The airplane door cracked open and the Washington Nationals’ Dave Martinez and Ryan Zimmerman emerged. Pausing at the top of the stairs, Martinez waved a giant Washington Nationals flag while Zimmermann did something that caused the team’s friends and family already on the tarmac at Washington Dulles International Airport to erupt in cheers: He hoisted the World Series trophy.
The Nationals’ return to Washington on Thursday capped a delirious day of high-fives, hugs and impromptu “Baby Shark” jams in a sports town known more for failure than success that is suddenly, improbably, amazingly celebrating a third national championship in just two years.