PHILADELPHIA -- Nationals outfielder Brad Wilkerson made history on Monday afternoon, becoming the first member of the Nationals to collect a base hit.

It was a bloop single to right-center field off Phillies right-hander Jon Lieber in the first inning.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum collected the ball Wilkerson hit and the No. 7 jersey he wore in the game. Both items will be displayed in Cooperstown, N.Y.

For Wilkerson, 27, it means that he will be a part of baseball history.

"It's an honor. When I have time to look back, it will be a special moment," Wilkerson said. "Having a piece of me in the Hall of Fame is a tribute to a lot of hard work and a lot of support that I've had over the years."

The Hall of Fame will collect more memorabilia during the Nationals' home opener against the Diamondbacks on April 14. They hope to collect manager Frank Robinson's cap, a ticket, a program and the first pitch thrown by right-hander Livan Hernandez, who is expected to start the opener for the Nationals.

Robinson moves Johnson down: Robinson decided to insert Wilkerson into the leadoff spot for Opening Day and beyond. The news comes a day after Robinson inserted first baseman Nick Johnson at the top of the lineup for the fifth consecutive game.

Robinson said that he made the decision six days ago even though Wilkerson didn't bat leadoff during Spring Training. Robinson said he didn't need to see him at the spot, because he knows what Wilkerson is capable of doing. Last season, Wilkerson was one of the best leadoff hitters in the game, with a .382 on-base percentage with 27 home runs and 49 RBIs.

"I observe, I watch and I feel," said Robinson on why he inserted Wilkerson in the top of the lineup.

The news did not come as a surprise to Wilkerson, who had said numerous times that he wanted to bat near the middle of the order to drive in runs. Before the Nationals demoted center fielder Endy Chavez to Triple-A Edmonton, Robinson gave Wilkerson a heads up that Wilkerson most likely would bat leadoff. Chavez didn't work the count and had a tough time hitting the baseball.

"I'm prepared for it. I'm just looking forward to getting on the field and seeing what we could do," Wilkerson said. "Frank gave me an idea a couple of weeks ago that I might be doing it."

Johnson may still see time in the leadoff spot this season. Robinson said he was looking for a Plan B in case Wilkerson needs to move down in the order or suffers an injury. During those five exhibition games, Johnson worked the count and got out of his slump. Johnson wound up having a good spring, hitting .302 with two home runs and four RBIs.

There's always next game: As expected, center fielder Ryan Church was not in the Opening Day starting lineup against the Phillies because of tightess in his right groin. Church admitted that he was disappointed when Robinson told him in a private meeting that he would not play, but Church understood the decision.

Robinson is extremely cautious when it comes to groin injuries.

"It's for the best," Church said. "In the meeting, Frank told me it's not long term. He told me it was a tough decision. He said it was going to be better for me. What is one or two days compared to six weeks?

"I feel fine. The trainers tested me out and they said my strength was there."

Robinson said Church would play on Wednesday night against the Phillies.

Welcome aboard: Ron Darling, the Nationals' new TV color analyst, said the team is much improved from last season. Darling believes it's important that the Nationals have good pitching against their National League East rivals.

"I was looking at the lineup today. Vinny Castilla led the league in RBIs last year and he is batting sixth. That tells you a little bit about this lineup," Darling said. "The lineup is strong. The starting pitching was as good as you want it during Spring Training. I think they have one of the most underrated starting pitching staffs in baseball. In the National League East, they are going to have to pitch."

The day after: Team president Tony Tavares said that there still need to be some fine-tuning at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium. Most of it comes from the human element, according to Tavares.

"Ushers and ticket takers needed a lot of work," Tavares said. "They haven't done this before. If you notice, a foul ball goes into the stands, and our ushers were not coming down holding up the cards to let us know if the fans were injured.

"We had some communication problems with radios. We might have to get a repeater system in there. There were people in the camera well that I wanted moved out and it took three innings to get it done. Those are just growing pains, and we'll get through it."