Battle of the Beltways: a Look Back at This Interleague Rivalry

When Do the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Nationals Play Next?

Baltimore Orioles tickets and Washington Nationals tickets can be found on their respective team pages.

Are the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Nationals Rivals?

Yes, the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals have a proximal, interleague rivalry in Major League Baseball, called “The Battle of the Beltways.” The Orioles are members of the American League East division, and the Nationals are members of the National League East. The series name comes from the beltway highways in the greater District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia area: the Baltimore Beltway (Interstate 695) and the Capital Beltway (Interstate 495).

Who Are the Baltimore Orioles’ Biggest Rivals?

The Orioles have divisional rivals in the New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays. Lately, the rivalry that burns hottest is the Beltway Series against the Washington Nationals.

Who Are the Washington Nationals’ Biggest Rivals?

The Nationals also have division rivalries against the Atlanta Braves, the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies. Their rivalry against the Baltimore Orioles is also one that burns very intensely.

Baltimore Orioles vs. Washington Nationals Series History

The disdain between the Orioles and Nationals is relatively new in the MLB. The two teams met for the first time in 2006, at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C., where the Orioles came out on top 5–1.

In the 90 matchups between the two squads from 2006 to 2022, Baltimore leads 51–39. Each team alternated six-game win streaks between 2015 and 2018, the longest in history. However, the Nationals hold a slight edge in the largest margin of victory with 12. They bested the Orioles 17–5 in 2011 and 15–3 in 2020. Meanwhile, Baltimore’s most lopsided victory was 11–0, also in 2020.

Where Do the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals Play?

Baltimore plays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, their fourth stadium as a franchise since 1901. Oriole Park opened in 1992 and is located in downtown Baltimore near the Inner Harbor. Baltimore played Cleveland in their first game at Camden Yards, and former President George H. W. Bush threw out the first pitch.

Meanwhile, only 35 miles away, the Nationals play at Nationals Park along Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. The park opened in 2008 and cost a total of $784 million to build. Nationals Park hosted the 2018 MLB All-Star Game and games 3, 4 and 5 of the World Series a year later.

Other MLB Rivalries