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)
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