Nationals clinch NL East and first division title

• The Nationals clinched the city's first title since the 1933 Senators won
• The Pirates beat the Braves to hand the Nationals the NL East title
• The Nationals won't know until Friday who they will face in the NLDS

WASHINGTON -- What's a few more days and a little scoreboard watching when you haven't had a first-place team in 79 years? The Washington Nationals clinched their first National League East championship Monday — and the city's first title since the 1933 Senators won the American League — while still on the field against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The second-place Atlanta Braves lost 2-1 at the Pittsburgh Pirates, a game completed while the Nationals were still playing — and trailing the Phillies — on the third consecutive day the Nationals began with the possibility of wrapping up the division.

It ended with a near-capacity crowd at Nationals Park chanting "Let's go Pirates!" as Pittsburgh recorded the final outs to eliminate Atlanta from division contention.

By the bottom of the ninth, the public-address announcer introduced left fielder Michael Morse as "batting for the NL East champion Washington Nationals."

"Unbelieveable," third baseman Ryan Zimmerman said in a champagne-soaked Nationals clubhouse. "Better than I expected."

Added general manager Mike Rizzo: "From where we were a few short years ago, this is one of our stops. It's a young, athletic team. I love it."

The Nationals came to the capital in 2005 from Montreal, where the team didn't finish first in 36 seasons. Washington had been without baseball since 1972.

"We'll be back and doing this a couple more times," said Rizzo.

"Getting into the playoffs is Step 1," said manager Davey Johnson, who forbid a full-blown clubhouse celebration until the division was settled. "Winning your division is Step 2. Winning the World Series is Step 3."

There is an intermediate step, though.

The Nationals and Cincinnati Reds are tied for the NL's best record and home-field advantage for the postseason (Washington owns the tiebreaker). The better team will start its postseason Sunday at the winner of Friday's wild-card game, while the No.2 seed will open Saturday at the San Francisco Giants.

"I'd like to play Sunday; that would be Gio's game," Johnson says of having Gio Gonzalez ready to pitch. "I'd like to start with my 21-game winner."

The downside, Johnson says, is not knowing until Friday the site and opponent of that first game.

"That's uncomfortable," he says.

But the comfort comes from managing a team that has been in first place since May 22 and set a franchise record for victories.