The Nationals are the World Champions

Greinke was unhittable for six innings, but the game is nine innings long, more than enough time for the Nats to pull away. Their victory capped a spectacular run which began in late May when they were 19-31 and culminated with a 4-0 sweep of the Cardinals for the pennant, followed by a 4-3 World Series triumph over baseball’s best pitching staff.

The series ended with seven road victories. That has never happened in the history of major league baseball, not just in the World Series, but in any post-season series. The phenomenon transcends baseball. It is so rare that it has never happened in a post-season series in any major sport. Both the NBA and the NHL play post-season series that can extend to seven games, but there has never been an all-road series in a series of that length.

As ol’ Casey used to say, “Amazin'”!

14 thoughts on “The Nationals are the World Champions

  1. The Astros didn’t have the best pitching staff. They didn’t really even have a fourth starter and their pen, though good, wasn’t spectacular. Tampa Bay actually led the AL in pitching, and Houston trailed TB and Cleveland in pitching most of the season. Nats played great ball from June 1st onwards and had a deeper rotation, which picked up the slack for a lackluster pen. And their stars all delivered

    1. To the contrary, the Astros led the majors by a vast margin in road ERA, which eliminates the differences in home fields. They also led in opp-OPS on the road. In addition, they did that while having Greinke for only a fraction of the year. By the end of the year they were far better. (Although that is true of the Nats as well.)

      The Astros were even better in 2018, when no team came anywhere near them in road ERA

      The second-best staff in the AL in 2019 was actually the Indians. The Rays overall stats benefited from playing in a dead home park (3.36 ERA at home, 3.96 on the road), while the Astros play in a hitter’s environment.

      * The Rays and their opponents scored 673 runs at home, 752 on the road.
      * The Astros and their opponents scored 811 at home, 749 on the road.

      But the Rays were very good.

    1. We’ve tried to give them a good home down here.
      And hoping the Habs will return to being comment dire la one of these years (looking at my Jean Beliveau action figure as I type this).

  2. I know the feeling. There was a team called the Los Angeles Rams I rooted for as a kid (while living in Nixon’s home town). Won a Super Bowl as the St. Louis Rams. I did end up rooting for them but despising Bud Adams (Titans owner) and the Bills having gotten reffed made that easier. Now they’re back in LA but I don’t feel any connection (mainly cuz St. Louis got royally screwed).
    Actually most Nats fans if asked who should get the next new team would say Montreal. Especially the ones who have read Karri’s book. It’s a little odd when people like Vladdy and Raines are brought to Nats Park. They get cheered because they’re great players but not because of any perceived Nats links. Whenever Zimm gets another franchise career mark it produces this big brouhaha about the relationship of Nats records to Senators#1, Senators#2, and Expos records.
    And we’re relieved that there wasn’t anything like what happened in Baltimore when a state commission went around using a pot of public money to entice some sleazy owner to move his football team. Heard they succeeded. The Spos almost got contracted but MLB didn’t like to see a large rich market not going fully exploited. And they had to give the little troll 40 miles north some outrageous goodies in regard to the broadcasting rights to swing it with bigtime help from the only competent mayor in DC history. The broadcasting rights have been in litigation for years now. Might not catch Jarndyce v. though.
    Hungover this morning for some reason.

  3. I don’t know how I feel about this.

    I wanted them to win because they were the Montreal Expos.
    I didn’t want them to win because they aren’t the Montreal Expos.

    1. Huh? There were only seven games in the series. And the last games of the NLCS and ALCS were won by the home team. Not following.

      1. they are talking road wins not home wins . The nats won wild card game on road 1win 4 road world series wins equal 5 are you following and 1 in sweep of atlanta and two against LA Dodgers if you follow thats eight

        1. correction nats were home in wc game won 2 against dodgers and braves and 4 in world series 8 total all on road tying yankees record

      1. that’s true you were right on the sports record of all 7 games being won on road never happened before in any sport that has 7 game series

  4. Or as Johnny Rotten used to whatever, “I wanna see some histor-eeeeeee”!!!!!”
    Game was so Nats. A clearly not 100% Mad Max battling. Comatose bats til what the 7th inning. Then Tony 2 Bags and Howie Kendricks go boom. Corbin brilliant and they get to the 9th having avoided the middle pen completely. Kinda cool that a Washington team (think Damn Yankees here) won by having a lot of heart in addition to a supernaturally talented 20-year old (he actually hit 21 over the weekend) and some fairly decent (LOL) starters and a HOF-probable 3B. And if anyone ever earned a ring, it’s Zimm. And I was one of those clowns wondering if Martinez could manage earlier in the season. That’s at least 20 Our Fathers and 40 Hail Marys right there. Plus the obligatory perfect Act of Contrition.
    Hoping to be able to hit the sack by 4 or 5 . Beisbol can be some very good stoff.
    Since it is now Hot stove, have to say the Nats have probably enhanced their odds of bringing back both Rendon and Stras. But am dreading the possibility of the Tribe trading Lindor. For an emperor’s ransom maybe – if we’re talking Cyrus, Augustus, Genghis, Corsican Ogre level emperor.
    Houston can have Osuna.

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