2017 was a great year for the Washington Nationals, but a few games stood out in particular. We take a look at their top five games from the 2017 season.
Although the Washington Nationals‘ season ended with yet another early postseason exit, 2017 was a year to remember for Nats fans. Winning two consecutive division titles is something to be proud of, regardless of the strength of the division.
Considering the Nats won 97 games, which was good for second-most in the National League, there were plenty of games to remember. If you add in the two postseason victories, they won nearly 100 games.
Because of the grind of the 162-game season, every win must be appreciated. Baseball is arguably the most parity-filled sport, and anything can happen on any given night, which makes the six-month season necessary.
Of the Nats’ 99 wins, a few games stood out in particular. Every win counts the same in the standings, but in reality, that is not the case. Certain wins can lead to momentum shifts and hot streaks, which can have a much bigger impact on the season than one win theoretically should.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the top five Nats games from the 2017 season, in chronological order.
April 3 vs. Miami Marlins
Opening Day is always an exciting day for baseball, but that was especially true for the Nats this year. They had the pleasure of hosting the Miami Marlins at Nationals Park to begin the season, and they took full advantage of it.
Although you would expect Max Scherzer to get the nod on Opening Day, he was unavailable to pitch, leading to Stephen Strasburg starting the opener. This would be Strasburg’s first regular season start while pitching exclusively from the stretch, and he did not disappoint.
The Marlins jumped to an early lead, plating two runs in the fourth inning, but Strasburg pitched an otherwise unblemished game. However, with the Nats trailing 2-1 in the seventh, he was in line for a loss.
Then, things changed in a hurry. Jayson Werth and Stephen Drew were quickly retired to begin the inning, but Matt Wieters extended the inning with a two-out single up the middle.
With Strasburg’s spot in the lineup due up and two outs, Dusty Baker called upon Adam Lind to make his Nationals debut.
An extra-base hit would allow Wieters to score from first and take Strasburg off the hook, and Lind delivered. After getting ahead in the count 2-0, Lind crushed a go-ahead homer into right-center field on his first swing as a National.
Sammy Solis held things down in the eighth, and recently-appointed closer Blake Treinen dominated with two strikeouts in his first save opportunity, putting the finishing touches on a 4-2 Nats win.
All wins are important, but it was nice for the Nats to get their first one out of the way on Opening Day.
April 30 vs. New York Mets
After calf issues led to Anthony Rendon missing some time in Spring Training and Opening Day, he got off to a slow start. He had struggled while trying to get his swing back, and was hitting .226 heading into the final game of April.
However, Rendon’s season suddenly shot off like a rocket on April 30 against the rival Mets.
Batting sixth, Rendon came to the plate in the first with two runners on and two outs. A Noah Syndergaard wild pitch allowed the runners to advance into scoring position, giving Rendon an opportunity to drive in a couple runs early. He took advantage of this great opportunity, singling into left, driving in both runners.
Rendon’s second at-bat came in the third, and he put a run on the board once again, crushing his first homer of the season. The Nats’ potent lineup brought Rendon up to the plate again the next inning, and he homered in his second consecutive at-bat, giving the Nats a 10-5 lead in the fourth.
Incredibly enough, Rendon came up to bat again in the fifth, and hit a three-RBI double to put the Nats up 13-5. Three run-scoring extra-base hits in a game is great, but Rendon unbelievably did it in a span of three innings.
The Nats offense slowed down a bit, making Rendon wait until the seventh inning to get another at-bat. He singled in his fifth at-bat of the day, leaving him just a triple away from the cycle.
Rendon came up to bat again in the eighth inning, needing a triple for the cycle, but hit his third homer of the game instead, putting the Nats up 23-5. This would be his final at-bat in what will likely be the best game of his career.
When all was said and done, Rendon was 6-for-6 with three homers, five runs scored, and ten RBI’s. For a player who had gotten off to a slow start, that is not too shabby. On the day, he raised his batting average an incredible 52 points to .278.
Any win over the rival Mets is sweet, but crushing them 23-5 was the perfect way for the Nats to finish their great first month of the season.
August 4 vs. Chicago Cubs
The Nats had the worst bullpen in the league throughout the first half of the season, but that quickly changed around the mid-season trade deadline. Mike Rizzo worked his magic once again, acquiring Brandon Kintzler, Ryan Madson, and Sean Doolittle to bolster the bullpen. The three did just that, forming an elite trio that fans affectionately dubbed “the law firm”.
