"The Washington Nationals are World Champions for the first time in franchise history!" exclaimed Joe Buck as Daniel Hudson tossed his glove to the side and hugged Yan Gomes. It had finally been done. The Washington Nationals, a team that had long been cursed by their playoff struggles and failures, and a team that had watched their franchise player leave for a division rival only 7 months earlier, had just won the World Series.
The way that they did it was no easy feat, as after taking a 2-0 series lead by winning the first 2 games in Houston, the Nationals lost all 3 ensuing home games in DC, needing a legacy-defining outing from Stephen Strasburg in order to force the winner-take-all Game 7.
For awhile, it seemed as if the Nationals' miraculous Cinderella run was going to come to an end in uninspiring fashion, as Zack Greinke was masterful over 6.1 innings, allowing just 2 Nationals hits and 2 earned runs, while inducing groundout after groundout. After being scratched from Game 5 with some of the worst neck spasms ever, Max Scherzer got the nod in Game 7, and gutted through 5.0 innings without having his best stuff, managing to scatter 7 hits and 4 walks while striking out just 3. Patrick Corbin would relieve him in the 6th, pitching 3.0 scoreless innings out of the bullpen that would make every cent of that contract he had signed during that offseason worth it, as without him, there is no way the Nationals would have won that game.
The Nats' hopes were fading fast, and they needed a hero in the worst way possible. After giving up a solo homer to Anthony Rendon to trim the Astros' 2-0 lead in half, a 1-out walk to Juan Soto forced manager AJ Hinch to make a decision that would end up being one of the most controversial pulls ever, as he chose to bring in righty reliever Will Harris instead of bringing in Gerrit Cole in the middle of an inning. With Soto on first, Kendrick would drive the second pitch of the at-bat to deep right field, and the sound that the ball made when it hit the foul pole is one that I will never forget.
Kendrick, the Nats' hero from the NLDS with his go-ahead grand slam in Game 5 against the Dodgers and the NLCS MVP against the Cardinals, had one more moment of magic left in that bat after all, and gave the Nationals a 3-2 lead that they would not relinquish for the remainder of the game.
5 years ago, today: “The Washington Nationals are World Champions for the first time in franchise history!” 💍🥹#NATITUDE #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/lJ3zzHMM45
— Bennett Lehmann (@DCBerk) October 30, 2024
The Houston crowd was stunned, as their Astros, who had already lost all 3 games in Houston, were now trailing late in the on the verge of losing another home game, and the series as a whole. The Nationals would keep the pedal to the metal, as Juan Soto singled home another run in the 8th inning, giving the Nats a 3-2 lead, and then the team would tack on some insurance runs in the 9th, with Adam Eaton bringing home 2 more runs to make it 6-2 Washington.
This would set the stage for Daniel Hudson, a deadline acquisition who had become the Nationals' closer, to finish out the game, which he did. Facing 3 of the Astros' best hitters in the 9th inning, he would set down George Springer, Jose Altuve, and Michael Brantley in order, retiring the latter two on strikes, and the Washington Nationals were officially World Series Champions. The frenzy on the field was a lasting image I will never forget, and even reminiscing on the run almost brings me to tears just thinking back on it.
It's truly hard to believe that it's been 5 years since that night in Houston, when the Nationals had altered the course of their franchise forever, and had taken down the juggernaut Astros by accomplishing a feat that had never been done before in the playoffs in any of the 4 major American sports, by winning all 4 games in a 7-game series on the road. It was a moment that I will never forget, and hopefully the team's young core of Dylan Crews, James Wood, CJ Abrams, and others will be able to help return the franchise return to the biggest stage in the sport.
Where were you during Game 7 of the World Series in 2019? What was your first reaction? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.