Washington Nationals 2019 World Series Champions

With the Nats remarkable playoff run this year, a dramatic comeback win in the Wild Card game against the Brewers, two elimination game comeback wins against the mighty Dodgers for the Nats first ever NLDS series win, and rolling to a four-game sweep to claim revenge against the Cardinals in the NLCS, playing in the World Series was just icing on the cake. Everyone picked the 107 win Astros to win the series, so we were really just looking forward to seeing the Nats play on the biggest of stages, and maybe eek out a win at home to give us a reason to cheer.



Things changed though once the series actually started. In Game 1 with Max Scherzer going up against the AL's best pitcher Garret Cole, the Astros jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 1st, but Max locked things down after that. Zim hit a solo home run in the 2nd to cut the lead in half, and Soto tied it up a home run in the 4th, and the Nats jumped out to a 5-2 lead off of Eaton and Soto RBI hits in the 5th. The Astros started to claw their way back with runs in the 7th and 8th, but Doolittle came on for the save in the 9th, and somehow the Nats had a 1-0 series lead with Stephen Strasburg taking the mound for game 2, things were looking up.

The Nats jumped on Astros' starter Justin Verlander with 2 runs in the top of the 1st in Game 2, but Stras had a rocky first himself and the Astros tied it up with a 2-run homer. The game was a tense 2-2 tie through six innings, and we knew that the Nats needed to jump on this opportunity and put the Astros away. When the 7th inning started the Nats pounced. Suzuki hit a solo homer to give the Nats the lead, then the Nats loaded the bases with two outs and Howie Kendrick hit a slow roller to third that the Astros booted allowing another run to score. Cabrera followed that with a line drive to center scoring two more runs, a wild pitch moved up the runners, and Zim hit an infield single that the Astros threw away scoring two more, and somehow the Nats had batted around and led 8-2. With three more runs in the 8th and another in the 9th, the Nats were dancing in the dugouts on their way to a 12-3 win (their 8th win in a row!), and a 2-0 series lead. With a travel day to rest, we were all the daring to dream of a series sweep, or at least a chance to win the World Series on our home field!



Owen and I went to the ballpark early on Friday night to enjoy all the festivities leading up to the first World Series home game in DC since 1933. We strolled around amongst the crowds soaking it all in, watched the scoreboard show scenes from the 1924 World Series, with Walter Johnson pitching, and the Nats walking off the Giants in the 12th inning of Game 7. We watched Buzz Aldrin throw out the first pitch, and Chad Cordero and Brian Schneider from the original 2005 Nats throw out another. Aníbal Sánchez was pitching for the Nats, and we were hoping for a repeat performance from the NLCS, but the Astros scored a run in the 2nd and another in the 3rd before Robles tripled in the 4th driving in Zimmerman from 1st. That was the only run the Nats would score, as they couldn't seem to get a hit when the opportunities presented themselves, and the Astros tacked on runs in the 5th and 6th to win 4-1.

Mom Mom and Grandpa Don joined us for Game 4 on Saturday, and we showed up early again to get dinner at Shake Shack and eat up at the picnic tables near their seats. Owen and started the game in our usual playoff seats in section 318, but the couple sitting next to us asked if we could trade seats with their friends who were sitting in section 315 row A, so Owen and I upgraded to some pretty nice seats in our normal season ticket section. Sadly the Nats play didn't live up to the seats, the Astros scored two in the 2nd and two more in the 4th. In the 6th the Nats managed to load the bases for Soto, but he could only manage a slow ground out to first to score a run on a fielders choice. Owen and I tried changing seats to change our luck, moving over to some seats next to Mom Mom and Grandpa Don, but we just saw Houston showing everyone how it's done with the bases loaded hitting a grand slam in the 7th to put the game away eventually winning 8-1.

