Washington Nationals by KearnsT

So much for getting off to a rocky start. In his fifth major league start and the ninth game ever played by the Montreal Expos, this man hurled a no-hitter at the expense of the Phillies. He would do the same in 1972 against the New York Mets.

Name this Expos pitcher, who may be better known for serving as the general manager of the Anaheim Angels from 1999-2007.

What outfielder was nicknamed La Grand Orange?

Strange that someone who shares his name with such an iconic American figure would be the all-time win leader for a franchise whose history arises mostly in Quebec. But barring a 75 win season from Stephen Strasburg in 2018, this 5-time all-star and career Expo will remain the franchise career win leader with 158. Whether it is the result of an experimental serum administered by the US government or not, I will not speculate.

Name this right-handed starting pitcher.

The Expos' road to respectability began with the surging 1979 Expos, which featured the pitcher in question #3 as well as future Hall of Famers who started more than 120 games each at catcher, first base, and center field, respectively.

Name TWO of the THREE. Please note -- the Hall of Famer referred to in question 6, is not among these players, playing only a handful of games for the club.

The franchise's career saves leader was known for inconsistency, at one point being so unreliable that fans in Montreal booed his wife when she appeared on the field.

Name this bearded reliever who made headlines long after his playing career in 2005, when he was acquitted of a jewel theft by reason of insanity.

The Expos of the 1980s may as well have been known as the Tims, sending three different players of that name to the All-Star Game from 1986-1989. One of them has been inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame and is the franchise's all-time leader in runs, one is the franchise's all-time ERA leader, and the third is the franchise's all-time leader in hits.

Name TWO of the THREE. Please note: your first two answers will be the only ones considered. (edited at 6:11 pm, October 11, 2017 (PDT))

The 1994 Expos were the would-be winners of the NL East. But in typical Expos (and now Nationals fashion) fate intervened and a player's strike ended the season.

Within 2, how many of their 114 games did the Expos win in 1994?

The 1994 season was also the end of this Canadian's star turn with the franchise, as he would leave as a free agent the following April. He remains the all-time hits leader for a player born in Canada.

Name him.

In 1997, Pedro Martinez became the first (and ultimately, only) Montreal Expo to win the NL Cy Young Award.

The player the Expos traded to the Dodgers for Pedro is both the all-time leader in hits from a player born in Delaware and the father to a current major leaguer (of the same name). Name this alliterative middle infielder.

Thanks to the woeful tendency of certain BBWAA writers to refuse to vote for players on the first ballot, the final Expo to be elected to the Hall of Fame will have to wait until 2018.

Name this Expos legend named on 71.7% of Hall of Fame ballots in 2017 and winner of the 2004 AL MVP.

The Nationals gave this shortstop a 4 year, $16.8 million contract in November 2004. He proceeded to have the worst season of his career and miss of all 2006 following eye surgery and a shoulder injury. But, on the plus side, he was eventually traded to the Texas Rangers for two players, including a middling prospect named Tanner Roark.

Name him.

The Expos/Nationals' single-season home run leader smashed 46 home runs in one season. However, he ranks 42nd in the franchise's career home runs list, with 46.

Name this one-season star, who became the first Washington Nationals player to start the All-Star Game.

The first game at Nationals Park still ranks among the best games played there. Opening Day pitcher Odalis Perez (yes, that happened) held the Braves in check and the Nationals took a 2-1 lead into the ninth. Unfortunately, because of an injury to Chad Cordero, he was unavailable. Instead, this man, the tallest player in baseball history, came on and suffered a blown save, allowing an unearned run on a passed ball by Paul LoDuca.

Name this 6'11" right-handed reliever who would later serve as closer for the Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays.

Opening Day 2008 ended well, though. In the bottom of the ninth, this player, the first draft pick in Washington Nationals history and franchise's all-time leader in home runs, untied it again with a home run to center field. Name him.

Yes, the team has always found a way to turn winning into embarassment. This manager infamously resigned in the middle of the 2011 season, angry that his contract had not been extended when his team was unexpectedly 1 game over .500. His winning percentage of .445 is the worst of any MLB manager who has managed more than 1300 games since 1900.

Name him.

Four pitchers have started multiple Opening Day games for the Washington Nationals since they moved to Washington. Two of these are Stephen Strasburg (2012-14, 2017) and Max Scherzer (2015-2016).

Name BOTH of the others, who started in (a) 2005-2006 and 2011 and (b) 2009-10, respectively.

It sounded like booing when he came into 2012 NLDS Game 5 with the Nationals leading 7-5, but wasn't. It certainly was booing when he left NLDS Game 5.

Name this relief pitcher who, after retiring two batters, walked two more and then allowed back-to-back hits to the likes of Daniel Descalso and Pete Kozma, allowing the Cardinals to win 9-7.

And don't worry...it gets worse. (edited at 6:14 pm, October 11, 2017 (PDT))

Nationals Park was home to the longest (in terms of hours) postseason game in MLB history in 2014, prolonged substantially by the Nationals' buffoonish manager presumably tanking the game by removing his tremendously effective starting pitcher (3 hits, one walk) after 8 2/3 innings. The pitcher in #17 came in, and the result was eventually the same.

How many innings did this 6 hour, 23 minute long debacle last?

#firemattwilliamsagain

To make up for questions 17 and 18, the Nationals took action to acquire a proven disaster for their bullpen. The Nationals traded Nick Pivetta to the Philadelphia Phillies to acquire this combustible liability in 2015. It went about as well as expected.

Name this right-handed reliever who was famously nicknamed "the DC Strangler" by Jayson Werth in a 2016 postgame interview shortly before the reliever was released.

In all, thanks to a nightmarish first half for the bullpen, 11 pitchers would earn saves for the Nationals. The team leader was Sean Doolittle, acquired in mid-July. Two other pitchers acquired at that time, Brandon Kintzler and Ryan Madson, also notched saves.

Name any THREE of the other EIGHT pitchers (3 LHP, 5 RHP) who notched saves for Washington, at least four of whom were considered the closer at one point.