If you like a Cinderella story, you can witness one that occurred recently in Houston, Texas, on October 30th, 2019. The Washington Nationals baseball team beat the Houston Astros in game seven of the memorable series. After 95 years of waiting patiently, the Washington Nationals celebrated a second world series win that impacted so much more than the world of baseball.
History
The Nationals, a team who’s franchise permanently moved back to the nation’s capital in 2005, started to gradually improve as the time approached 2018. Even with a couple successes throughout the seasons, the Washington Nationals did not appear in any of the thirteen World Series. The 2019 postseason started off atrocious for the Nationals, with a record low of 19 wins to 31 losses; only a game and a half in front of the Marlins (the last-place team in the National League East). Despite hitting rock bottom, the Nats climbed and climbed, ending the season with a 74-38 win-loss record that captured the National League wildcard for them.
To the World Series…
The Nationals had quite a journey into the series with tight wins against the Milwaukie, Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Even after making it into the series, the Nationals were overlooked and thought of as the underdogs. Astros fans were so confident that the Astros would win the series, some bet large amounts of money; one man even bet 3.5 million dollars on the Astros! The first two games were played in Houston and to the astonishment of many, the Nationals dominated both. They won the first by 5 to 4 and the second by 12 to 3, proving that they deserved to be in the series. Once in Washington, ironically, the Nationals did not perform as well. The Astros won all three games- game three 4-1, game four 8-1 and game five 7-1. While many teams might have put their heads down, the Nationals remained confident and controlled. Once back in Houston, they came back with two wins!
Victory
Everyone on the team was exuberant including manager Davey Martinez whose severe heart problems didn’t stop him from confronting the umpire in game six. Immediately after the series win, he stated, “I’ve got players telling me, watch my heart. I got fans screaming at me: ‘Your heart, Davey! Your heart, Davey!’ I’m going to tell you something — all this right here has cured this heart.” Also, Max Scherzer commented, “You saw a group of guys come together like you’ve never seen before. Never in this town have you ever seen a team compete with so much heart and so much fight. […] That’s why you have seen a World Series champion, because of the heart and fight that this team has.” The Nats are an exemplary team that is an inspiration to numerous people.
Washington DC was a continuous party after the game, and being over a thousand miles away didn’t stop the ecstatic fans. According to The Washington Post, “It was the thrilling outburst of a city’s joy which knew no bounds. It was wonderful. Every one of the more than 400,000 men, women, and children who make Washington their home took part in the celebration. Every noise-making device that hands could reach was used to produce a mighty din that continued unchecked for hours.”
What does this mean for Washington D.C.?
Recently, Washington DC has been under countless trials and controversies such as the upcoming election which threaten to fracture the city into many pieces. The Nationals’ achievement in the world series has unified the city of DC through the pure spirit of baseball. The Washington Nationals did so much more than win the world series; they helped to unite the DC metro area.
Article by Rosa Saavedra of Herbert Hoover Middle School
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons