CHICAGO — These Washington Nationals are unlikely to be conventional. They plan to challenge traditional baseball thought. They plan to experiment. They plan to take chances that surprise people.

On Thursday afternoon, they did all three. They came into Wrigley Field on a windy, chilly afternoon against the Chicago Cubs, trotted out an unorthodox lineup and left with a 10-4 victory.

Washington (1-0) produced a six-run fourth inning, capped by outfielder Jacob Young’s two-run homer; he entered Thursday’s contest with five home runs in nearly 900 at-bats.

Young rounded first and pointed to the Nationals’ bullpen in celebration. He used home plate as a springboard to jump and high-five his teammates.

And, just like that, a new era of Nationals baseball under first-year manager Blake Butera and president of baseball operations Paul Toboni commenced.

“We’re starting new with a lot of things,” Young said. “It’s awesome for Blake to get that first one. It’s awesome for a lot of guys in here to start feeling good. ... We’re hoping just to keep it up.”

Butera envisioned winning the first game in his head. He thought about what it might feel like. Nothing compared to the reactions from his players and staff, or what was waiting for him in the Cubs’ visiting clubhouse.

“Blake’s a little wet right now,” a Nationals staffer said as he walked out of the clubhouse.

After the game, the first-year manager attempted to sneak into his office without being seen. He’s been in a clubhouse as a player before. He knew what was possible. His players grabbed him before he could reach the room, brought him to the shower and doused him in beer and shaving cream. “I got crushed,” Butera said.

“Just excited and happy for the group,” Butera said. “Obviously, there’s still 161 more, but happy to get off on the right footing.”

For nearly two decades, the Nationals were operated by former general manager Mike Rizzo. Washington had nearly a decade of success in the 2010s, culminating in a World Series title in 2019 with manager Dave Martinez.

Baseball teams modernized in the years that followed, but the Nationals, in many ways, fell behind. Rizzo and Martinez were fired in July 2025. Toboni was hired, then picked Butera.

Now, in one offseason, the Nationals have changed drastically. They overhauled their front office and coaching staff. They spent the offseason acquiring new technology. Even off the field, the Nationals are partnering with MLB to broadcast their games — a shift after years being forced to operate with the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network.

Butera’s first lineup painted a picture of how much has changed. The 33-year-old manager stressed during spring training that he’d experiment, move players around in the order and exploit matchups. Butera also knows it’ll take time for players to grasp the change.

Young said players have to be ready on any given day, even if their spot in the lineup shifts. When asked for his thoughts on the lineup construction, Young joked: “Obviously, it’s something to do with analytics stuff. That’s above my pay grade.”

On Thursday, James Wood was in the leadoff spot. Andrés Chaparro, who has played sparingly in the majors the last two seasons, batted second. Joey Wiemer, claimed off waivers during the offseason, was fifth, one spot ahead of 2023 All-Star CJ Abrams.

The wind played a factor throughout the game, but Wiemer hit a solo homer off Matthew Boyd in the top of the second to give Washington a 1-0 lead.

The Cubs responded with two runs in the third off Nationals starter Cade Cavalli. Cavalli, making his first opening day start, tried something new: a sweeper. He added the pitch to attack righties.

On Thursday, he used it to strike out lefty Pete Crow-Armstrong based on what he’d read in his scouting report. That pitch, coupled with his fastball and curveball, kept the Cubs hitters off balance for most of his outing. He threw 75 pitches over 3 2/3 innings.

“I was able to start us off, and the offense freaking backed me up like crazy,” Cavalli said.

The Nationals, meanwhile, whiffed on 20 of the 37 pitches they saw from Boyd. But, when they connected, they made loud contact and Butera’s lineup construction paid dividends — especially in the fourth.

Chaparro, who finished 2-for-3, doubled and picked up the first of three straight Nationals hits. Lile drove him in with a single. Two batters later, with the bases loaded, Abrams hit a line drive into the right field corner. It looked like a homer. The Chicago wind kept it in. He settled for a two-run single that gave Washington a 4-2 lead.

Nasim Nuñez tacked on an RBI groundout. Then came Young’s homer. The Nationals’ first seven hits off Boyd had exit velocities of 97 mph or higher.

Their final homer of the game was a two-run blast by Brady House in the ninth inning.

The Nationals enter this season attempting to give everyone on their roster an opportunity to prove himself. Their starting lineup, and roster, could look drastically different by season’s end. That didn’t matter on Thursday afternoon. The Nationals chose the unconventional. They were rewarded with a win.

“It’s not always going to work out that way, but it’s been a big message to our group here,” Butera said. “We’re doing this to make sure we put them in the best positions we can to help them have success. And I’m glad, Game 1, it worked out the way it did.”

This article has been updated.