Seven years and five months ago, DCist published a story recapping the Washington Nationals’ first game since Major League Baseball uprooted the hapless Montreal Expos and transplanted them to the U.S. capital. They lost, 8-4, in Philadelphia with a lineup of has-beens and never-weres.

That memory became much more distant last night when Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez’s bat missed a Drew Storen slider, giving the Nationals a 4-1 victory and the first playoff berth by a D.C. baseball team since Franklin Roosevelt’s first year in the White House.

Fireworks shot from the roof of Nationals Park, Davey Johnson was more impish than usual in his post-game press conference, ESPN said something dumb about Stephen Strasburg.

“We ain’t done yet,” Johnson told his players when they dragged him from his office for a post-victory champagne toast. He later told reporters that there was no frenetic, bubbly shower in locker room, just an acknowledgement of last night’s accomplishment and that the playoff spot achieved last night only guarantees an appearance in the wild-card round. It’ll take a few more wins to clinch the National League East division.

But right now, Nationals fans are riding high following a masterful start by Ross Detweiler, the hard-throwing left-hander who allowed only three hits and one walk in six innings.

Johnson is right though, there’s still plenty of regular-season baseball left. The Post’s Thomas Boswell has his eyes set on 98, 99 or maybe 100 wins. The Nationals magic number for clinching the division sits at eight. For now, though, it’s enough just to enjoy this moment by a squad that for D.C. newcomers, became another favorite team and for people who grew up in a town having to latch on to Baltimore or Atlanta.

After 79 years, playoff baseball is coming back to D.C. Tickets go on sale 10 a.m. at Nationals.com Prices here.