Rendon calls out Nats fans after clincher: 'Hopefully they'll show up later'

As the Washington Nationals celebrated their return to the playoffs, Anthony Rendon couldn't help but think about those who weren't there to witness it.

The Nationals have been one of the best teams in baseball since late May - authoring a remarkable turnaround to clinch a spot in the NL wild-card game - but just 22,214 fans attended the nightcap of Tuesday's doubleheader to witness the moment.

The empty seats in Nationals Park during the stretch run hasn't escaped Rendon's eyes. In the midst of the jubilation, the MVP candidate took a moment to call out his team's supporters in unprompted fashion.

When asked by Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post if this run could be what finally pushes the Nationals to win a playoff series, Rendon responded: "I don't know. It would have been nice if we had more people out there tonight. It is what it is. Hopefully, they'll show up later on in the year."

Attendance issues have plagued MLB all season and the Nationals are no exception, having averaged just 27,800 spectators per home game to date, according to ESPN.

That places Washington in the middle of the pack - 16th out of 30 teams - but the figure is also a sharp drop from 2018, when the franchise averaged over 31,000. If the 2019 number holds, this would be the first season in eight years that the Nats average fewer than 30,000 fans per game.

Right now, the Nationals sit one game up on the Milwaukee Brewers for home-field advantage in next week's wild-card game.

If the Nationals win the one-game playoff and advance to the NLDS, it would mark just the second postseason series win in franchise history and the first since moving from Montreal. It would also be the first series win for a District of Columbia-based team in 95 years.

The 29-year-old Rendon, who's slashing a stellar .325/.412/.608 with 34 home runs, has spent his entire career in Washington, but he's set to become a free agent this winter.