WASHINGTON — The Washington Nationals are known for their nail-biting starts and last-minute saves. As they take on the Houston Astros in Game 6 of the World Series while down 3-2, the Nats need some game-changing heroics to win the Series.
Nationals manager Davey Martinez and the Nats fanbase are still hopeful for the team. A glimmer of hope remains as we reflect on some of the times the Nationals rallied and came out on top.
During the must-win Oct. 1 wild card game against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Nationals trailed 3-1 going into the eighth inning. Juan Soto hit a single with bases loaded that scored three runs with two outs in the eighth, giving the Nats the one-run lead they needed to win, beating the Brewers 4-3 to advance in the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
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An Oct. 9 winner-takes-all NLDS game against the Los Angeles Dodgers followed suit. The Nationals trailed 3-1 going into the eighth inning of Game 5. Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto hit back-to-back home runs to tie the game at three, and forced extra innings. With bases loaded in the 10th inning, Howie Kendrick hit a tie-breaking grand slam to give the Nationals a 7-3 win over the Dodgers.
The Nationals became the first team in Major League history to rally from three or more runs down twice in elimination games during the same postseason. The Nats bounced back from being down 2-1 in the series against the Dodgers -- a team that won a franchise record 105 regular-season wins.
After falling short in all four previous appearances in the NLDS, the Nationals advanced to the NLCS for the first time in franchise history (2005-present).
And let's not forget the Nationals overcoming a 19-31 start during the regular season, the second worst record in the National League at the time. They finished with a 93-69 record. The Nationals' 93 wins are the most for a team that was 12 games under .500 at any point during the season since the 1914 Boston Braves.
That Boston team called "The Miracle Braves" would go on to win the World Series that year. Maybe after this week we'll be calling Washington's' team the "Miracle Nationals."
