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Washington Nationals Reach Embarrassing New Low By Breaking Century-Old Record

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Paolo Espino reacts after allowing a hit to Juan Soto.

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The Washington Nationals have been one of baseball’s worst teams in the 2020s. Since winning the World Series back in 2019, the franchise has posted three consecutive losing records, each of which has resulted in a last-place finish in the NL East.

Last season, the Nats lost 107 games to finish the year 46 games back of the first-place Braves. This year, a similar stint in the cellar seems certain.

Over this string of mediocrity, Washington broke a shameful record that had been untouched for over a century.

Between 1914-1917, the Philadelphia Athletics failed to sweep a single opponent for 89 consecutive series. That mark stood as the MLB’s longest up until this past weekend.

While the Nationals won the final two games of its most recent set with the Padres, a series-opening loss guaranteed a 90th straight instance without a sweep. To put that in perspective, teams typically play 52 series each regular season.

That’s nearly two full seasons without a sweep, with the Nationals’ streak dating back to 2021 following a two-game sweep of the Blue Jays.

You have to go back further to find the last three-game sweep, which was won over the Pirates. Many baseball followers have been quick to comment online.

Comment
by u/KaidoKingoftheBeasts from discussion [OptaSTATS] The Washington Nationals have not swept any of their last 90 series. That is the longest streak of series without a sweep in MLB history, supplanting the 89 straight series without a sweep by the Philadelphia Athletics from 1914-1917.
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It’s pretty impressive when you think about it. Even the worst teams get hot for at least a few games.

Comment
by u/yoshidawg93 from discussion [OptaSTATS] The Washington Nationals have not swept any of their last 90 series. That is the longest streak of series without a sweep in MLB history, supplanting the 89 straight series without a sweep by the Philadelphia Athletics from 1914-1917.
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Many think the jinx is now in on for the Mariners, Washington’s next opponent on the schedule.

Comment
by u/d_gorder from discussion [OptaSTATS] The Washington Nationals have not swept any of their last 90 series. That is the longest streak of series without a sweep in MLB history, supplanting the 89 straight series without a sweep by the Philadelphia Athletics from 1914-1917.
in baseball

Comment
by u/irelandn13 from discussion [OptaSTATS] The Washington Nationals have not swept any of their last 90 series. That is the longest streak of series without a sweep in MLB history, supplanting the 89 straight series without a sweep by the Philadelphia Athletics from 1914-1917.
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We’ll see if the Nationals can break the streak soon as they struggle through another subpar season.