The Nationals Stayed in the Fight, Then Delivered a Knockout

“I feel like there’s bigger things going on in this world,” Rendon said quietly. “A baseball game might get magnified because it’s the World Series, but we’re not taking bullets for our country in Afghanistan or wherever it might be. This should be a breeze.” The humble words of a professional athlete who gets it.

Home field was definitely not an advantage in this World Series!

The Nationals' hot streak, which goes back to winning the last eight games of the regular season, was the most amazing one I have ever seen in baseball. One seemingly miraculous win after another, and most fans couldn't help but expect the miracles to end. But they didn't! Yeah Nats!

hats off to Nats fans, who know how to greet a president (this one, at least)

The Nats would never have made it this far had they emptied the bank into Bryce Harper's pockets. It isn't just the money, it's the team-destroying spotlight that money shines on one individual when an entire team's chemistry is at stake. Perhaps the Dodgers are learning this from their expensive sentiment, both monetary and usage, of Clayton Kershaw.

Many thanks Washington Nationals and Houston Astros for an amazing and historical World Series. So many favorite memories but what about the relief on the face of the reliever Daniel Hudson--a flash of burden lifted followed by pure joy. Here's to many jobs well done!

Unless you are either an Astros or Nationals fan, this was a snooze fest of a World Series. No one's fault, really. The most interesting part was watching how many times the home plate umpire missed ball-strike calls.

I ALMOST enjoyed this as much as if the Yankees won. The Nationals are a gutsy, clutch team with great starting pitching and a fine blend of youth and age. The Astros are a great team, but the Nationals are one for the ages winning all their games on the road, just for starters. They will be remembered like the "Miracle" Braves of 1914 and the "Miracle" Mets of 1969... but it was no miracle. Just hard work and good old fashioned baseball. (And A.J. Hinch, who takes out a starter like Greinke when he was killing the Nats?)

All praise to The Washington Nationals! They stayed in the fight, and obviously wanted it more than The Astros! But, Astro Gerrit Cole gave us a reality check, by donning The Boras cap, after the game! It’s 2019, and these players are essentially multi million dollar mercenaries, who easily move on once the money is there! And the fans pay for it with the exorbitant ticket prices!!!

One quick thought. When they took Grenke out I said "game Nats." The guy owned the game and his pitch count was OK. A couple of hick-ups and he's gone. The Nationals were home free. You could probably do a stat. Correlation of number of times a manager walks out to pull pitchers with messing up a game. Astros manager was living at the mound. Too much tinkering in today's game.

Dodgers 2020!

Washing...1st in War, 1st in Peace and 1st in Baseball! Congrats!

That's a sweet bunch of ball players on both teams. Maybe it's something new, but I don't recall seeing such friendly banter, laughing, talking by opposing players when one of them is on base. Saw it at first base all series. There's respect and affinity for each other. That's great. I have a soft spot for the Astros. Great bunch of guys. The franchise born the same year - 1962 - as my NY Mets. The Houston "Colt 45's" was their name (yep, kids, named after a gun) before the space program of the 1960s and their new home, the Astrodome, led to the name change. As for the Nationals, their way-back ancestors, the Washington Senators, became the Minnesota Twins in 1960. Love them Twins. Love Minnesota - the kind of people who would banter at first base… Enter the Montreal Expos in 1969. 50 years ago. The same 50 years ago that the Mets stunned the world (that's not hyperbole) by winning the World Series. So, 50 years later, the anniversary of the Amazin Mets' feat, and the birth of the Expos, the Nationals, who were formerly the Expos (begat in 2005) win another "Amazin" World Series. Nice circle. Nice players. Fascinating history. Great series. Even a little crow for a large man with a red tie to eat. Sweet.

