PHILADELPHIA >> The second time around has been working out just fine for Maui’s Kurt Suzuki, who has only one wish: a happier ending.

When the Wailuku native left the Washington Nationals late in the 2013 season — less than a year after he’d helped get the Nats to the postseason for the first time in franchise history — he probably had no inkling he’d ever return. Back then he briefly went back to the place it all started and where he played his first six seasons, Oakland.

But that was a short-lived homecoming, followed by three seasons in Minnesota and two in Atlanta. Now, six years later, the 35-year-old Suzuki is back in Washington, sharing catching duties with former longtime Indians backstop Yan Gomes, the way he split time the previous few seasons in Atlanta with Tyler Flowers.

In some ways — even though virtually the entire cast of characters in the locker room has changed — it’s like he never left. “It’s a place I’ve always loved,” said Suzuki at the start of a key weekend series with the Phillies coming out of the All-Star break. “My first playoffs were here and I enjoyed every second of it.

“I’m just excited to be back and hope to make it a better ending. They (the Nationals) came to us. It was fairly early in the postseason, which was nice. We negotiated and came to agreement (on a two-year, $10 million contract), which both parties were excited for.

“Now we’re here,” said Suzuki, who spent his All-Star break at home with his wife, Renee, and three young children.

And now he’s enjoying the fruits of the Nats’ current 30-11 labors after they got off to a wretched 19-31 start that had them buried in the standings. But since things started clicking, the Nats have moved from back of the pack into the National League wild-card lead, putting them within striking distance of Suzuki’s former Braves team.

Rather than attempt to explain their transformation, Suzuki’s happy to accept it. “Baseball’s hard to explain,” he said prior to Friday’s 3-0 win over the Phillies in which he went 1-for-4. “You’ve just got to keep plugging away and understand it’s a long season.

“Obviously it was not the ideal way to start, but you’ve got to keep trucking along. We believed in ourselves and just had to keep continuing to push.”

Suzuki’s certainly done his part at the dish, hitting a solid .269 with 11 homers and 38 RBIs. But it’s been behind the plate where his 13 years of experience and overall knowledge of the game have really paid dividends.

“He really has a good feel for the league and an understanding of how to take a little bit of everything and be creative,” said Nats ace Max Scherzer, who’s developed a strong rapport with the former 2004 Cal State Fullerton All-American, who received the Johnny Bench Award as the nation’s top college catcher. “There are certain times you try to stay with the report and go 1-2-3-4.

“But if you always go 1-2-3-4, the other side will pick up on that. So we’ve gotten to the point where when he puts the sign down I’m thinking about the same pitch and we’re right in rhythm.

“We’ve gotten on the same page and I really feel comfortable throwing to him and really trust him.”

He’s not the only one.

“Kurt’s always been pretty much the same guy — one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet,” said Ryan Zimmerman, one of two Nats — along with pitcher Stephen Strasburg — who were there during Suzuki’s first tour of duty in Washington. “He’s a great teammate and a good competitor.

“That’s one of the reasons he’s been able to be in the big leagues so long. There’s a lot of guys who are really good players who haven’t lasted 13 years. You have to be a good teammate. You have to work well with the young guys. You have to offer more than just being a good player.

“He does that.”

Even if these days he’s splitting time on the job with Gomes. “I don’t really think like that,” said Suzuki, who went 2-for-8 with two RBIs in last season’s four-game divisional round playoff loss to the Dodgers. “I always say when they want me to play I’ll play.

“So I prepare myself the same whether or not I’m in the lineup, so if something does happen I’m ready to go. But guys aren’t playing 115-120-130 games anymore, because of the demand on your body and your mind. When you get a tandem that keeps both fresh you can see more of a success rate.”

His manager seconds that. “We need them both and we need them both for the duration,” said Dave Martinez, who likes to pair Suzuki with Scherzer and Gomes with Patrick Corbin, then play the rest by ear. “Keep ‘em both going and keep ‘em both healthy.

“To me it’s awesome.”

While that might not be the best word to describe his career, it’s certainly been one whose longevity has surprised even himself. “I think it’s a pretty good achievement,” he said following a typical hour-long pregame workout on a day he wasn’t in the starting lineup. But that didn’t mean Suzuki had the night off. With the game on the line in the eighth inning on Saturday, he was called upon to pinch-hit with the bases loaded and the Nats down 3-2 — and grounded out. But with two outs in the ninth Juan Soto crushed a two-run homer, giving the Nats a 4-3 win to keep their hot streak going.

“I feel I’ve overcome a lot and exceeded a lot of expectations,” Suzuki continued. “I didn’t feel I was always the most talented guy. I just got the most out of my ability. I worked hard so I could give myself the best opportunity.”

His numbers won’t jump out at you, like someone ticketed for the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. But Zimmerman would be the first to say Kurt’s gotten the most out of his 125 career homers and 657 RBIs, including an appearance in the 2014 All-Star Game.

“I’ve always thought he was a really good clutch hitter,” said the 34-year-old Zimmerman. “He gets big hits, a lot of two-out RBIs.

“He’s one of those guys you really hope is coming up at the end of the game when it’s a big spot.”

At the same time, when it comes to working those tools of ignorance Suzuki’s become a master at it. “You try to calm the pitcher down, keep everything going as smoothly as possible,” said Suzuki, who reports his annual Kurt Suzuki Family Foundation Gala — which featured Albert Pujols — was a huge success. “At the same time there are times you have to pick up your energy or intensity.

“It’s just learning the right time to do each one. I had a lot of good catching mentors. Don Wakamatsu was my first one. Then Bob Guerin, who was my manager in Oakland. And in Atlanta I had Sal Fasano and Eddie Perez.”

So might that be something Kurt would consider whenever he steps away from the game? “We’ll see,” he said with a smile. “I’m not sure.

“I try to live in the moment. But never say never.”

After all that surely would’ve been the answer had someone asked if Kurt Suzuki had what it takes to last more than a decade in the game. If they thought he could be another Hawaii hero like Sid Fernandez and Shane Victorino, just like Kolten Wong and Jordan Yamamoto also hope to be.

But that’s a debate for another day. For now his focus is elsewhere — mainly rewriting that script for the Nationals.

And making the second time around the charm.