Figured we should put these all in one place. So we don’t have to look them up all over again in May. Also, because they are almost impossible to believe.
69: Consecutive seasons played by the Nationals, Capitals, Redskins and Wizards without advancing to a conference final. It is the longest such streak in North American sports, by more than 20 seasons.
0-13: Record by the Nationals, Capitals, Redskins and Wizards in their last 13 games that would have clinched a conference final berth. The Nats have lost four such games, the Caps six, the Redskins two and the Wizards one. And eight of those 13 games have been played at home.
3-13: Record by the Nationals, Capitals, Redskins and Wizards in their last 16 home playoff games with a chance to advance, in any round. This is particularly cruel, because of the number of fans who have been to a shockingly high percentage of these games. Just stop going, would be my advice.
4-15: Record by the Nationals, Capitals, Redskins and Wizards in their last 19 single-elimination games, in any round. (This is any game for the Redskins, any Game 7 for the Caps or Wizards, and any Game 5 for the Nationals.) (The graphic below is missing one Nats loss.)
Including tonight, Washington D.C. pro sports teams have lost 14 OF THEIR LAST 18 single elimination games. pic.twitter.com/fA89crDWfN
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) October 13, 2017
Eight: Number of one-run playoff losses the Nationals have suffered since 2014: two this year, three against the Dodgers and three against the Giants. Their record in one-run games in that span is, as you might have guessed, 0-8. The Giants have the next most one-run losses since 2014; they are 6-4 in such games. That feels sort of different from 0-8.
14.0: The television rating on TBS for Game 5 of this year’s NLDS in the D.C. market. That made it the second-most watched Nats game of all time, behind only the Game 5 loss to the Cardinals in 2012. So the two-most watched games in this franchise’s history were both Game 5 home losses on Oct. 12 (that actually ended on the 13th) in which Gio Gonzalez started and the Nationals led early and the other team scored nine runs. (This year’s game earned a 22.9 rating in Chicago.)
Three: Number of home losses in Game 5 of an MLB divisional series the Nats have suffered over the last decade. That’s the most of any MLB team in that span. (Oakland is the only other franchise with more than one home Game 5 divisional series loss in that decade.)
Five: Number of home Game 7 losses suffered by the Caps in the last decade. That’s the most of any NHL team in that span.
Two: Number of home playoff losses suffered by the Redskins since 2012. That’s tied for the most of any NFL team in that span.
1,057: The number of words I wrote yesterday afternoon about how the Nationals finally, mercifully, amazingly put an end to all of these stupid streaks and numbers and laments. That very swell piece will remain in my drafts folder at least until 2018. Or maybe 3018.
2.73 million: The number of half-innings in Baseball Reference’s ridiculous database of MLB history. None of them, before last night, ever included an intentional walk, a passed ball strikeout, a catcher’s interference and a hit-by-pitch. Things that happened Thursday night with four consecutive Cubs hitters and a Cy Young candidate on the mound.
None of the 2.73m half innings in our db have even had all 4 of these events. 22 w/ 3. Only 5 games had all 4.https://t.co/ntifpJIb6n
— Baseball Reference (@baseball_ref) October 13, 2017
Two: The number of playoff games in MLB history in which the home team drew at least nine walks, scored at least eight runs, and still lost. The first one came during the 1997 World Series, and was suffered by the Indians, of course. The second one happened Thursday night.
Zero: The number of games in this regular season in which the Nats struck out at least 12 times, and also left at least 13 runners on base. That’s what happened Thursday night.
13: Speaking of 13, the Nats both sent 13 men to the plate and left 13 runners on base during that game, which ended on Friday the 13th and finished off the team’s 13th season in D.C.
7,058: Days since the Nationals, Capitals, Redskins or Wizards last played in a game beyond the league quarterfinal stage. If you forget that one, don’t despair. There’s now a Web site that keeps track of every second since that day.
