What was evident in mid-June finally became official Saturday night. The Washington Nationals’ 5-1 loss to Pittsburgh eliminated them from the NL Wild Card race and assured the team of a sixth straight silent October after the franchise made the postseason five times from 2012-19.

That they stayed on the precipice for as long as they did was a byproduct of a hot start to September (seven wins in their first eight games in September) plus a cratering New York Mets (eight straight losses before Sunday’s win).

We await the new direction in the front office and the dugout, while knowing that the new vision might not include multiple players previously seen as fixtures or core contributors.

But that’s what happens when your “reboot” goes awry.

Digesting the Division: Philadelphia (89-61)

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