They did it. Photo via nytimes.com
The final unbelievable act in an unbelievable season has come to pass. The cardiac kids overcame yet another 2019 playoff elimination in-game deficit (their 5th of the post-season I believe) to rally in the late innings for an improbable win.
Only this time, it was in Game 7 of a World Series that they were 2-1 underdogs in at the start and in which they got swept on home soil.
Game thoughts:
- Max Scherzer pitched better than i thought he would, but labored to get through 5 innings on more than 100 pitches.
- Zack Greinke was pitching the absolute game of his life, and I thought this team was done for in the 6th.
- For all the scorn heaped on Patrick Corbin … damn what an outing. Three scoreless innings, faces just one over the min, gets the W in game 7. Bravo.
- Anthony Rendon: he continued to make himself a lot of money with his off-season. Same with Strasburg (a subject for another day).
- Kendrick finally came alive to win it for the team. Eaton had a heck of a game. Soto; well, nobody in America will be surprised by Soto again after this post-season.
Now, some more detailed thoughts on the absolute butchering of the pitching management by Houston’s manager A.J. Hinch.
- Why would you possibly take out a guy in Greinke who had completely flummoxed the Nats lineup for 6+ innings in that situation? He was on just 80 pitches. Yes he’d given up a homer to Rendon, and yes he’d walked Soto … but that’s the two most dangerous hitters in the lineup. Once you get past Soto, you have to favor your chances against our 5-9 (with all due respect to Kendrick of course). I couldn’t believe our fortunes there, to move on from Greinke and get into the suspect bullpen. Was Greinke gassed? On 80 pitches? Was he giving up a ton of sharp hit balls? Rendon’s homer was hit hard, sure, but it was also a rare mistake from a guy who had been painting corners all night. You pitch around Soto b/c you don’t want him to beat you. I just couldn’t believe this over-managing move.
- Then, instead of bringing Gerritt Cole or his closer … he goes with Will Harris. Ok. I guess you could have looked at Harris’ numbers prior to this inning this post season and said, “oh that’s their stopper.” But he’s clearly not better than Greinke. So it was karma when 3 pitches later Kendrick gets a lucky homer off the foul pole. Just amazing turn of luck.
- NOW he goes to his closer Osuna. Still no Cole, who was idly throwing the ball in the pen.
- Then, in the next inning, he leaves in his one-inning closer to runout of gas and give up another run.
- THEN in the next inning he cycles through more of his ineffective bullpen, who leaks two more demoralizing runs to make the 9th a coronation.
- Cole? Sitting on his ass in the bullpen. Peacock? burned last night. he eventually goes with 4th starter Jose Urquidy to stop the bleeding, 5 runs too late.
I was texting along with friends throughout all of this, calling the debacle as it happened. Houston deserved their fate here for pulling an effective starter 30 pitches too early. And the Nats made them pay.
Go Nats! This is a long time coming. A long time coming for everyone who was there at the beginning, helped support this team for years before they actually began trying, who stuck with them as they tried to find their way.