The Washington Nationals clinched their first ever division title on Monday, and two days later D.C. baseball fans experienced another first: Teddy Roosevelt finally won the Presidents Race at Nationals Park.
The Nationals have been running a Presidents Race during the middle of the fourth inning of home games since July 2006. In the race, four people dress up in costumes representing former U.S. presidents — Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Teddy Roosevelt — and run along the track from center field to mid-right field.
The presidents have won about an equal amount of the races, except there has been a running gag since the race’s inception — Teddy Roosevelt has never won. The 26th president never won in 525 attempts.
The incredible losing streak gained notoriety over the years, and even led to the creation of a “Let Teddy Win” website. There was speculation that Roosevelt would finally win the race if the Nationals reached the playoffs. That turned out to be the case.
Much to the dismay of many Nats fans, Teddy received some help from a character dressed as the Phillie Phanatic nearby the right field corner, and he raced to victory as the other presidents struggled to get up after being knocked down.
Teddy’s win was a fitting end to the successful regular season for the Nationals, one that featured the franchise’s first winning season and first ever NL East title and playoff berth.
