FALLS CHURCH, Va. — When the Nats came from behind to win Game 6, a lot of people paid big bucks to buy last-minute tickets.
One fan from Virginia took his commitment to the next level.
In his own version of "The Amazing Race," father of three, Peter Verasin, traveled from Falls Church to Houston to Nats Park in 24 hours to see his favorite team win in person.
"Nats fans were high-fiving. We were just saying, yeah we did it, we did it," Verasin said.
His fandom dates back to 2005, when the Nationals first became a team.
"My in-laws bought season tickets for the whole family to kind of share, and that’s how my love started with the Nats in their inaugural season," Verasin said.
Verasin's wife, and then three kids, would alternate going to games with their in-laws, betting on who would be in the ballpark to see the Nationals win.
He said he watched all of the away games at his house, but once the Nationals won Game 6, he felt the urge to see what he believed would be a win in person.
"My BBF, best baseball friend, kept on nudging me, 'hey you gotta go, you gotta go,'" Verasin said.
With his wife's blessing Wednesday morning, he decided to go for it.
"I scrambled," Verasin said. "I bought my plane ticket that morning, went to BWI and got a flight. During my layover in Charleston, I bought my game ticket online."
Hours later, he was walking into Minute Maid Park in Houston, about to see his team win.
"You become a part of them, because it’s such a long season," Verasin said. "You get to know them more, and you have this kind of attachment to them, like they’re family almost."
Less than 24 hours later, he was on a flight back to BWI, where he figured he should make a pit stop at the place where it all began.
"I just felt like it was a full circle moment. I literally was just in Minute Maid Park. I could be at Nats Park and just kind of close that circle of the season, just like we did it," Verasin said.
He said the Astros equipment manager threw him a bonus memento, when he and hundreds of other Nats fans crowded around the dugout--a game ball.
"Literally the cherry on top to that night," Verasin said.
