As we count down the final days of 2017, we're counting down the most significant stories of the year for the Nationals. Some are positive. Some are negative. All helped define this baseball season in Washington. We'll reveal two per day through New Year's Eve, concluding right now with ... No. 1: Another Game 5 loss It has become something of an annual ritual around here, rehashing another gut-wrenching loss in Game 5 of the National League Division Series. But until the Nationals prove...

As we count down the final days of 2017, we're counting down the most significant stories of the year for the Nationals. Some are positive. Some are negative. All helped define this baseball season in Washington. We'll reveal two per day through New Year's Eve, continuing right now with ... No. 2: Baker fired, Martinez hired The question of Dusty Baker's future with the Nationals lurked underneath the surface for most of the 2017 season, but it never truly felt like that much of a question...

As we count down the final days of 2017, we're counting down the most significant stories of the year for the Nationals. Some are positive. Some are negative. All helped define this baseball season in Washington. We'll reveal two per day through New Year's Eve, continuing right now with ... No. 3: Scherzer wins another Cy Young Seven-year contracts for pitchers are supposed to be dangerous. Few have ever worked out as initially hoped. Max Scherzer still has four years remaining on his...

As we count down the final days of 2017, we're counting down the most significant stories of the year for the Nationals. Some are positive. Some are negative. All helped define this baseball season in Washington. We'll reveal two per day through New Year's Eve, continuing right now with ... No. 4: Strasburg steps up Through the first seven seasons of his big league career, Stephen Strasburg seemed to be noted more for what he hadn't accomplished than for what he had done on the mound. He...

As we count down the final days of 2017, we're counting down the most significant stories of the year for the Nationals. Some are positive. Some are negative. All helped define this baseball season in Washington. We'll reveal two per day through New Year's Eve, continuing right now with ... No. 5: Jayson Werth's farewell "LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - It's a rare day indeed, when the Washington Nationals make a move that shakes up the entire baseball world. "This is a franchise that for the...

As we count down the final days of 2017, we're counting down the most significant stories of the year for the Nationals. Some are positive. Some are negative. All helped define this baseball season in Washington. We'll reveal two per day through New Year's Eve, continuing right now with ... No. 6: Ryan Zimmerman's comeback It sounds a bit silly now, but one year ago a not-so-insignificant number of Nationals fans - perhaps even some folks employed by the club itself - weren't sure Ryan...

As we count down the final days of 2017, we're counting down the most significant stories of the year for the Nationals. Some are positive. Some are negative. All helped define this baseball season in Washington. We'll reveal two per day through New Year's Eve, continuing right now with ... No. 7: Bryce Harper's knee injury As he took the field on Aug. 12 - after waiting out a 3-hour, 1-minute rain delay - Bryce Harper was about three-quarters of the way through a potential MVP...

As we count down the final days of 2017, we're counting down the most significant stories of the year for the Nationals. Some are positive. Some are negative. All helped define this baseball season in Washington. We'll reveal two per day through New Year's Eve, beginning right now with ... No. 8: The bullpen makeover The Nationals cruised through the first half of the 2017 season. They took over first place in the National League East Division on April 18 and never gave it back. They carried...