The 2019 Wild Card Game is the greatest Nationals game I have ever been to
After a fairy tale regular season that saw the Washington Nationals go from 19-31 to the playoffs, the stage was set for a winner take all matchup with the Brewers. The atmosphere was a mix of excitement and extreme anxiety. The Nats were 0-3 in winner take all matchups since 2012, losing each in traumatic fashion. Heartbreak was the only thing playoff baseball had given Nationals fans.
However, on October 1st, 2019, that would all change. It would be one of the most beautiful nights in the history of the franchise. It did not look that way early on. After two batters, the game was 2-0 Brewers. Max Scherzer walked the lead off man and then gave up a two run home run to Yasmani Grandal. It was a gut punch to the 42,993 fans in attendance. Things would not get much better in the second inning, with future National Eric Thames hitting a solo shot to make it 3-0 after 2 innings.
It felt like deja vu for Nats fans who had seen so many magical seasons come crashing down without a playoff series win. The mood would brighten when Trea Turner launched a Brandon Woodruff fastball into the left field bullpen to make it 3-1. The red towels were waving all around Nationals Park and the joy that had become synonymous with the 2019 season was back.
After that, it became a pitchers duel. Following the Thames home run, Scherzer locked in and started to pitch like his dominant self. He settled down and stopped overthrowing. While it wasn’t a vintage Scherzer performance, he kept the Nats in the game, going 5 innings and allowing 3 runs.
Despite only allowing two hits and one run, Brandon Woodruff was on a short leash and exited after four innings. Relievers Brent Suter and Drew Pomeranz would give Nationals hitters fits over the next three innings, keeping our ferocious lineup at bay.
Meanwhile, Stephen Strasburg would come in for Scherzer, making the only relief appearance of his career, regular or postseason. Strasburg did what he always did in the playoffs, dominate. He threw three scoreless innings, allowing two hits, walking nobody and striking out four.
Entering the eight inning, things looked grim. Josh Hader, the most dominant reliever in the sport was set to come on for a two inning save. Hader was a strikeout machine, fanning 16.4 hitters per nine innings. Making contact was a struggle, let alone scoring runs. Hader looked the part early, striking out two of the first three hitters he faced, with Michael A Taylor reaching on a hit by pitch.
Franchise icon and grizzled veteran Ryan Zimmerman stepped to the plate with a chance to deliver. As he had done so many times before, the Z-man came through in the clutch. A perfectly placed broken bat single extended the inning and put runners on the corners. After Anthony Rendon worked a walk by laying off some pitches most would swing through, the Phenom Juan Soto stepped to the plate.
While he was just 20 years old, he was the man for the moment. Soto just had a supernatural ability to hit the baseball. Against the best left handed reliever in the sport, the 20 year old delivered with a single to right field. Then the baseball gods gave the Nats a gift. The ball went past right fielder Trent Grisham and all three runners scored. While Soto got caught in a rundown between second and third, as Ernie Johnson noted, nobody in Nats Park cared.
The Nats had the lead, and the ballpark was in a state of utter euphoria. This team felt different, and the fans were ready to believe. It was the greatest moment I have ever seen at Nationals Park. Tens of thousands of people were losing their minds.
However, the job was not yet finished. The Nationals still needed to get three more outs. That job fell to trade deadline acquisition Daniel Hudson. After getting a strikeout, Huddy allowed a base hit to Lorenzo Cain. With all the Drew Storen scars of years past, the fans were not feeling comfortable. However, this time really was different. Hudson got Orlando Arcia out to bring the Nats one out away. Then Ben Gamel flew out to Victor Robles to finish the job.
The monkey was finally off the Nationals backs. Thanks to their 20 year old sensation and a bit of luck, the Nationals had finally advanced in the playoffs. This exhilarating victory proved to be a catalyst for an iconic playoff run. The Nats would go onto slay giants en route to a World Series title. There were so many times the Nats were on the brink of elimination, but they always found a way. The 2019 Nationals were not to be denied.