Roberto Osuna pitched the eighth inning for Houston, when Juan Soto batted in Adam Eaton with two outs to give Washington a two-run lead. The Nationals extended their lead to 6–2 in the ninth inning, with two runs scoring on a one-out single by Eaton with the bases loaded. This was the first World Series appearance for the franchise that began its existence as the Montreal Expos in 1969, and moved to Washington, D.C.
The Astros' only runs came on a two-run home run by Abraham Toro in the top of the ninth inning. This was Verlander's second career no-hitter against the Blue Jays, making him just the third pitcher of the modern era to no-hit the same team twice, and the first to pitch both no-hitters against the same team on the road. He is the sixth pitcher to throw three or more no-hitters in his career. On September 7, Verlander continued his domanance, reaching 32 consecutive batters retired, a streak that established an Astros franchise record and was tied by teammate Ryan Pressly in 2022.
Team Pitching
Earlier in the year, they also once again sent six players to the 2019 All-Star Game, the most from any team in baseball. As such, the 2019 Astros are often regarded as one of the greatest baseball teams ever assembled. The franchise, then playing as the Montreal Expos, had one postseason series victory in the strike-shortened 1981 baseball season. That year, the postseason included an extra round, with the first half winner of each of two divisions in each league playing the second half division winner. The Nationals, however, quickly lost many players from their championship team and fell to the bottom of the league. The Nationals let all-star third baseman Anthony Rendon leave in free agency to the Los Angeles Angels in the offseason (the Angels also signed 2019 Nationals part-time catcher Kurt Suzuki).
Later that year at the trade deadline, the team traded superstar Juan Soto, after he rejected a reported 14-year extension, to San Diego for young players and prospects. ESPN Radio broadcast the World Series for the 22nd straight year, with coverage presented by AutoZone. Dan Shulman served as play-by-play announcer, with Chris Singleton as color commentator and Buster Olney as field reporter. Marc Kestecher and Kevin Winter hosted the pregame shows with reporter Tim Kurkjian.
Postseason
The most runs scored against them was played on September 10, 2019 versus the Oakland Athletics. There will be postgame fireworks and a pregame happy hour for every Friday home game, kids run the bases after every Sunday home game and dollar hot dogs at every Tuesday game. All six of the overlapping players — Gurriel, Altuve, Correa (when he wasn’t injured), Bregman, Springer, and Josh Reddick — hit much better in 2019 than in 2018.
In the third inning, José Altuve doubled and advanced to third on an error, then scored on an infield single by Michael Brantley, giving the Astros a 2–0 lead. The Nationals loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the third, but were unable to score. In the bottom of the fourth, Ryan Zimmerman walked then was driven in by a triple by Víctor Robles, cutting the Astros' lead to 2–1. The starting pitchers were Stephen Strasburg for the Nationals and Justin Verlander for the Astros.
Game 2
With no additional scoring through the middle of the ninth, the Astros brought in closer Roberto Osuna to pitch the bottom of the ninth. Osuna allowed a one-out single to Adam Eaton, but otherwise retired the Nationals; Juan Soto struck out looking to end the Nationals’ eight-game playoff winning streak. Osuna earned his second save this postseason, as Houston narrowed Washington's lead in the series to 2–1. This became the first World Series to begin with three games won by the road team since 1996, when the first five games were won by the road team. In April 9 game against the New York Yankees, José Altuve connected for his 100th career home run off Jonathan Loáisiga in a 6–3 win.
Kevin Burkhardt hosted the network's pregame shows, joined by analysts Frank Thomas, Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz. Fox Deportes aired the series in Spanish, with Rolando Nichols calling the play-by-play, Edgar Gonzalez as color commentator, and Carlos Álvarez as field reporter. Anthony Rendon batted in a run in the top of the first, giving the Nationals an early 1–0 lead.
If I recall correctly, Scherzer said in a post-game interview that the Astros seemed to know what pitches were coming in the first inning, and that the Nats had to change their signals. More recently, after the cheating scandal broke, Kurt Suzuki, Scherzer’s catcher in Game One, declared that the Astros were stealing signs in that game. Series not held in 1904 because the NL champions refused to participate, and in 1994 due to a players' strike. The "top" of an inning refers to when the visiting team bats, as the visiting team's runs are listed above the home team's runs in the linescore. The "bottom" of an inning refers to when the home team bats, as the home team's runs are listed below the visiting team's runs in the linescore.
A sacrifice fly by José Altuve and a home run by Alex Bregman in the bottom of the first gave Houston a 2–1 lead. Bregman carried his bat to first base after homering, which some media members considered disrespectful. Fifth-inning home runs by Adam Eaton and Juan Soto gave the Nationals a 3–2 lead. Soto also carried his bat to first base after homering, mimicking Bregman. Post-game, both managers voiced displeasure with the bat-carrying; Bregman apologized and said he was at fault.
Juan Soto led off the top of the fourth inning with a home run to tie the game, 2–2. Soto became the fourth-youngest player to hit a home run in a World Series; Andruw Jones in 1996 was the youngest to date. Adam Eaton batted in a run in the top of the fifth inning, followed two batters later by a Soto two-run double, giving the Nationals a 5–2 lead. Their first opponent in the postseason was determined by the American League Wild Card Game, which saw the Tampa Bay Rays defeat the Oakland Athletics. In the best-of-five American League Division Series, the top-seeded Astros defeated fifth-seeded Tampa Bay in five games, with each game of the series being won by the home team. The Astros' opponent in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series was the second-seeded New York Yankees, who had defeated the Minnesota Twins in their playoff series, three games to none.
There are promotional nights sprinkled throughout the season with eight different bobblehead giveaways, including a Jose Altuve/Tony Kemp duel "Hugs For Homers" bobblehead. This first homestand only has one night of freebies for the fans with the team passing out schedule magnets for everyone through the door for Friday night's home opener. Stick around after the game to watch The Field of Dreams on the field.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Nationals were not able to properly celebrate their 2019 championship the following season, as spectators were not allowed in the stands during the shortened season. They raised their championship banner in front of an empty Nationals Park on the first day of the 2020 season, and received their championship rings in the clubhouse rather than on the field in front of the fans. Struggling at the trade deadline in 2021, the Nationals engaged in a large-scale selloff of top players who had led them to the championship. The Nationals became the first team to trade three players who were All-Stars before the end of the season, which included starting pitcher Max Scherzer, outfielder Kyle Schwarber, and shortstop Trea Turner. They also traded off important pieces from their World Series team, such as catcher Yan Gomes and reliever Daniel Hudson. By the end of 2021, only a handful of players from the 2019 championship team were still with the club.
On September 8, Gerrit Cole struck out 15 batters over eight innings in a 2–1 victory over the Seattle Mariners. He became just the second pitcher to strike out 14 or more hitters in three consecutive games, joining Pedro Martínez in 1999. It was the sixth outing of the season of at least 10 strikeouts and no walks for Cole, tying the major league record. The 15 strikeouts tied Verlander's Minute Maid Park record, set earlier in the season on June 12 versus the Brewers. It was Cole's 12 consecutive decision won, dating back to May 27, with the Astros going 16–2 in those 18 starts.
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