Nationals to play exhibition game against Red Sox at Naval Academy

Bryce Harper and the Nationals will play an exhibition game against the Red Sox at the Naval Academy. (Photo by Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

The Washington Nationals announced Thursday a three-year agreement to hold one exhibition game at the Naval Academy per year through 2019, beginning with a game against the Boston Red Sox on April 1. The club announced it will also host the Red Sox at Nationals Park on March 31.

Tickets for the exhibition in Annapolis, which is scheduled for 2 p.m. on ESPN at Max Bishop Stadium, are limited to midshipmen and select members of the U.S. Navy. The opponents for the game at the Naval Academy in 2018 and 2019 haven’t been determined. The March 31 exhibition at Nationals Park is slated for a 4:05 p.m. start. Tickets for that game will be available to the public.

“One of the Nationals’ core community platforms is to support the military, which we do through a variety of initiatives, including our in-game Salute to Service, Military Branch Days, and visits by players and coaches to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center,” Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner said in a statement. “It will be an honor for our players and coaches to take part in these games at the Naval Academy, in front of the brave men and women who have committed to serve our country.”

Last April, the Nationals hosted the Minnesota Twins for two regular-season primers at Nationals Park and began their season two days later against the Braves in Atlanta. This year, the Nationals open their regular season April 3 at home against the Miami Marlins.