Washington advances to the World Series
For the first time in franchise history, the Washington Nationals won the NLCS and are headed to the World Series
At 11:09 p.m. the Capital City blew up after Cardinal Tommy Edman popped into the outfield sending the Nats to the fall classic. The Nationals swept the Cardinals and will now have a shot to win it all.
After former NL MVP outfielder, Bryce Harper, skipped town for Philadelphia in the offseason, many overlooked the Nationals as legit contenders. Sports personality Colin Cowherd stated that the Nats were better off without Harper, due to his big ego and lack of team spirit. Cowherd was right on the money. Harper and the Phillies did not even make the postseason.
During game one of the Cardinals NLCS Series, Washington starter Aníbal Sánchez went 7.2 innings pitched in a tight lead game. The Nats would punch a win out of the Cardinals 2-0. During game two, Max Scherzer went seven innings slamming the door on St. Louis to win 3-1. Game three was more of the same as Stephen Strasburg also went seven full as the Nats pounded the Cardinals 8-1.
During game four, the Nationals came out hot scoring seven in the first inning. This gave starter Patrick Corbin some breathing room. The Nationals cruised the rest of the way, completing the sweep with a 7-4 victory. The win was even sweeter as Washington won it in front of their ecstatic home crowd of 43,976.
Washington’s run to the world series has been an all-timer. In the loser go home wild-card game, the Nationals were losing 3-1 at the bottom of the 8th. Juan Soto’s heroics lifted the Nats, but the NL favorite Dodgers awaited. The Dodgers took a 2-0 series lead and the Nats looked dead in the water. Again, Washington rallied to force a game five, winning it in extras with the help of a Howie Kendrick grand slam.
Washington became the second team since the 1966 Orioles to sweep the best of seven series while never trailing. The Nationals will come into the World Series riding a six-game winning streak. They are now four wins away from one of the most improbable postseason runs in recent memory.