Sunday was the first Star Wars Day at Nationals Park. The Nats transformed every aspect of the fan experience into an intergalactic voyage, but the hit of the day by far was the Nationals’ racing presidents, who dressed as characters from the movies and were swarmed by the sellout crowd wherever they went.
Despite the brutally hot weather and the 5-0 beating that the team took at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers, it’s fair to say that the promotion was a resounding success, though when it came to the 4th-inning presidents race, the Nats forgot two important rules: the good guys always prevail, and you always let the wookie win.
More on that in a moment, but since a picture is worth a thousand words, here without further ado is our photo compendium of the Nats Star Wars Day.
First, representing the evil empire:
Nats racing president “Honest” Abraham Lincoln was Darth Vader (of course):
Nats racing president George Washington as Darth Maul:
Nats racing president William Howard Taft as Boba Fett:
Next, representing the good guys:
Nats racing president newcomer Calvin Coolidge as Luke Skywalker:
Nats racing president Thomas Jefferson as, yes, Princess Leia:
…and Nats racing president Teddy Roosevelt as Chewbacca the wookie:
The inspired costume for Teddy was a seeming nod to the Let Teddy Win movement, leading some in the stands to adopt a “Let the Wookie Win” chant during the 4th inning race, a reference to this notable clip:
The costumes certainly didn’t stop with the racing presidents. Actors posing as Luke, Han, Leia and all of your favorite characters were stationed throughout Nationals Park to pose for photos with fans, but the most overwhelming presence was that of the evil empire, which stationed stormtroopers, imperial guards and officers both on and off the field.
Darth Vader makes his entrance:
Imperial guards, officers, and stormtroopers:
Emperor Palpatine and the evil galactic empire deliver the lineup card for the Dodgers: 
Bryce Harper is surrounded by Stormtroopers during the national anthem:
R2D2 in the house: 
Jedi Master Screech the Eagle: 
Fans got creative in ways too numerous to mention, and several were selected to go on the field and help introduce the players.
On Nats HD, PA announcer Jerome Hruska used a voice filter to sound more like Yoda, and introduced the epic battle to come in classic Star Wars fashion. When it came time to introduce the players, every Dodger was represented as an imperial stormtrooper, while every member of the Nationals was given the hero treatment.
Finally, there was that matter of the presidents race. The fourth inning ritual started with the famous Star Wars Cantina music, and then pitted the galactic empire against the rebel alliance as Darth Vader (Abe Lincoln), Boba Fett (William Howard Taft), and Darth Maul (George Washington) took on Princess Leia (Thomas Jefferson), Chewbacca (Teddy Roosevelt), and Luke Skywalker (Calvin Coolidge) in a relay race.
Teddy (Chewbacca) handed Coolidge (Skywalker) a big lead in the anchor leg, but George (Darth Maul) passed Cal and engaged him in a light saber battle on the first base line.
Cal lost his light saber, George took the win, and in keeping with what transpired on the field, the evil empire prevailed.
Video for LetTeddyWin.com by lfahome
LET TEDDY WIN 