Teddy Roosevelt finally wins Washington Nationals’ presidents’ race

For the final time in this baseball regular season, four presidential mascots emerged from behind the Nationals Park outfield fence on Wednesday afternoon and wobbled toward a finish line.

Bringing up the rear was Teddy Roosevelt, the lovable loser, Charlie Brown heading toward the football one last time.

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Okay, sure, Teddy winning the President’s Race is not exactly walking on the moon, but Neil Armstrong’s feat took far fewer tries.

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The Washington Post’s Barry Svrluga, Chico Harlan, Adam Kilgore, James Wagner and columnist Thomas Boswell recall the journey of the Washington Nationals since the team moved from Montreal to winning its first division title in 77 years, and all the good and bad moments in between.

But this has been a season of firsts for the Washington Nationals — first winning record, first playoff berth, first division title — and on the last day of the regular season, one more first was in store. So it was that the three leaders were felled by a green mascot meant to resemble the visiting Philadelphia Phillies’ Phanatic, leaving Teddy by himself as he trotted toward the tape.

“Another historic moment in a season full of them,” radio broadcaster Dave Jageler intoned as players gawked over the dugout railing and fans chanted Teddy’s name.

Team executives typically remain in character when discussing Roosevelt’s epic losing streak: “Teddy wrote history,” Chief Operating Officer Andy Feffer said after the game.

But in truth, the streak was a contested issue, both inside and outside the team offices. Fans wondered if a Teddy win would kill the race’s charm, while team employees debated whether a Teddy win followed by a Nats loss would be seen as a bad omen.

Several players had long advocated for Teddy to win the fan-pleasing race, which is typically held in the fourth inning of every Nationals home game. Jayson Werth suggested the losing streak was emblematic of a losing culture, and on Wednesday Ryan Zimmerman expressed relief that the stunt had run its course.

“I am so glad Teddy won so we can stop talking about Teddy,” Zimmerman said after the game. “People get more excited for a mascot race than a game. Yes, I’m excited Teddy won. I’m ecstatic.”

Still, the groundwork for Wednesday’s result had actually been laid weeks ago. While there had been several false alarms in past seasons, the momentum this time seemed inescapable, especially after ESPN aired a long piece in mid-September narrated by Ken Burns and detailing Roosevelt’s many losses.

“I’ve been paying a lot of attention to the fact that one of the truly great presidents in history has never won a race,” Sen. John McCain deadpanned in the segment.

The next day, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney chimed in, telling reporters that the situation was “an outrage,” and adding, “I’m comfortable saying that my boss agrees with Senator McCain.”

After that, the floodgates opened. Teddy’s losing streak made the front page of the Wall Street Journal. A crew from “ABC World News Tonight” shadowed the mascot on Monday. The team fanned the flames by announcing the final three home games would be dubbed the “Teddy in 2012″ series, with daily Teddy-themed giveaways and video messages featuring Teddy with wrestler John Cena, Teddy training with the Army and Teddy huddling with McCain.

Just after 2 p.m., there was Roosevelt, ripping off his jersey to reveal a T-shirt blaring “Natitude” — the team’s 2012 slogan — as adults hugged and children jumped and screamed.