When Winning Isn't Everything ; Nats Open at Home with Celebrations, 9-2 Defeat

Summary

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Were it not for the elaborate pre-game festivities, Washington Nationals fans might have mistaken yesterday's contest against the Florida Marlins as delivery from the dog days of August.

But it was, in fact, Opening Day at RFK Stadium, and temperatures in the low 80s lured a sweaty 40,389 to the ballpark for a lackluster 9-2 loss by the Nationals that featured a shaky performance by No. 1 starter John Patterson and injuries to outfielder Nook Logan and shortstop Cristian Guzman.

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Extract

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When Winning Isn't Everything ; Nats Open at Home with Celebrations, 9-2 Defeat

Although the Nationals' performance did nothing to fend off the critics who predict a difficult season for the team and its fans, yesterday's game was - like others at RFK in the past three seasons - a celebration of baseball in a city th...

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