Team UP Touch Base April Newsletter

Welcome to the first Team UP Touch Base of 2022! This newsletter is for all of you – the players and families playing baseball or softball in one of the Washington Nationals Team UP leagues. Each month we will share an interesting baseball story or two, spotlight a Nationals player, highlight a few Team UP players, offer some tips and give our readers a chance to win prizes.

As youth baseball and softball seasons begin, we encourage you to do your best, listen to your coaches, and have fun. Baseball is a great team sport and playing the game with your friends and helping your teammates can make your time on the baseball field happy and memorable.

The Nationals are proud to support your play, and we cannot wait to visit your league and see pictures of you and your teammates wearing your Nationals-provided uniforms! We look forward to providing Team UP families with other fun opportunities like a free ticket to a Nationals game and possibly even a player visiting your league.

To calculate Juan Soto's batting average, you take his number of hits and divide it by his number of at-bats? True or False?

Please sign up at nationals.com/TeamUPStayInTouch if you would like to receive the Team UP Touch Base newsletter or other Team UP information directly from the Nationals. Finally, please let us know what you want to read in Team UP Touch Base by sending an email to Sade Means at [email protected].

Nationals History on Opening Day

Across the country, Opening Day is the beginning of a new Major League Baseball season. In Washington D.C., Opening Day is extra special when it also becomes part of American history. Over the years, baseball teams in Washington, D.C. have had several Presidents throw out Opening Day ceremonial first pitches.

The first Major League Baseball ceremonial first pitch happened on April 14, 1910. William Howard Taft, the 27th President of the United States, attended the Washington Senators home opener against the Philadelphia Athletics. That day, President Taft made history. He was the first President in office to throw out the ceremonial first pitch on Opening Day.

As President Taft made his way to his seats along the first-base line, he received a standing ovation from a sold-out crowd of 12,226 fans, the largest baseball crowd in Washington at the time. Umpire Billy Evans walked over to President Taft’s box and gave him a baseball. President Taft rose from his seat and started to toss the ball to Senators catcher Gabby Street, but he changed his mind and threw it to pitcher Walter Johnson.

The District’s current MLB team, the Washington Nationals (2005-present) have hosted two presidents who threw ceremonial first pitches on three different opening games. President George W. Bush threw out the ceremonial first pitch at RFK Stadium on April 14, 2005, to celebrate the return of baseball to the capital and again on March 30, 2008, to open Nationals Park. On April 5, 2010, President Barack Obama continued the tradition by throwing out the first pitch before the Nationals' season opener against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Know Your Nats

Dave Martinez, #4

Nationals Manager, 2018-Present

Born: 09/26/64

New York, NY

Former Coach (2008-2015): Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs

Former Player (1986-2001): Chicago Cubs, Montreal Expos, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, Atlanta Braves

Favorite Food: Seafood

Favorite Color: Red

Pets: Dogs (Catahoulas), named Maya and Champ

Favorite Hobby: Anything outdoors

Advice for Youth Players: Practice, practice, practice!

Negro League History

From the 1880s until 1947 – more than 60 years –black people were not permitted to play in Major League Baseball. The unfair treatment did not stop black baseball players from playing the game, though. Andrew "Rube" Foster (a black baseball player, manager, and owner) organized the Negro National League in 1920. Negro league players are among the best athletes to have every played the game and their bravery, dedication, and athleticism made an everlasting contribution to the sport of baseball.

Even before the start of the official Negro National League, the Homestead Grays started playing baseball in 1910. Based originally in Pennsylvania the Grays were one of the most successful and well-known black baseball teams. Because the team did not have a field, they traveled around the east coast to play. They competed hard and dedicated themselves to winning against the best local baseball teams. When the Washington Senators were on the road, the Grays called the District home playing at Griffith Stadium.

The team’s success drew large crowds (often-bigger crowds) than the Senators had at their games. The Grays won three Negro League World Series titles (1943, 1944, and 1948) and nine Negro League pennants (1937-1945).

STEM: A Guide to Baseball Statistics

What is Batting Average?

Batting average is a statistic that measures a batter’s performance. Batting average helps explain how often a batter gets on base safely from a hit. For the 2021 season, the batting average for all players across the league was .284. Let's take a look at Juan Soto's batting average from the previous season.

Batting Average = hits divided by at-bats

How to Do It:
Take the number of a batter’s hits and divide that by his number of at-bats

Hits: A player gets a hit when he strikes a baseball, it lands in fair territory and he reaches base safely. A hit can be a single (one base), double (two bases), triple (three bases) or home run (four bases). If a batter reaches base because of an error or fielder’s choice that is not counted as a hit.
At Bats = A player is credited with an at bat every time he comes to the plate except if he is 1) hit by a pitch 2) walks 3) reaches base by a sacrifice bunt/sacrifice fly or 4) reaches base because of interference.

Do The Math - Juan Soto Batting Average:
Hits = 157
At Bats = 502
Divide 157 by 502 =.312 batting average

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