MLB
The 5 Biggest Reasons Why the Nationals Won the World Series
Evaluating what all went into the Nats' miraculous playoff run that concluded with the Franchise's monumental 1st Championship
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The Washington Nationals just completed the greatest playoff run in MLB history! But how did they do it? Some may point to luck or it being a “fluke,” however, there are plenty of real reasons that led to DC’s exhilarating Championship victory. Here are the five biggest reasons that led to DC winning the WS.
In 2012, Washington Nationals GM Mike Rizzo shut down Stephen Strasburg as a precautionary measure after the ace’s first full season following Tommy John surgery. The Nationals had just won the NL East for the first time in franchise history and Rizzo was blasted by media for the decision. The criticism would linger as the Nats regularly flamed out in the playoffs but seven long years later, Strasburg is World Series MVP. He was dominant in the regular season, but his postseason play was the stuff of legend. He joined Randy Johnson as the only other pitcher in history with five wins (5-0) in one postseason, registering a 1.98 ERA and 47/4 K/BB ratio. In two World Series starts, he allowed only four runs, all of which came in the first inning. Facing arguably the best hitting team in the MLB, Strasburg tamed the Astros and worked his way out of every jam.
Davey Martinez stuck to a tight rotation in the playoffs, utilizing only six pitchers to throw 80% of the innings. Let’s start with Max Scherzer, who was overshadowed by Strasburg’s iconic postseason run. His numbers were excellent all of October (2.40 ERA, .193 OBA and 11.1 K/9), but what memory sticks out is his heroic return to the mound Game 7 after being scratched from Game 5 for health reasons just days before. Patrick Corbin had his struggles, but came through with three scoreless innings as the winning pitcher in Game 7. Since their first playoff appearance in 2012, the Nats’ biggest strength has always been their starting pitching. It’s only fitting that that’s what sealed the deal for their first championship.
Starting pitching was undoubtedly the Nationals biggest strength this year, but let’s give the offense some credit. Losing a MVP talent like Bryce Harper would cripple most teams mentally and statistically, but Washington isn’t most teams. They finished sixth in runs, third in stolen bases, and had the fifth-fewest strikeouts in all of the MLB. Dig a little deeper into the advanced metrics and they still hold up as a top-10 offensive team. Their wOBA (weighted on-base average) and wRC+ (weighted runs created plus), two of the most comprehensive hitting sabremetrics, were sixth and eighth best in baseball respectively. The timeliness of the Nationals hitting was crucial to their magical season all year long, as they finished top-five in runs with two outs and runs between the 7th and 9th inning. Clutch much?
So who were the standouts of this batting resurgence? First and foremost, MVP candidate Anthony Rendon deserves the most recognition. He batted .319/.412/.598 with a league-leading 126 RBIs and a .93 BB/K ratio, and took it to another level in the playoffs. After the 7th inning in games the Nationals’ entire season could’ve ended, his at-bats went like this: BB, HR, 2B, 2B, HR, 2B, HR…then a flyout after Game 7 was all but sealed. How’s that for a lasting memory? 36-year-old Howie Kendrick, who suffered a torn achilles midway through last season, exploded back on the scene for a .344 average in 370 regular season plate appearances. Not to mention he delivered the two clutches hits in Washington Nationals history: a 10th inning go-ahead grand slam to seal the series victory against the Dodgers in a all-or-nothing Game 5, and a 7th inning go-ahead 2-run homer in Game 7 of the World Series that will be remembered as one of the most iconic hits EVER. On the other end of the age spectrum is the boisterous Juan Soto, who hit 34 home runs in the regular season and five in the playoffs. His antics in the batter’s box caught mainstream attention, but his on-field success is what helped drive the Nats to their first World Series Championship.
