| 2021 Washington Nationals | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| League | National League | |
| Division | East | |
| Ballpark | Nationals Park | |
| City | Washington, D.C. | |
| Record | 65–97 (.401) | |
| Divisional place | 5th | |
| Owners | Lerner Enterprises | |
| General managers | Mike Rizzo | |
| Managers | Dave Martinez | |
| Television | MASN (Bob Carpenter, FP Santangelo, Justin Maxwell, Dan Kolko) | |
| Radio | 106.7 The Fan Washington Nationals Radio Network (Charlie Slowes, Dave Jageler) | |
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The 2021 Washington Nationals season was the Nationals' 17th season as the baseball franchise of Major League Baseball in the District of Columbia, the 14th season at Nationals Park, and the 53rd since the original team was started in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
After a disappointing start to the 2021 season, in which the team was under .500 at the July trade deadline, general manager Mike Rizzo disassembled much of the team, trading ace pitcher Max Scherzer and superstar shortstop Trea Turner to the Los Angeles Dodgers, among many other trades of starting players in exchange for prospects, signifying the start of a rebuilding process. The Nationals slumped to a 18–42 (.300) record of wins and losses after the trade deadline, the worst 60-game closing stretch in club history, and finished 65–97, last in the National League East for the first time since the 2010 season. Sixty players appeared for the Nationals over the course of the season, a single-season record for the team. The Nationals also had a 15–62 (.195) record in games in which their opponent scored first, as opposed to a 50–35 (.588) record when scoring first. The Nationals also went 2–11 (.154) in extra innings and went 7–11 (.389) in games that ended in a walk-off for the winning team.