It’s just hard to imagine a team, unlikely to have made it to the World Series, winning the first two games in the opposition’s ballpark, coming home to delirious fans and losing all three at home, yet still having the gumption and grit to win game 6 AND final game 7, again on the road. There’s a reason this has never happened before in ANY playoff series. I don’t watch a lot of sports any more for various reasons, but when I moved to DC in 2012 a couple of local buds took me to four Nats games and I’ve gone to a couple every year. (This year, on Grateful Dead night, with visitors from Spain.) When they looked like the Nats were cruising in the playoffs in 2012, only to get crushed in a come-from-behind game, it was a reminder of how agonizing it can be to be a sports fan. This year’s National’s victory, one for the ages, brings the Series Championship to a likeable and deserving team. Let the viejos play!

Go Expos!

Who cares.

I am a native Washingtonian, I remember those years with this Senators, and oh boy, does this feel great. I recently bought a used DVD of the film "Damn Yankees" on line. Definitely planning to watch that movie tonight! You Gotta Have Heart! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaDxoRFCG_w

We've been blessed with some heart-warming, drought-breaking WS winning teams of late. Giants in '10, Royals in '15, Cubs in '16, Astros in '17, and Nationals this year. Not to mention less recent such winners: Red Sox in '04, White Sox in '05, and Phillies in '09. It's nice that MLB hasn't had dominant dynasties recently. As long as the Yankees and Cardinals don't win it all, I'm fine. Imagine being a fan of, say, the Washington Senators in the 1950's. You'd being saying, "Damn Yankees". Next up for a miracle, My San Diego Padres.

Finally, some good news out of Washington!

Pretty incredible comeback. I'm from Texas; I should have been rooting for the Astros -- and no disrespect to them at all because they played great and showed great character -- but I wasn't. I'm really, really happy for the Nats and Washington D.C. At a time when the cultural foundations of America are under daily assault, we needed a win like this from a team like this in our most American of American sports. The Nats showed what makes America great last night.

This was a great series with two excellent teams. As a Red Sox fan I could have gone either way but I’m very happy for the Nationals. Although I’m not a fan of the seemingly endless rounds of playoffs, once the World Series starts it’s like it’s 1965 and I’m 12 years old again.

What a season! What a series! What a team! Congrats Nats!

Everyone is offering versions of how the Nationals won the World Series; everyone is wrong. Their victory was a foregone conclusion, predetermined a few weeks ago when Sports Illustrated put Houston on the cover.

Now, the true test of character. Will the Nats visit the White House?

The game was like a heavyweight fight. The Astros won the early rounds. The Nats won the late rounds. The Rendon home run knocked the Astros silly. And the Kendrick home run knocked them out

Bravo! From an inveterate Red Sox fan. And thanks to your home fans, who have shown that the good people of Washington DC know the difference between staying in the fight and being a selfish blowhard.

To all the Washington Nationals fans who waited so long... enjoy this delicious and well-deserved moment.

The visiting team wins all 7 games, and it just happens to be the team based in D.C.? It’s the Deep State at work again! Mwuhahahahahaha! (Twirls mustache) Happy Halloween. :)

It would be a good time to re-read "The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant" by Douglass Wallop or have a revival presentation of "Pajama Game", This time, the Washington team didn't need to make a deal with the devil. Congratulations!

Congratulations to the Montreal Expos! :) ;p

Congratulations to the Nats and Washington!!

I’ll bet there’s no joy in Mudville (sometimes known as the WH) today.

"First in war, first in peace and last in the American League." No longer that hoary refrain in DC. Harmon Killebrew, Camilo Pasqual, Pete Runnels, Mickey Vernon and the ghosts of the past raise a cheer. Congratulations to the Nationals on a gritty win. Wonder if POTUS is happy as he hums his favorite tune, "Take Me Out to The Ball Game."

I am THRILLED for The Nationals. The team is incredibly talented and they worked hard to keep their cool throughout one of the most exciting World Series I’ve ever seen. This coming from a....see above, haha

To any and all surviving Washington Senators players: this one's for you.

Finally a team to inspire our youth. Old school class and no show-boating. This Nationals team was a study in overcoming adversity, never giving up, and focusing on what is right in front of them - as their manager Dave Martinez said before the next game after every loss, and even a few wins: "let's go 1-0 today". Also note that the team really did not come together until 32-year old Gerardo Parra arrived and with his clutch hitting and dugout antics caused the team to loosen up, remember they were playing the child's game, and allowed them to realize their potential.

