In one of the most thrilling World Series in recent memory, the Washington Nationals prevailed over the Houston Astros in seven games. The city of Washington had not won a World Series since the now-defunct Washington Senators defeated the (also extinct) New York Giants in 1924. 

  The MVP of the series was starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg, highlighted by his gutsy Game 6 performance that included 8 1/3 innings of 2-run ball. He also received the win in Game 2 and became the first pitcher in postseason history to finish with a 5-0 record.

  His supporting cast included 21-year-old rising slugger Juan Soto, veterans Howie Kendrick and Ryan Zimmerman, MVP candidate Anthony Rendon, and starting pitcher Max Scherzer, among many others. 

  The underdog Nationals were up against the 100+ win Astros, who were looking for their second World Series title in three years. Surprising everyone, the Nationals outscored the Astros 17-7 over the first two games. 

  The Astros took control of the series by winning the next three games, all on the road, by a combined score of 19-3. This set the stage for Game 6 in Houston, a must-win for the Nationals. 

   The Nationals soundly defeated the Astros 7-2, led by homers from Soto, Rendon, and Adam Eaton, and an excellent pitching performance by Strasburg, as mentioned earlier. 

  As if there was not enough drama already, Scherzer, who had been dealing with neck spasms throughout the series, was unable to start Game 5. Despite being unable to lift his right arm just a few days earlier, Scherzer told Nationals manager Davey Martinez he was good to go for a potential Game 7 start. 

  As all good managers do, Martinez put trust in his players, and rewarded him with a Game 7 start. Scherzer proved Martinez’s decision was a good one, allowing only two earned runs in five innings pitched. The only problem was that Astros starter Zack Greinke had one-upped his counterpart, pitching five shutout innings. 

  Halfway through the game, the Astros were in control. 

  The Nationals would not go down easily, and their dormant bats finally came to life in the seventh inning. Greinke’s start quickly went from spectacular to being in line for the potential loss. 

  With just eight outs left on their season, Rendon hit a homer to left, cutting the Astros lead in half. Soto, the next batter, walked, bringing pitching coach Brent Strom out of the dugout to replace Greinke, who left to a standing ovation from the Astros faithful of over 40,000. 

  Two pitches later, Kendrick, the NLCS MVP, hit a Will Harris cutter off the foul pole to give the Nats a 3-2 advantage. Minute Maid Park suddenly fell silent, while Nationals fans back in D.C. were going nuts. The Astros were never able to recover as the pendulum continued to swing in Washington’s favor. 

  The Nationals added one run in the eighth and two more in the ninth, leading to their first World Series title in franchise history, and bringing home the first title to the nation’s capital in nearly a century.