The biggest superstition or ritual for each MLB team

By Brad Weiss | May 13, 2019

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 9: CC Sabathia #52 of the New York Yankees delivers the first pitch in the first inning during Game 4 of the ALDS against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, October 9, 2018, in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

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WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 30: Racing Presidents run a mascot race in between innings of a game between the Washington Nationals and the Colorado Rockies at Nationals Park on July 30, 2017 in Washington, DC. The Rockies defeated the Nationals 10-6. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /

Washington Nationals: Presidents Race

The Washington Nationals were not always the Washington Nationals. In fact, they originally were a team from Canada. However, the Montreal Expos moved to the U.S. capital in 2004, and since then, the franchise has been synonymous with displaying our nation’s colors and honoring its past.

One way the Nationals do this during home games is to have their Presidents Race during the middle of the fourth inning. Originally, the Nationals had only four racers but they have mixed in a few other presidents since then, though they have gone back to just the original four as of late.

The four original presidents to race during the fourth inning are George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and Teddy Roosevelt. While guys like Herbert Hoover, Calvin Coolidge and Howard Taft have had their moments in the sun, those three now only race during the Nationals’ home Spring Training games.

To watch these four big-head presidents race during Nats games is downright fun, and it has been only recently that Roosevelt has actually started winning some of them. This is a ritual that started back in the old RFK Stadium, and when the team moved into Nationals Park, the presidents came with them.

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