I’m now one step closer to pitching in a Major League Baseball game.

On Saturday I warmed up in the bullpen at Nationals Park — never mind that it was just one pitch and the Nats were playing in Atlanta.  It was the last stop on a pretty sweet tour of the stadium.

I went with my mom and brother Pat, who each stepped up on the bullpen mound as well:

If you live near a team that offers this kind of tour, I absolutely recommend you take it.  It was really cool to see all of the different areas fans don’t get to go on game days and pick up some nuggets of info about the park along the way.

I put together a montage of photos and video from various parts of the stadium, including the press box, media room, home clubhouse (with a note to rookies Bryce Harper and Tyler Moore to remember their passports), the batting cage under the stands, and of course, the bullpen:

Inside the clubhouse, the Nats have years of team photos along with action shots from games.  But one item I found fascinating (yet not enough to take a picture) was a set of yearbook-style photos titled 2012 MLB Umpires.  I guess that’s to make sure you know the name of the guy you’re yelling at from the dugout?

I wonder if they get each ump to sign their picture at the end of the year.  HAGS.