Teddy Roosevelt almost wins in the playoffs, but Nats grounds crew intervenes

The Washington Nationals hosted the first game of the National League Division Series vs. the Chicago Cubs Friday night at Nationals Park, and the nationally televised playoff game schedule helped the team toy with fans before once again preventing Teddy Roosevelt from winning his first presidents race of the season.

The extra long commercial breaks allowed the racing presidents to start their fourth inning race from the third base side and run the entire length of the outfield, twice the length of the typical presidents race.

So the Nats unleashed Teddy Roosevelt, and the hero of San Juan Hill ran circles around his competition. Literally.

From the back of the pack, the Bull Moose caught up to and ran a circle around George Washington, then Thomas Jefferson, and finally around Abraham Lincoln before pulling away toward the finish line.

But as Teddy approached the home stretch, members of the Nationals grounds crew ran onto the field and tackled the 26th president, extending his losing streak to 84 games.

On the national broadcast, TBS color commentator Ron Darling had some curmudgeonly words for the grounds crew members.

“Those Nationals employees must be millennials and not know their history,” Darling said. “They would not have taken the real Teddy down, I’ll tell you that.”