The pitching was historic and the hitting was otherworldly clutch, but the defining feature of the 2019 Washington Nationals was their ultimate resilience. Through 50 games they had the third-worst record in baseball, were given less than a 0.1% chance of winning the World Series and manager Davey Martinez was on the chopping block. Didn’t matter. Through broken noses, heart procedures, shoddy bullpen play and deafening criticism from the media, the Nationals finished the season 74-38, the best record in baseball over that span. Martinez stressed the day-to-day victories, not the big picture. Go 1-0 every day.
While 100-win juggernauts like the Dodgers and Astros waltzed through the regular season, the Nats couldn’t afford to take any nights off. Playoff hopes teetered behind every outcome, and they treated each game as such, specifically a memorable 7-run 9th inning outburst in September to walk off against their contending division rival who left the ballpark deflated. By the time October rolled around, battling adversity wasn’t an adjustment; it was already ingrained in the team’s DNA. Their opponents may have been better on paper, but the Nationals always had the mental toughness to overcome any talent discrepancies. Trailing in five separate postseason elimination games they prevailed to win them all, an MLB record. Eventually, the team’s motto of “stay in the fight” morphed into “finish the fight.” One World Series later, and the fight is finally finished.
So what caused the Nationals regular season hot streak? Yes, the bats starting heating up and the pitching (especially bullpen) found some consistency, but there’s another reason that’s flown under the radar: a clean bill of health. It seemed that every game early on, the injured list grew by another player. Players of consequence like Howie Kendrick, Ryan Zimmerman, Michael A. Taylor and Anthony Rendon were all placed on the 10-day disabled list at various points in the month of April. Starting shortstop Trea Turner missed 40 games with a broken index finger and toughed out the pain for the rest of the season. Max Scherzer could have an injured list all to himself; from broken noses to broken fingers to back spasms, yet in the biggest game of the team’s history, Scherzer was healthy enough to dominate to his standard.
While the stars were rehabbing, it was up to the backups to keep the team afloat, but they were facing a similar situation. Minor contributors like first baseman Matt Adams and pitchers Justin Miller, Trevor Rosenthal and Austen Williams all missed at least 10 games. At it’s worst, the offense resembled a Triple-A lineup more than a Major League one. Once they got past the rocky start and everyone healed, however, the Nationals had an opportunity to get out of the hole they dug themselves into. Beyond the mid-season break, the team stayed healthy and kept the flow, and it resulted in them streaking into the playoffs with no significant contributors on the IL.
It’s no secret, the Nationals’ Achilles Heel last season was, to put it lightly, the “unreliable” bullpen. If they were heading into the later innings of a close game, Nats fans had to keep their eyes closed sometimes. Even when they recorded a successful save, it almost always came with allowing baserunner(s) beforehand. The bullpen ended the regular season with the 29th-worst ERA in the majors, better than only the 108-loss Orioles. Relievers Sean Doolittle and Wander Suero weren’t far away from being the leaders in blown saves. Maybe the pitchers liked to make it interesting, but for the fans, it was torture at times. The Nats blowing leads in the playoffs isn’t anything new, and it seemed this postseason bullpen was primed to continue the trend. However, turning their biggest weakness into a strength became a major catalyst for the District of Champions.
Much credit goes to Davey Martinez for his mastery of situational pitching. With four stellar starting pitchers, and five games in seven days or seven games in nine days, Martinez regularly used his aces out of the bullpen, specifically in elimination games. In a crucial Game 2 victory against the Dodgers, Max Scherzer struck out three batters in one relief inning. For three innings during the Wild Card Game against the Brewers, Strasburg let up only two hits and zero earned runs. Perhaps the biggest contribution was from Patrick Corbin, who tossed three shutout innings in the World Series clinching Game 7 vs. the Astros. During the regular season, Nats fans chests tightened whenever Sean Doolittle stepped on the mound, but in the postseason, he gave up just two earned runs in nine appearances, and blew no leads. What was once the biggest question mark of the team ended up being one of its biggest strengths, and enabled the Nats to a World Series victory.
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