With the series tied a two games a piece, the Nats had lost the chance to win the series at home, but with Scherzer set to pitch in Game 5, we were confident the Nats could get a win in front of the home crowd and send the series back to Houston only needing one more win. That confidence was shattered when word came out that Max's neck was locked up, he could't even get dressed by himself and our star pitcher who even pitched during the season with a black eye the day after breaking his nose was scratched from the line up. Owen and I decided we needed to mix up our World Series game day routine, so Owen changed hats for the game, we picked up our Red Carpet Rewards radio lanyards, ate dinner at the Red Porch restaurant, and hung out at the 106.7 booth in Left Field watching Grant and Danny broadcast the radio pre-game show. Joe Ross was pitching instead of Max, and the crowd was ready to try to will him to a win, breaking out in a raucous, "Let's Go Joe!" chant as he walked out onto the field to start his warm-up tosses. It wasn't to be though, the Astros scored two in the 2nd and two in the 4th jumping out to another 4-0 lead. Soto hit a solo homer in the 6th, but the Astros came right back scoring in the 8th and 9th for a 7-1 win and a 3-2 series lead. The Nats went 1-21 with runners in scoring position at home during the World Series, and that one hit was an infield single that didn't score a run. 21 times coming up to the plate with a chance to do something that would let the crowd go wild, and it just didn't happen. The crowd was electric for the World Series, the team took care of business in Houston giving us the chance to see something special at home, but the big hit never came. Now if the Nats were going to win the World Series, they'd have to do something no team has ever done in 7 game series in any sport, win four games on the road.



The mood in DC on the Monday travel day was on the dark side, sure we all just wanted to make it to the Series, and no one really expected to win, but after the first two wins in Houston hopes had soared, only to be dashed in the three brutal home losses. If there was a bright spot, it was that we had our playoff ace Stephen Strasburg taking the mound in Houston for Game 6. The Nats took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the 1st on a Rendon sac fly, but Strasburg gave up a monster 2-run home run in the bottom of the inning to Alex Bergman who carried his bat all the way to first base. Luckily for the Nats, Juan Soto saw what Berman did and thought it looked like fun. Strasburg worked through whatever issues he was having in the first and started mowing through the Astros, and after Eaton tied things up with a homer in the 5th, Soto came up to bat and hit his own monster home run so he could carry his bat to the first base coach too, and the Nats had a 3-2 lead. Things got heated in the 7th, with Yan Gomes on 1st an no one out, Trea Turner beat out an infield single because of a bad throw from third base that got away from the Astros first-baseman  putting runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs. But the umpires somehow called Turner out because of the archaic interference rule, the game stopped for what seemed like ages as it looked like a bad call/poorly written rule could cost the Nats the series. Thankfully though, Anthony Rendon wasn't having any of it, and when play finally resumed he promptly hit a huge two run homer to give the Nats a commanding 5-2 lead. Rendon wasn't done making his point though, and drove in two more runs on a booming double in the top of the 9th for a 7-2 lead. Then Strasburg came back out for the first out in the 9th before turning it over to Doolittle for the save. For the first time ever, the road team had won each of the first six games of the World Series, and it was time for Game 7!

After a cortisone shot, Mad Max was somehow ready to pitch in the winner-take-all Game 7, but while he came out throwing heat, he couldn't quite locate his other pitches, and the Astros were hitting the ball hard off of him early. Max was able to gut it out though and somehow limit the damage to a run in the 2nd and a run in the 5th, before turning the ball over to Corbin, but the Nats looked completely baffled against Zack Greinke, and the Astros looked ready to cruise to victory with ace Garret Cole lurking in the bullpen. In the top of the 7th though, the storyline changed. With one out, Anthony Redon hit a home run finally getting to Greinke and cutting the lead in half. Juan Soto then came up, and with his precocious batting eye and his intimidating Soto shuffle with each take, he drew an epic walk. The Astros then pulled Geinke, bringing in their best middle reliever Will Harris instead of Cole since they didn't want their Ace to come into the game with runners on base for his first ever relief appearance. Harris got strike one on Howie Kendrick, and located his second pitch exactly where he wanted it, on the corner low-and-away where a right hander can't do much with it. But Howie was having none of it, he took what he was given and hit a liner the opposite way down the line that banged off of the foul pole. Boom! Two run home run! Nats take the lead 3-2! Owen had been too nervous to watch, but as Elaine and I were jumping up and down, he rushed back in to join the celebration. Now the Nats just needed 9 more outs... Corbin came back out and took care of the Astros in the bottom of the 7th, 6 outs to go... The Nats tacked on another run with Soto single in the 8th, 4-2 Nats. Corbin took down the Astros 1, 2, 3 in the bottom of the 8th, 3 outs left... Eaton drove in 2 with a single in the top of the 9th, 6-2 Nats! Hudson came out for the bottom of the 9th, Springer pops out to second, Altuve strikes out swinging, one more out... 3-2 count to Brantley... Swing and a miss! Swing and a miss! Swing and a miss! The Nats won the World Series! Jumping up and down with tears and screams and hugs in our house, our Washington Nationals are World Series Champions!!!



(click here for all the pictures)

Buen Provencho

The Fawcetts like to place wagers on various cultural events. The Fawcetts also like to eat. And so the Fawcetts (and associated branches) decided to pool their collective winnings to host family and friends for a meat extravaganza with El Gauchito Grill serving a celebration of traditional Argentinian slow-cooked steaks on the grill.

Originally, we planned to combine the event with Father's Day, but then life started happening: Katherine got a new job that resulted in a lot of unplanned trips; Sharon became the President of the Smithsonian's Women's Committee which meant a lot of meetings and dinners; and, well, the kids. So we kept delaying and delaying the event until we finally settled on the weekend of the 19th, and then moved the actual event to the 20th after Sharon and Don had a dinner. Once we finally had a date, we sent out invites to our 30 closest friends and neighbors, who all were very excited to come.

And then Tropical Storm Nestor came to town.

It rained all day Sunday which meant a run to Ikea to pick up more chairs since Katherine and Lee's extensive outdoor seating space was no longer a viable option. It meant all of Katherine's planned lawn games were kaput. And it meant that more than half of the guests suddenly had a "conflict" (including all nine people were were responsible for).

But we forged ahead. Katherine broadened the definition of "closest" to include any neighbor that was willing to come over. A tent was was erected to keep the grilling area dry. Surplus chairs were removed to increase living space.

And it was amazing. The meal was delicious (The chorizo! The ribs! The flank steak!), the company was great and we now have enough leftovers to take us through New Years (apparently flank steak freezes really well). And so while it wasn't exactly the celebration we'd envisioned, it was the one we needed. Or at least that's the official story.

(To see all the pictures (and salivate), click here.)

The Nats win the Pennant!!!

After a dramatic come-from-behind win in the Wild Card game against the Brewers, and another equally dramatic come-from-behind win in game 5 of the NLDS against the 106 win Dodgers, the Nats finally played in their first National League Championship series. We faced the NL Central Champion St. Louis Cardinals after they took care of the Braves, in a rematch of the Nats first playoff series back in 2012. Another chance to vanquish ghosts of playoffs past.

The series started out in St. Louis, and the Nats took care of business in Game 1, with Aníbal Sánchez throwing 7 and 2/3 scoreless innings and the Nats shutting out the Cardinals 2-0. Not to be outmatched, Max Sherzer didn't give up a hit until the 7th in Game 2, and the Nats won 3-1 taking a commanding 2 games to none lead with the series shifting back to DC. Owen and I were there feeling the buzz in Nats Park with Stephen Strasburg on the mound starting the first ever NLCS game in DC. The Nats jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the third and never looked back, with Strasburg dominating and the Howie Kendrick leading an outburst of timely hitting, they beat the Cardinals 8-1.

Owen decided to have Elaine go to Game 4 instead of him since it was a school night, and of course Elaine was super nervous that somehow she would thus be the cause of some epic collapse that would keep the Nats out of the World Series. But she really had nothing to worry about. The atmosphere was electric and the Nats must have fed off it as they exploded for 7 runs in the first inning, chasing Cardinals started after just 15 pitches. Those 7 runs were all they would score and all they would need. The Cardinals scored one in the 4th and 3 in the 5th to make it a game again, and the crowd was anxious just wanting more outs so the real party could start. Of course these Nats delivered, Rainey pitched a scoreless 6th, Doolittle and Hudson each pitched an inning plus, then Victor Robles caught a high fly ball to center for the last out of the game and the Nats won the Pennant! Elaine and I just stood there cheering along with the rest of the sellout crowd, basking in the celebration. Fireworks burst in the sky, as the Nats celebrated on the field, they rolled out a stage and lofted the trophy high in the air. For the first time since 1933, a World Series is coming to Washington, DC!