Since Madson and Doolittle were acquired a couple weeks before Kintzler, the Nats did not get their first look at the three together until August 4 in Chicago. They did not disappoint, as they closed out a 4-2 win in dominant fashion.
Tanner Roark got the start, and pitched pretty well through six innings. However, he struggled in the seventh, which led to Dusty Baker calling on Kintzler to get the Nats out of the inning.
Kintzler did his job, getting the Nats out of the seventh, and handed the ball to Madson for the eighth. Madson followed suit, striking out two in a one-two-three eighth, setting things up for Doolittle. Although Doolittle allowed a hit, the only hit against the law firm, he pitched a scoreless ninth and earned the save.
This game perfectly illustrated Rizzo’s plan: the starting pitcher gets through six innings with a lead and then the law firm slams the door. After months of holding their breath when the bullpen was in action, the law firm was an extraordinarily welcome addition.
On August 4, Kintzler, Madson, and Doolittle perfectly executed Rizzo’s plan, giving the Nats a sense of security for the first time in what felt like forever.
October 7 vs. Chicago Cubs
The Nats faced off against the defending champion Chicago Cubs in the National League Division Series, and quickly had their backs against the wall after falling short in game one. Game two became a must-win in the best-of-five series, and the Nats got off to a great start.
Gio Gonzalez mowed through the top of the Cubs’ lineup en route to a one-two-three top of the first. Then, Rendon took Jon Lester deep in the bottom half of the inning, giving the Nats an early lead.
Unfortunately, the momentum quickly shifted after Willson Contreras hit a game-tying homer to begin the second. The Cubs tacked on two more runs in the fourth, and the Nats trailed 3-1 in what was essentially a must-win game.
Things looked bleak with the Nats still trailing 3-1 in the eighth, but the Nats’ offense finally came to life. Lind produced yet another clutch hit off the bench to begin the inning, bringing the tying run to the plate.
Trea Turner struck out, but Bryce Harper was due up next. Harper is exactly who the Nats wanted at the plate in this situation, and he delivered, crushing a game-tying home run deep into the second deck in right field.
With the game now tied, the Nats suddenly had the momentum. Rendon worked a walk and Daniel Murphy singled, bringing Ryan Zimmerman up to the plate with the go-ahead run in scoring position.
A simple single would have given the Nats a lead, but Zimmerman homered into the flowerbed in left field, putting the Nats ahead 6-3. They ended up winning by the same score, evening up the series at one game apiece heading into Chicago.
With the season essentially on the line and things looking bleak, the offense came to life late to save the season for the time being. Game two was one to remember, and will go down as one of the best games in team history.
October 11 vs. Chicago Cubs
The Nats seemingly have a knack for drama, and game four of the NLDS was no different. Roark was scheduled to get the start, but a rainout postponed the game a day. With the postponement, Strasburg was in line to start game four on normal rest.
The Nats trailed 2-1 in the series, so everyone assumed Strasburg would get the nod in the must-win game. However, the Nats announced that Roark would still get the start because Strasburg was dealing with an illness.
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Chaos immediately ensued, with Strasburg being vilified. Strasburg declining the ball in a must-win game seemed unimaginable, and former Cubs catcher David Ross even went as far as to say that he would not be able to look Strasburg in the eye if he were his teammate.
After being chewed up and spit back out by the media, the Nats announced that Strasburg’s condition had improved and he would start game four. Strasburg did, in fact, seem healthy, as he struck out twelve in seven dominant shutout innings.
Everything was looking pretty good for the Nats as they entered the eighth inning with a one-run lead. The law firm was ready to come in and get the last six outs to bring the series back to DC, but some insurance runs couldn’t hurt.
After Harper struck out and Zimmerman was picked off of first, the Nats had two outs and nobody on base. However, Murphy singled to extend the inning, which led to Joe Maddon bringing in Carl Edwards to relieve Lester.
Edwards walked Rendon and Wieters, forcing Maddon to bring closer Wade Davis in with the bases loaded. Michael Taylor stepped up against Edwards, and the rest is history.
With the wind viciously blowing in, fly balls had been dying all game. However, Taylor crushed one that managed to break through the Chicago gusts, carrying all the way into the basket over the right field fence.
Taylor’s grand slam gave the Nats a secure 5-0 lead, which meant the series would be going back to DC for the decisive game five. Although the Nats eventually lost the series, Taylor’s grand slam will go down as one of the biggest hits in team history.
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Since the Nats failed to advance past the NLDS once again, many people view 2017 as a failure. However, it was a success and it was filled with 99 fantastic wins. These are our top five games of the season; what are yours?