The Battle of the Beltway has been a staple series for baseball lovers in and around the state of Maryland, and for years, the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals have been quite the quiet rivals of Major League Baseball.
Unlike the infamous 124-year rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, the Beltway Series originated in 2006, primarily due to the two team’s close proximity to one another (about 40 miles apart).
The series name is taken from the beltway highways, the Baltimore Beltway (I-695) and the Capital Beltway (I-95/I-495), that serve Baltimore and Washington D.C., respectively.
There have been 113 meetings between the two interleague foes, with the Orioles leading the all-time record, 60-53.
The Birds were victorious in the first ever meeting between the two clubs on May 19, 2006, defeating Washington at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium by a score of 5-1. In that game, Jeff Conine, Kris Benson, Corey Patterson, Ramón Hernández and Eddie Rogers each collected an RBI in the O’s win.
The Nationals hold the largest victory between the two teams, after defeating the Orioles 17-5 on May 20, 2011, with the help of six home runs and 19 total hits.
Washington also holds the longest win streak in series history, winning seven straight games between 2017 and 2019.
Last season, the O’s and Nats split the four games they played against each other. However, this season, the two clubs will face off a total of six times, splitting three games a piece from Oriole Park at Camden Yards and Nationals Park.
What are some of your fondest memories of the Beltway Series? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, X, Bluesky and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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