Washington Nationals Announce Annual Exhibition Against Their Beltway Rivals

The Washington Nationals announced an annual exhibition set the take place at the end of spring training against their rivals.

Mar 4, 2025; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; Washington Nationals outfielder Dylan Crews (3) celebates after catching a fly ball for an out against the St. Louis Cardinals during the second inning at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches | Rich Storry-Imagn Images

The Washington Nationals announced on Friday that they have agreed to a multi-year exhibition with the Baltimore Orioles set to take place at the conclusion of spring training.

The series will consist of just one game in 2025, and will then expand to two matchups from 2026-29.

This announcement comes on the heels of the two sides settling their long-standing media rights dispute earlier in the week in court. The ruling in that case will allow the Nationals to sell their media rights for the first time since relocating to Washington in 2005.

Before this ruling, the Nationals had been forced to keep their media rights under the control of the Baltimore based MASN, which had long been a source of contention between the two sides.

There had been some speculation on whether or not the MLB could step in and alter the agreement following the Orioles sale last year, but nothing came to fruition on that front.

The courts ultimately gave the deciding opinion on the matter, and the issue appears to be settled.

Now, with one chapter in their deep-seated rivalry closed, the two teams will open another on the diamond, albeit one with much lower stakes involved.

The first matchup is currently slated for March 24 at Nationals Park, with first pitch scheduled for 1:05 p.m. After this year, the series will expand to two matchups with one being played in Washington and the other in Baltimore.

The Nationals and Orioles announce a multi-year exhibition series, beginning this year at Nationals Park on Monday, March 24. https://t.co/ydFxTeoRZw

— Nationals Communications (@NationalsComms) March 7, 2025

The Nationals announced that all current and former federal employees will be eligible for two free tickets to the game as a "special expression of gratitude for their services."

Following the game, they will also host their 2025 Fan Fest and red carpet events, both of which will be free to attend for fans.

While this may be just a friendly exhibition for both teams to cap off their respective spring training slates, the two teams will meet again in the regular season for two separate three-game sets.

The first of these will take place in Washington from April 22-24, and the second in Baltimore from May 16-18.

With the addition of this annual preseason showdown, both teams gave ensured that the "Beltway Series" remains alive and well.