RFK Stadium
The Nationals' first home in Washington, 2005-2007.
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, first called District of Columbia Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium on East Capitol Street by the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. It housed two major league teams, the Senators from 1962 to 1971 and the Nationals from 2005 to 2007, and operated until 2019.
Quick Facts
- Location
- Washington, D.C., U.S.
- Groundbreaking
- July 8, 1960
- Opened
- 1 October 1961
- Closed
- September 15, 2019
- Demolished
- 2023–2026
- Owner
- United States government (1960–1986), District of Columbia (1986–2026)
- Operator
- Events DC
- Surface
- Bermuda grass
Facts from the source article.
Background
It was one of the first big stadiums built for both baseball and football, an early 'cookie-cutter' design. Baseball returned on April 3, 2005 with an exhibition against the Mets, and on April 14, 2005 the Nationals beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-3 in their first regular-season game there, with President George W. Bush throwing the first pitch. Ryan Zimmerman hit his first walk-off home run at RFK on June 18, 2006, off the Yankees' Chien-Ming Wang. The last major league game at RFK was a 5-3 Nationals win over the Philadelphia Phillies on September 23, 2007, before the club moved to Nationals Park. It was known as a pitchers' park, and the Nationals never had a winning season there.
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