(click here for all the pictures)

They're Back

It's been a couple of years since Grandpa and Grandma Z have visited our nation's capitol -- oddly, DC just isn't the draw it used to be. But this fall they were back with a vengeance. They got here just in time to see the Nats win the Division Series and got to watch (or hear in the background) a couple of games of the National League Championship (strangely, Allen and Owen didn't offer them their tickets to Game 3...). In addition to all the baseball, they managed to cram in visits to the African American museum and the Reach, concerts at the Kennedy Center and the Atlas Performing Arts Center, and gathered with us on Sunday morning at Friends Meeting of Washington. Grandpa and Grandma Z got to see Mom Mom, Grandpa Don and Molly and eat a lot of food while doing so. And as a final treat, the pair enjoyed some paddle-boating in the Tidal Basin on a lovely fall day (well, Grandma Z got to enjoy it; Grandpa Z shared a boat with Owen and Nora and was just relieved that they made it back to shore... eventually).

It was an amazing visit and we can't wait to see them in Iowa for Christmas!

(To see all the pictures, click here.)

NLDS 2019

After storming into the NLDS with a wild card win against the Brewers, the Nats were ready to take on the best team in the NL, the 106 win Los Angeles Dodgers. Unlike past Nats NLDS series, we didn't have home field advantage, so the series started out with two games in LA. The Nats went down quietly in game 1, losing 6-0 with Patrick Corbin on the mound. The Nats jumped on Clayton Kershaw early in game 2, Strasburg pitched a gem and Scherzer even pitched a perfect inning in relief getting the Nats a 4-2 win to even the series heading back to DC.

Owen and I went to game 3 and it started out great with Juan Soto hitting a two-run homer in the first. Aníbal Sánchez stepped up his game and pitched 5 innings of one-run ball and handed the ball to another starter coming out of the bullpen, lefty Patrick Corbin, for the 6th. Corbin gave up a lead-off single, then got two quick outs before the wheels came off. A long and painful series of 0-2 counts with two outs all leading to hits, and somehow the Dodgers scored 7 in the 6th putting the game out of reach and taking a 2-1 series lead.



Nats fans were a bit deflated coming into game 4 -- there was rain in the forecast, and people must not have wanted to potentially witness the visitors celebrating a NLDS series win on our field yet again, because for the first time in Nats playoff history, it wasn't a sell-out. That didn't deter us of course. Owen and I were in our usual seats, and Mom and Katherine somehow scored tickets in one of the Jefferson Suites behind home plate. Max Scherzer gave up a home run in the 1st putting the Nats down early, but then he found his groove keeping things close. Katherine and I decided to switch off sitting with Owen in the stands and Mom in the suite, so Katherine came up to the "cheap" seats in the third and I made my way down to the box. The Nats loaded the bases in the third, but the Dodgers limited the damage to a long Anthony Rendon sac fly that tied up the game. Then the rains started falling, and Mom's friends that had the suite told us to go get Owen and Katherine sneak them into the suite...sweet! With all of us together, we enjoyed the shelter, free food and beer, and even better the Ryan Zimmerman's epic three-run home run in the bottom of the 5th to blow open the game! Scherzer managed to go seven without giving up another run, and passed the ball to Doolittle and Hudson who closed out the win sending the series back to LA!

Game 5 this time was a different experience this time, what with not being at home, and maybe that was just what we needed. Strasburg was pitching for the Nats and the game started off eerily similar to the Wild Card game with the Dodgers getting a 2-run homer in the first and a solo shot in the second to jump out to an early lead. Like Max in the WC game though, Stras found his grove after the rocky start and kept the game close. Soto drove in a run in the 6th, like the WC game again (and also game 7 of the 1924 World Series for what it's worth), and the Nats were down 3-1 in the 8th. Then Rendon and Soto hit back-to-back home runs to tie the game. After a scoreless 9th, the game went to extra innings, and the Nats loaded the bases in the top of the 10th. Then Howie Kendrick game up to bat and hit a cathartic grand-slam, slaying the Dodgers and the Nats first-round curse. On to the National League Championship Series!!!

