If the Washington Nationals didn’t have the Houston Astros’ attention beforehand, they do now. The Nationals rallied from down 2-0 and tagged five earned runs off ace Gerrit Cole to ultimately take Game 1 of the World Series 5-4.
This is the Nationals’ first-ever World Series win. Now they are three wins away from claiming another first for the franchise.
How The Game Was Won
The Nationals fell behind 2-0 in the first inning after a shaky start for Max Scherzer, but they bounced back. An offense that has remained patient and opportunistic all season and postseason, did so against Cole and the Astros.
Ryan Zimmerman hit a solo home run in the second. Juan Soto followed with a solo blast in the fourth to tie the game at 2-2. Then in the fifth, they rallied for three runs to take the lead for good at 5-2. All off Cole.
Gerrit Cole Suffers First Loss in 26 Starts
Entering Tuesday’s Game 1, Cole was 19-0 in his last 25 starts. He hadn’t allowed more than four earned runs since May 27… Until the Nationals got a hold of him. They tagged Cole for eight hits, five runs in seven innings.
Player of the Game
Juan Soto entered Game 1 three days shy of his 21st birthday. The youngest member of the Nationals, played like the most seasoned. He delivered the solo blast that tied the game at 2-2 in the fourth that stamped his hitting coach’s guarantee. Then with two runners on, he rocked Cole a second time for a two-run double that capped Washington’s three-run rally in the fifth.
He finished the game 3-for-4 with three RBIs.
Max Scherzer Didn’t Have His Best Stuff
Max Scherzer labored through five innings of work. He allowed five hits, two earned runs, and walked three, including lead-off walks in each of the first two innings for just the second time in his Hall of Fame career.
The Astros hung two-first inning runs, but he settled down. Getting out of jams third and fourth innings to hold Houston to those two runs before he exited after 112 pitches.
It’s a good thing his offense picked him up, getting him the win in the process.
Nationals Bullpen Bad Habits Return
The Nationals’ win was not pretty. Their bullpen, the same bullpen that posted the worst ERA in MLB during the regular season, struggled in Game 1.
Dave Martinez turned to starter Patrick Corbin, who breezed through the sixth. However after him, it was back to bad habits. Tanner Rainey allowed a George Springer home run in the seventh and loaded the bases before Martinez had to hook him for Daniel Hudson.
Hudson got out of the jam, but got himself in one in the eighth, allowing an RBI double to Springer to cut the Nationals’ lead to 5-4. Sean Doolittle, fortunately, closed the door with a four-out save to give the Nationals’ their first-ever World Series win.
If Washington is to get the necessary three additional wins, their bullpen has to do better than it did Tuesday.
