Will it all end tonight? Either the most exciting season in the Nationals’ young history comes to a disappointing finish this evening, or it advances to an all-or-nothing fifth game against the St. Louis Cardinals. In the last few weeks, our fledgling baseball culture has sneaked into all sorts of corners of local life: politics, music, transit. Whatever happens tonight, it’s been remarkable—-and I say this after stints last decade living in the Boston area and Philadelphia—-to live in a Washington that suddenly felt like a baseball town.

So I’ll be live-blogging tonight’s action: the game, sure, but also what’s happening in the bleachers, and in line for food, and whatever feelings are hanging in the air. Check back here frequently for updates.

Maybe I’ll even have a few more thoughts about Teddy.

7:09 Who’s growing a Jayson Werth beard with me? Thank you Washington Nationals, party people, and Nelly. Hey, and my boss Mike Madden has tix for tomorrow’s showdown. Stop by for more live blogging.

6:54 Bottom of the ninth, 1-1. Hugs all around me. Let’s see it, Nats.

6:53 I’m in the section that’s trying to start the wave. If we succeed, the Nats might deserve to lose.

6:45 Top of the ninth, and I’m adjusting my evening plans in the likely event of extra innings. Can’t wait for this game to get a little sloppy.

6:23 Word is that famous St. Louisan Nelly, the rapper, was found with drugs and a gun in Texas. That’s gotta be a bad omen for the Cards.

5:51 Haven’t had functional Twitter in an hour. Crowd’s getting rowdy. This is all about to get very Thunderdome.

5:48 HE WUZ OUT

5:41 The fan of the game was totally doing Gangnam Style. Possible new name for Redskins: The Washington Gangnams?

5:20 hey, Twitter people: Follow @letteddylose.

5:15 Teddy wins! Yet he remains a monument to loserdom. Ugh..

5:12 So I’m up in the (awesome) nosebleeds, my back facing the Anacostia. Folks next to me seem to think that the river is the city limit.

4:58 A tender moment in which the racing presidents help return an enlisted Nats fan to his son. Everybody say awwwwww.

4:41 I should walk back my earlier snark. This feels like an actual baseball crowd. At-bats feel tense. Cheering is solid. Everyone’s taking everything a little bit personal.

4:39 Home run! High five with strangers!

4:21 a quick inning, and a woman nearby yells, “Jeez Louise!” Gee willikers, get rude and debauched, people!

4:16Was Bryce Harper’s walk-up music just Skrillex? Hopefully, that’s the only part of today’s game that feels like a dystopian tilt-a-whirl.

4:13 Greetings from the cheap seats, friendly to neither Cards fans nor reliable 3G. I’ll do my best with the updates. Play ball!

3:44. And this is what the Nats-bound train looks like at Chinatown.
Photo by Darrow Montgomery