Jim Riggleman was kept as full-time manager after being instituted on July 12, 2009 after Manny Acta's firing.
Highlights from the season include Stephen Strasburg's 14-strikeout Major League debut on June 8 against the Pittsburgh Pirates and a bench-clearing brawl on September 1 at the Florida Marlins.
The Nationals finished 2010 in last place in the NL East for the third year in a row with a 69–93 record, though they did have a ten-game improvement from 2009.
As the Texas Rangers won their first pennant that season, the Nationals became one of only two teams to have never played in the World Series, along with the Seattle Mariners On December 7, 2009, the Nationals traded a player to be named later to the New York Yankees for Brian Bruney; they sent Jamie Hoffman to the Yankees on December 10, 2009, to complete the trade.
[1] The Nationals held their 2010 spring training in Viera, Florida, with home games played at Space Coast Stadium.