(click here for all the pictures)

A Paved Paradise

Back in December, there was a partial government shutdown that found Elaine fully-funded and Allen with a lot of time on his hands. Without his shutdown buddy, Allen spent his time contemplating ways to improve the environment outside of work, which involved proposing some new regulations to the City Council and replacing our aging (and rapidly deteriorating) minivan with a plug-in hybrid. Alas, the City Council passed some other legislation instead and our backyard couldn't accommodate the dimensions of the preferred Chrysler Pacifica plug-in Hybrid.

So naturally Allen suggested we redo the backyard.


At first it was just moving the retaining wall a few inches so a Pacifica would fit. But then, since we don't really use the grass in the back, why not hardscape the yard so we could have an outdoor eating space? And maybe add a couch? Also, we should take out the bushes and then we can have extra room for storage and the grill. And move the garage door poles out to make more room for parking. And railings for the stairs. And a planter in between so no one falls off the hardscape. And we should totally add a garden and tree. And since everything dies when we go out of town, let's install a sprinkler system. And also have the landscaping crew quarterly clean up said garden because we're really bad with flora. And since they're doing all that, let's have them go ahead and stain the decks and fence because there's all this new wood now and they're professionals!

And then I asked for some bike storage and a mural.


And so, 10 months (and a horrifying number of checks) after Allen originally conceived of our renovated backyard, it is complete (sans some additions to the mural that Nora plans to make at her leisure).

Now if only Chrysler would release their 2020 Pacifica Hybrids...

(To see all the pictures, click here.)

Oh, and I guess we should include some before pictures ;-)

Let's Get Wild

Owen and I have gone to a lot of Nats playoff games over the years, and there have been plenty of highs -- like Jayson Werth's game-winning season-saving walk-off home run in game 4 of the 2012 NLDS, or umm...okay maybe that was the only real playoff high so far. But there really have been plenty of lows: like the soul crushing loss to the Cardinals in game 5 of the 2012 NLDS; or the 18 inning loss to the Giants in game 2 of the 2014 NLDS; or the heart wrenching loss to the Dodgers in game 5 of the 2016 NLDS; or the astronomically improbable meltdowns in the curse confirming loss to the Cubs in game 5 of the 2017 NLDS.

This year is different though. The Nats didn't win the division, so we started off the playoffs with a new way to potentially lose, the one-game crapshoot that is the Wild Card. After a dismal 19-31 start to the season, the Nats had turned it around and played like the best team in baseball -- winning 93 games and even finishing the season with 8 straight wins. Our future Hall-of-Famer, Max Scherzer, was starting against the Brewers and we were feeling good. His fastball was amped up to 99 MPH for the first pitch of the game and the crowd was already rocking. Problem was, that fastball was a bit outside, and Max walked the first batter, then quickly gave up a 2-run home run to the second batter, briefly settled down, then gave up another homer to lead off the second. Trea Turner hit a solo-shot in the bottom of the third, and Scherzer really did settle down after that, not giving up any more runs through the 5th, but the crowd was tense. Then Stephen Strasburg came on in relief and pitched three brilliant scoreless innings to keep us in the game.

But the real drama started in the bottom of the 8th. Michael A. Taylor was hit by a pitch, Ryan Zimmerman hit a broken bat bloop single, and Anthony Rendon walked to bring up the 20 year-old phenom Juan Soto with two outs. Soto delivered a line drive to the right field and the crowd exploded as Taylor and Zim rounded the bases. Then the ball hopped over the right fielder's glove and rolled to the wall allowing Rendon to score the go-ahead run all the way from first as the crowd turned it up to 11. Owen and I were screaming and hugging and jumping up in down in the stands as Soto was tagged out trying for third. We had the lead going into the 9th in a winner-take-all elimination game, and Daniel Hudson took the mound. He struck out the first batter, but then gave up a line drive single to center. The next batter popped out to Kurt Suzuki behind the plate and we were one out away from advancing. Surely this is where things fall apart, but no: when the last batter hit a fly ball to deep center, Victor Robles gathered himself under the ball and made the catch to secure the win.

As Owen and I walked out of the stadium, basking in the glow of victory, he said it was the best baseball game he'd ever been to, maybe even better than the Jayson Werth walk-off way back in 2012. Maybe this year really is different. Bring on the Dodgers!!!