Washington Capitals and Nationals: A D.C. Sports bond like no other

WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 07: NHL player Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals throws out the first pitch before Game 4 of the NLDS between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on Monday, October 7, 2019 in Washington, District of Columbia. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

One of the coolest things about coming together as a sports city is seeing athletes support the other teams in the area. Over the last few years, we’ve seen it among the Washington Capitals and Nationals.

Whether it’s Alex Ovechkin throwing the first pitch (or pitches), Ryan Zimmerman and Max Scherzer getting Washington Capitals fans fired up before Game 4 of last year’s Stanley Cup Final, or the social media accounts congratulating each other after a big achievement, it’s refreshing to see if you’re a fan of either team or grew up rooting for each.

Ideally, most cities and teams do this. Over here in the Nation’s Capital there’s a ton of success. The Capitals always bring excitement and even though they’re on a recent slide, there’s a string of exciting home games coming up as they look to get back on track.

Over on the basketball side, the Washington Mystics won the WNBA Finals by capturing the crown on their homecourt in Game 5 last night.

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On the baseball diamond the Washington Nationals did the improbable and rallied to defeat the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers.

The rally started with the captain inside the ballpark to throw out the first pitch. This time, he didn’t need a second chance at all!

In Game 4 when the Nationals needed a spark, their face of the franchise Ryan Zimmerman made Ovi and the fans go wild with a homer to dead centerfield. In Game 5 they rallied from a 3-0 deficit but perhaps it might’ve been luck provided by the Capitals that sent good vibes over to LA as the team boarded planes for Nashville sporting Nationals tees during the flight.

WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 7: Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman (11), left, and Washington Nationals right fielder Adam Eaton (2) greet Capitals Alex Ovechkin as he waits to throw out the first pitch before a game between the Washington Nationals and the Los Angeles Dodgers in game 4 of the National League Division Series at Nationals Stadium in Washington, DC on October 7, 2019 . (Photo by John McDonnell/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

If you’re a Nationals fan, you pretty much know what happened that night. As the leaves turn autumn, the city comes together whether it’s baseball, hockey, soccer, basketball or football, the primetime of the sports calendar.

The Capitals supporting the Nationals and vice versa has set the standard. If the Nationals can pull through and defeat the St. Louis Cardinals and perhaps win a World Series, don’t be surprised to see the Nats welcomed by the Caps to a home game in November.

That would be cool to see and would continue a trend of two teams in the city achieving greatness after the Capitals and Valor each won titles.

Next week will be electric with the Caps home for a three-game homestand as well as the NLCS shifting to Nationals Park from Monday through Wednesday. It’ll set the stage for an epic and fun week.

First the Capitals will look to redeem themselves against the Stars in Dallas, then it’s back to Capital One Arena on Monday against the Avalanche and Wednesday against the Maple Leafs.