Washington Nationals World Series: 3 takeaways from dramatic Game 1 win

We take a look at three takeaways from the Washington Nationals huge Game 1 win in the 2019 World Series against the Houston Astros.

The Washington Nationals bullpen made us sweat it out down the stretch, but in the end they came away with a huge Game 1 to open up the World Series.

As is the case in one-run games, there were several moments where this game could have gone one way or the other.

In the first inning it looked like the Washington Nationals had missed a golden opportunity as Trea Turner led off the game with single, stole second, and was stranded there.

The Houston Astros then responded with a two-out two-run double in the bottom of the first to seize all momentum.

But then came the first pivotal point for the Nationals in this World Series as Ryan Zimmerman responded in the top of the second with a solo home run. I can’t overstate the significance of that home run in this game.

Scherzer stranded two runners in the third inning and then again in the fourth inning with Jose Altuve at the plate after Juan Soto had tied it up in the top of the fourth with a solo home run.

And then the fifth inning is where the Washington Nationals really broke through.

Kurt Suzuki led off the inning with a walk and was followed by a Victor Robles single. Adam Eaton gave the Nats the lead with a one-out single.

And then Soto came to the plate with two outs and got ahead in the count 3-0. Gerrit Cole worked it back to a 3-2 count, which gave Anthony Rendon a head start from third.

This was the second pivotal moment for the Nationals in this game as Soto took a slider the other way off the left field wall to plate two more runs and give Washington a cushion.

That would really be the last threat offensively for the Nationals in this game, and it was up to the bullpen, which we’ll look at in a minute.

But let’s take a look at the three biggest takeaways from Game 1 of the World Series.