This story was excerpted from Jessica Camerato’s Nationals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Victor Robles will always be cherished by Nationals fans for his role in winning the 2019 World Series, and they showed their appreciation in his return to Nationals Park.
On Friday, the team honored Robles with a video tribute prior to the first pitch of the series opener. It captured his eight seasons in Washington from 2017 to 2024. Robles, 29, signed with the Nats as a 16-year-old in 2013.
“It feels good,” Robles said of the reception. “During the time I was here, they adopted me as family.”
Robles was a two-time Gold Glove Award finalist with electric defense in the outfield. He caught the final outs to clinch the 2019 NL Wild Card spot and in the NLCS to advance to the World Series.
Robles had a 1.000 fielding percentage with 30 putouts during that title run, and he started in center field all seven games of the World Series. He described that 2019 team as a group of teammates who played as one.
During his career, Robles slashed .236/.311/.356 with 31 home runs and 70 stolen bases in 530 games for the Nationals. A series of injuries hampered his final seasons with the team, and he was designated for assignment in late May 2024.
Robles was injured the last time the Mariners came to Washington, making this his first series played at Nationals Park in an opposing uniform.
“I felt happy,” Robles said. “A little, not sad, but missing the teammates, missing the staff, missing the coaches and missing the city, too. I know it’s a business, but I felt very good to return.”