’s sophomore season didn’t disappoint, as he was a major factor in the Nationals’ run to their first World Series title.

9. Strasburg's jersey
Fun facts: With his club down, 3-2, in the 2019 World Series, Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg donned this jersey for Game 6, and what a performance he had against the Astros. He allowed two runs in 8 1/3 innings and struck out seven batters as the Nationals won the game, 7-2, to force Game 7.