Erik Williams/USA TODAY Sports
For the first time in franchise history, the Washington Nationals are World Series champions.
The Nationals defeated the Houston Astros 6-2 in Wednesday’s Game 7, completing a World Series where the road team had won every game.
Early-on, the game was a pitching duel that had two former Cy Young award winners squaring off in Houston’s Zack Greinke and Washington’s Max Scherzer. The two showed why they are considered among the pitching elite, keeping the bats quiet for most of the game.
Houston held tight onto a 2-0 lead until the magical seventh inning when Washington’s Anthony Rendon sent a solo home run into the left field seats to cut the lead in half and spark a rally.
Rendon with a ROCKET. #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/KJKPAdx8ud
— MLB (@MLB) October 31, 2019
Two batters later, with Juan Soto on first, Howie Kendrick followed with a blast of his own that ricocheted off the right field foul pole, giving the Nationals the lead for good.
Earning World Series MVP honors was Stephen Strasburg, who was 5-0 with a 1.98 ERA in five postseason starts, including 2-0 in this World Series.
The Series win is also the first championship to be won by the nation’s capital in 95 years.
