Washington Nationals Are The 2019 World Series Champions

Howie Kendrick (Google Images)

The Washington Nationals won the 2019 World Series. On Wednesday night at Minute Maid Park, the Nationals beat the Houston Astros 6-2 to win the best out of seven series four games to three. The 2019 World Series will be remembered throughout history as the only series ever in North American professional sports where the road team won all seven games.

In the seventh game, the Nationals were trailing 2-0 heading into the seventh inning. That is when Anthony Rendon hit a 374 foot blast to left field with one out off Zack Greinke and put the Nationals on the scoreboard for the first time.

At this point of the ball game, Astros manager A.J. Hinch could have made a pitching change. He elected to keep Greinke in for one more batter and his decision backfired as Greinke walked Astros 21-year-old sensation Juan Soto. Then with Astros relief pitcher Will Harris now into the game, Howie Kendrick continued his postseason heroics with a two-run home run which put the Nationals up 3-2.

Kendrick became the first player ever to hit two career home runs in the seventh inning or later in a winner-take-all postseason game. He also accomplished the feat with a 10th inning grand slam in the Nationals’ 7-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fifth game of the National League Divisional Series on October 10.

The Nationals offense in game seven meanwhile was not over. In the eighth inning, Soto hit an RBI single with two out which scored Adam Eaton. Then in the ninth, the Nationals went up four runs with an Eaton two-run single.

The two aces in the Nationals pitching staff were instrumental in Washington’s series win. Max Scherzer only gave up two earned runs in five innings for the Nationals in game seven, while Stephen Strasburg was named World Series most valuable player. He won both of his starts and had a very respectable earned run average of 2.51 in the process.