Howie Kendrick hit a game winning two run homerun in the top of the seventh inning on Wednesday night, as the Washington Nationals won their first World Championship in franchise history with a 6-2 win over the Houston Astros in Game 7 of the 2019 World Series at Minute Maid Park in Houston.
Houston broke ahead first though. Yuli Gurriel hit a solo homerun to left in the bottom of the second to open the scoring off Washington starter Max Scherzer. The Astros made it 2-0 when Carlos Correa hit a single down the left field line in the fifth. The Nationals finally got to Houston starting pitcher Zack Greinke in the top of the seventh when Anthony Rendon led off the inning with a solo homerun. Greinke hadn’t allowed any runs and just one hit to that point. A walk to the next batter Juan Soto ended the night for the right hander. Will Harris came in to pitch and on a 1-0 pitch Kendrick took him down the line in right that hit off the foul pole for a 3-2 lead that they wouldn’t give back. Soto padded the lead with a two out RBI single in the eighth, and then a two out two run single by Adam Eaton in the ninth provided more breathing room. Washington won all five elimination games in the 2019 playoffs.
This was a historic World Series in a couple different ways this season. Washington was making their first appearance in the Fall Classic since 1933 when they were known as the Senators, and now claim the citys first professional baseball title since the Senators won it 95 years ago in 1924. Also for the first time ever the home teams didn’t win any games in the series that went seven. Washington went 4-0 in Houston, and 0-3 at home. The Nats who lost Bryce Harper to Philadelphia in free agency during the offseason, began the season 19-31 and ended with a final record of 104-74 (finishing 85-43 from May 26th on).
Soto and Kendrick each had two hits in the deciding game for the Nats. Patrick Corbin (1-1) won in relief firing 3.0 innings of scoreless baseball. Scherzer gave up two runs on seven hits in 5.0 innings. Starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg also won the World Series MVP. Strasburg is the first pitcher to ever go perfect (5-0) in a single postseason. Gurriel and Correa each had two hits for the American League champion Astros who were making their second appearance in the World Series in the past three years. Harris (0-1) was charged with the loss by giving up the game winner to Kendrick. Greinke was charged with two runs on two hits in 6.1 innings. Houston went 1-8 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10 runners on base.
