Daniel Corrigan | November 2nd, 2019
It took seven games, but the Nationals have won their first-ever championship taking down the 107 win Houston Astros.
This was the first time in World Series history that the home team did not win a single game. The Nationals got a boost from once again, their clutch hitting. I said in the World Series preview, that the Nationals will win if they can continue to get clutch hits. They obviously are not as talented as the Astros, but they did all the little things right, and they walked out with a World Series championship.
Games one-two
Talk about a shock to start the fall classic. The Nationals took a 2-0 lead heading back to D.C. for the next three games. Led by Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg, the Nationals were able to shut the Astros down in Houston. While emerging superstar, Juan Soto just started his takeover of major league baseball.
Game 1:
The Two best pitchers in baseball, Scherzer and Gerrit Cole facing off on the biggest stage. The Nationals took game one with a 5-4 win led by Scherzer, Soto and Mr. National, Ryan Zimmerman. It was a sloppy start for Cole, he didn’t have his control and the Nationals made him pay for it.
Game 2:
Heading into the sixth inning, we had a duel of two of the best starters in the game, Strasburg and Justin Verlander both allowed two runs in the first and nothing since. Then Kurt Suzuki hit a solo bomb to left, and the floodgates opened. The Nationals won the game 12-3 and were in great shape.
Games Three-Four-Five
There is really nothing much to say here. The Astros just whooped up on the Nationals. It was a combined 19-3 score in all three games. Cole and Zack Greinke were huge for the Astros in D.C., with their backs against the wall, they needed their identity to return. The Astros got a boost in game four from rookie Jose Urquidy, throwing 5 IP with no runs on 2 hits and 4 strikeouts. We were supposed to get a game one rematch between Cole and Scherzer in game five but Scherzer was scratched from his start with a neck strain. A huge blow to a team that all of the sudden finds themselves in a hole.
Game Three: 4-1 Astros
Game Four: 8-1 Astros
Game Five: 7-1 Astros
Game Six:
The Nationals went from having all the advantage to one game from elimination fast. Going back to Houston for the last two games and having to face off against Verlander in game six, they were doomed.
BUT, Strasburg was absolutely untouchable. After an Alex Bregman two-run bomb in the first, he held them scoreless through 8.1 IP.
It took until the fifth inning for the Nationals to retake the lead. An Adam Eaton home run tied the game and then a Soto bomb (and I mean an absolute rocket) gave the Nationals the lead and they never looked back. They won 7-2 and we were off to game seven.
Game Seven:
The two best words in sports, game seven. Scherzer was given the start, going up against Greinke. All hands-on-deck. Its time to go win a World Series.
Scherzer started hurt, but while Suzuki has been his catcher all season, he was a late scratch and Yan Gomes was given the game seven start.
In his 6.1 IP, Greinke was un-hittable. Not allowing a run and with a two-run lead, the Astros were in a really good spot. Then the seventh inning happened. The Astros bullpen collapsed again. The weird thing was AJ Hinch deciding not to use Cole at all during game seven. It’s the last game of the season and you do not use the best pitcher in the game? That’s just flat-out stupid.
An Anthony Rendon solo blast brought some life into the Nationals. Soto was walked and the NLDS hero, Howie Kendrick hit a laser to right off the foul pole. The Nationals quickly scored three runs and they never looked back. The Nationals won the game 6-2 and their first-ever World Series championship.
Stephen Strasburg was awarded MVP for his performances in games two and six. One could argue that Soto or Rendon should have been MVP, but it’s hard to overlook what Strasburg did for this team. Throwing two gems in Houston when they needed him most? Absolutely brilliant by Strasburg,
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