A Red Sox fan. Don’t care what anyone thinks. The most amazing story this year wasn’t either of these two teams. 7 million injuries and yet more than 100 wins. The team we love to hate were overachieving underdogs. The best story of the year took place in the Bronx.

Thanks to both Nationals and Astros for grace and humility in victory and defeat. A portrait of all that is good in hard fought competition that every American can celebrate.

Congratulations Washington Nationals ! There’s nothing like a World Series Game 7 to bring out the summer joy of a 10-year-old little boy in all of us. Three cheers for the National pastime !

I like to see teams like the Nationals and the Cubs win it all. The long-suffering sports fans in DC deserve a big win.

Great team and great game. I've mourned all those previous division series losses. But now I know it will be different in the future. With the addition of Soto and hopefully keeping Rendon and Strasberg we could be unbeatable .

Congratulations to the Nats and thanks for a wonderful last game. But a big tip of the hat to Greinke who pitched masterfully!

A friend of mine came to the city with some pals mid summer. Their annual plan was to go to a city each summer where their team, the Dodgers, were playing and enjoy a weekend exploring the city and watching their team play. This summer it was DC and I tuned into a game and saw the mostly empty stadium and lack luster fan support of what looked like a really fun team. They had great rapport and talent that just did not quite make it to win. Then, amazingly after the Baby Shark moment, there was a change. A energy that pulled from the talent of the veteran players and the new energy of the young ones. Dance. Yes dance. With your own moves.

Best news out of Washington in three+ years! Go Nats. You are true champions! :-)

I placed my first legal sports bet in April at the Tropicana in Atlantic City. The odds for the Nationals were 14-1 to win the World Series and the Mets were 12-1. I spent my $20 on the Nats. Although I grew up a die hard Mets fan dating back to 1967 and I'll never forget 1969, my heart has been with the Nats since they moved to DC. Last night my heart won again.

The Nationals organization put together a team full of talent and character. There are a lot of interesting stories in this group. That they won it all tells us that some times good guys do finish first. And, boy oh boy, could DC use a dose of good news! Congratulations to the Nationals for winning an exciting series.

I love my Houston Astros, but so happy for the Nats! They truly deserved this win. I’m glad we got to go to the end with this team. Good job, Nats! From other Houston Astros fans that I talked to many of them felt the same way as I did. We remember how great it was to win in 2017 and part of us was happy to see the Nats get to experience it as well.

Congrats to the Nats! I'm 77 yers old. I now live in Houston but I grew up near New York, spend most of my working life in Chicago and have resided near Houston for the past 12 years. I remember the joy that the NY Giant fans felt in 1954 and the Dodgers fans in 1955 when their teams won the World Series after a drought of all too many years. The same joy was felt by the Chicago White Sox fans and the Chicago Cub fans when their teams also won a World Series victory after decades, or most of a century, of losing. My now home town Astros won their first World Series two years ago some 50 years after being created as an expansion team. My daughter lives near Boston and the Red Sox fans had the joy of winning after breaking "The Curse of The Bambino". As a baseball fan, I have no difficulty with Washington joining in a World Series victory celebration. Washington hasn't had a team win a World Series since the great Walter Johnson pitched from them some 90+ years ago so the National's fans finally have a reason to celebrate. Given what is happening with politics and foreign policy in Washington, the city needs a reason (many reasons) to come together and enjoy a long anticipated and desired victory. As a current Astro's fan, I'll fall back on the phrase that the Brooklyn Dodger fans, including my parents, said for many years: "Wait 'Til Next Year!"

The Nationals seemed destined to win last night even when Greinke was cruising. You just had the feeling they were going to come back. The Houston crowd seemed to know it when Kendrick hit the home run to go ahead. Just like Boston last year, it was destined.

Great game, great series, great season overall capped by a World Series team which seems to be full off players with both skill and character. So some good things do happen in Washington !!!!!