On
May 25th, the
Washington Nationals
had a 0.1% chance of
winning the NL
Pennant (according
to Baseball
Reference and
MLB.com). Since that
staggering statistic
was released the
Nats have also been
the best team in the
league. After a
rollercoaster post
season of emotions
the Nats find
themselves in their
first ever World
Series against the
Houston Astros. Keep
reading about their
road to the World
Series.
The Nats on a Cinderella Run
The team is on a
mission to bring a
title back to D.C.,
and in the process
of this miraculous
Cinderella run, the
team has also
unified a city
behind them.
At the beginning of the season things didn’t look so great for the Nats. They were off to a terrible start and at one point the team fell to the second worst slot in the NL East. The fan base felt abandoned by one of the league’s biggest stars when Bryce Harper opted for a $330M contract with division rivals the Philadelphia Phillies and, at the time, it looked like a potential playoff berth was quite literally mathematically impossible.
Plenty Left to Fight for
Fast forward to October, where playoff baseball means everything to the most die-hard fans, and the Nats find themselves with plenty left to fight for. Something feels different this year and it doesn’t take a particularly keen eye to see how this baseball team has shifted the landscape in D.C. Watching this team have so much fun in the dugout is contagious. It’s the little things like synchronized dance moves and the full on adoption of “Baby Shark” as the team’s rallying cry. One can’t help but to have a rejuvenated sense of hope for the Fall Classic, and pride for what this team has already accomplished. The Nats went from never winning a post-season series to never losing an NLCS game after they swept St. Louis in four straight games to solidify their spot in the World Series.
Game 5 of the National League Division Series
On October 10th, the team’s owner, Mark D. Lerner sent out a letter to Nationals fans declaring, “Nationals history was made at Dodger Stadium and once again this team showed that it simply will not quit.” The game Lerner was referencing was the winner-take-all Game 5 in Los Angeles in the NLDS. At the top of the eighth inning we saw this team tap into something special and propel themselves to upset the home team favorites in a breathtaking series where the bats wouldn’t stop ringing.
L.A. had a commanding 3-1 lead going into the eight with their starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw on the mound. Anthony Rendon slugs a lead off home run to bring the deficit down to one run. Juan Soto followed in suit and knocked another solo home run past the center field fences tying the game at 3-3. The two teams would continue to fight it out stretching game play into extra innings. In the 10th inning Howie Kendrick, a former Dodger, took to the plate with the bases loaded and proceeded to cap off the biggest hit of his career to date when he hit a grand slam to give the Nats a 7-3 lead. The Dodgers couldn’t recover after that and Kendrick earned himself the NLCS MVP award.
The Dodgers were one of four teams to eliminate the Nats from the NLDS years past. Dating back to 2012, the Nats have suffered playoff losses to the Dodgers, the Giants, the Cubs and the Cardinals. It was the one impossible hurdle to clear no matter how well our regular season record was or whom we squared up against in the playoffs.
Home Town Support
In 2018 the Washington
Capitals ended
the title drought in
the District and
brought the Stanley
Cup home for the
first time in team
history.
During that time,
the Nats were very
involved and vocal
about their support.
Players like Max
Scherzer and
Ryan
Zimmerman were
seen at home game
sporting Caps gear
with Bryce Harper
was seen supporting
his hometown Las
Vegas Knights in the
heated Stanly Cup
final matchup –
perhaps the first
wave of alienation
between Bryce Harper
and D.C. sports.
Foreshadowing the
inevitable split in
early 2019.
The Capitals never
forgot the support
they received from
the Nats and have
since more
than rallied
behind the Nats in
the playoffs.
In that same past
calendar year the
D.C.’s WNBA team the
Washington Mystics
won a national
title. The
Mystics went
to the finals in
2018 only to get
swept in a
heartbreaking
defeat. This year
they ran it back and
brought a title back
to the 
district.
Together, these
three teams have
inspired a deep bond
and friendship.
Elena Delle Donne
from the Mystics has
thrown out the
first pitch for
the Nats and
dropped the
ceremonial
puck for the
Caps this year
alone.
Something special is happening in Washington, D.C. In a city often politicized in the national news, it’s easy for people to find themselves divided by our current political climate. It’s refreshing to see people come together in unity to support the Washington Nationals. No matter what happens with Houston, we’ll always have this magical Cinderella run to remember. This team has already reminded us of such values like tenacity and perseverance. The World Series will feature some of the best pitching the MLB has to offer and anything can happen. All that separates the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals from bringing hardware back to their respective cities is four wins.
Let’s join the Washington Nationals, together, and stay in the fight!!
