This story was excerpted from Jessica Camerato's Nationals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

It has been eight years since Ross Detwiler last pitched for the Nationals. Yet when the left-hander returns to Washington, D.C., he still feels connected to his seven seasons wearing a curly ¡®W¡¯ -- especially the team¡¯s first playoff squad, the 2012 team.

Detwiler, now in his 14th Major League season, was back at Nationals Park last weekend as a member of the Reds' pitching staff. As he was greeted each day by those who knew him from his time in D.C., it was clear he made a lasting mark on the organization.

It¡¯s a mutual appreciation: While Detwiler has played for 10 clubs in as many seasons, he said he keeps in touch with more teammates from 2012 than all other teams combined, including Craig Stammen (with whom he played on the Padres last year), Drew Storen, Tyler Clippard, Ryan Mattheus, Stephen Strasburg, Danny Espinosa and Ryan Zimmerman.

With the 10-year anniversary of the 2012 playoff team highlighted each week this season in this newsletter, I caught up with Detwiler to discuss his favorite memories from that year and his tenure (2007-14) with the Nationals.

MLB.com: We are getting into the home stretch of the season. What do you remember about September of 2012, this point in time that year?
Detwiler: I remember we were all so close. Most of us came up through the Minor Leagues together. It didn't feel like a September; it felt like we were getting ready for something bigger, something we'd never really done before. It was a lot of fun. I remember kind of winding down a little bit, starters were getting pulled a little early. We were all looking forward to what was coming in October, but also we still had games to play.

MLB.com: How did October compare to your expectations?
Detwiler: I had no idea what to expect. It was foreign. Everything you¡¯d do at the stadium, whether it¡¯s shagging BP, whether it¡¯s stretching, everything was automatically fun. Everybody wanted to be there. Everybody wanted to be a part of everything.

MLB.com: What was the best part about the 2012 postseason for you?
Detwiler: The game I started (Game 4 of the NLDS) was a pretty incredible game for us when we walked off [with a Jayson Werth home run]. ¡­ The crowd -- I remember leaving there and going out to eat, my parents were in town. I was just completely drained from all the emotions all day long and actually pitching, too. It was the most tired I¡¯ve ever been after a game. My ears were ringing because the crowd was so loud that whole night.

MLB.com: When you come back to Nationals Park, what is the first memory that pops into your head?
Detwiler: I was on a ton of not-very-good teams here. Then towards the end of my time here, we got to be really good. I don't even hardly remember the bad teams anymore. It's just like, you come here, you remember ¡®12, ¡®13, ¡®14 and even some of ¡®11. We really turned it around, and we were super close in the clubhouse.

MLB.com: Speaking of those teammates, what do you think when you see Ryan Zimmerman¡¯s number retired up there?
Detwiler: It¡¯s incredible. Obviously, he had an unbelievable career here. Any time you can do that with just one team, it¡¯s really special. That kind of thing doesn¡¯t happen anymore. You knew there was never going to be another No. 11 on this field. From Day 1 when he was up here, he was a leader. He was our best player for a long time. I¡¯m glad he retired a National, and I¡¯m glad he got a chance to win everything here. He really deserved that. I think you¡¯re going to be seeing his face around here for a long time.

MLB.com: What does being part of a team that was so significant in Nationals history mean to you?
Detwiler: If I'm walking down the street or walking into the park, people still remember my name, still remember me being there. I don't really expect that because it's 10 years ago now, but it's pretty incredible to me. We stayed in a hotel right around here [during the offseason], and I just got out of my car and somebody talked to me. Things like that are kind of like, "Wow, maybe it really did make that much of a difference in the Nationals fanbase."