Washington Nationals: 2017 turning points for another title
By Ron Juckett
HARPER FIGHT SPARKS WEST COAST TRIP
Our co-editor Ricky Keeler remembers a white-hot Memorial Day:
Heading into Memorial Day, the Washington Nationals were 30-19 in their first 49 games and were about to head out on a nine-game west coast trip, their first long trip of the season.
Normally, west coast trips can make or break a team. The Nats weren’t in danger of having their season ruined on this trip.
Tanner Roark threw seven shutout innings in San Francisco that day and had one of his best starts of the first half. But, that wasn’t the story.
Instead, in the eighth inning, Hunter Strickland decided to hit Bryce Harper after Harper hit two home runs against him in the 2014 NLDS. Then, the brawl ensued.
Harper ended up getting a three-game suspension, but you could make the case that the bench clearing brawl helped the Nats play at another level.
On that trip, the Nats swept the Giants and went 4-2 against the A’s and Dodgers. and did not look back in the NL East as their lead went up from 8.5 on the Braves to 11.5 games.
As for the Giants, they will end up with one of the worst records in baseball this season.
Strickland was trying to get back at Harper for showing him up on the home runs in the postseason, but it was the Washington Nationals who ended up having the last laugh.