2017 Washington Nationals vs. 2007 Washington Nationals
Sadly, our upset tally stops at one in the quarterfinals. In mostly high scoring affairs, the 2017 Nationals slugged their way to a five-game series victory over the 2007 Nationals, winning by only 2.2 runs per game.
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The 2011 Nats hung with the power of the 2017 squad. Ryan Church (’07) and Dimitri Young (’07) each clubbed two home runs. Throw in Ryan Zimmerman (’07) and the trio combined to drive in 15 of the team’s 23 runs.
Typically, the story of the series would be an incredible pitching performance from ace Stephen Strasburg (’17). He pitched 14.1 innings, striking out 24, and keeping a 2.51 ERA. However, in this series, Bryce Harper (’17) was a man possessed.
We’ve seen a few players slug .700 in the quarterfinals. Harper puts those players to shame. Harper’s batting average in this series was .700 going 14 for 20. His slugging percentage? Double that at 1.400. He hit four home runs and drove in seven runs and was just a one-man wrecking crew, sending his team into the semi-finals.
With the 2017 Nats advancing, that leaves us with four teams. Two got to the semis with pitching, and two got there with hitting. The two that won with their arms face each other. The two that won with their bats face each other. The semi-finals going to be fun.
Tomorrow, we move onto the semi-finals as things start to get serious in our simulation to find the ultimate Washington Nationals team.