The series shifts back to Houston with the Astros needing just one victory to wrap up their second championship in three years. But that won’t be easy; the road team has won each of the first five games this series, and the Nationals have Stephen Strasburg on the mound.
But back to Game 5. Here are five defining moments in Houston’s victory.
WATCH: Fan takes home run ball to gut while double-fisting beers
Sad Max
The most stunning development of the day happened shortly after 4:30 p.m., when Nationals manager Dave Martinez sat down at the microphone in the interview room and made an announcement before the questions started.
“Before we get started,” Martinez said, “I want everybody to know that Max will not start today. Yesterday he had a little bit of spasms in his right trap and neck. They treated it. He woke up today a lot worse.”
There was an audible gasp in the room. Max Scherzer, maybe the most intense, driven and competitive starting pitcher in baseball, was hurting so badly that he couldn’t pitch a World Series game. That seemed nearly impossible. But it was true. Scherzer came into the interview room about an hour later, and it was clear how the neck spasms impacted the right-hander.
Joe Ross became the starter for the Nationals, not the three-time Cy Young winner. After back-to-back losses at home in Games 3 and 4, this was not the start to the day Nationals fans wanted, to say the least.
Yordan, Yordan
Yordan Alvarez was a revelation for the Astros this year. He didn’t even make his big league debut until June 9, but he immediately found a regular spot in the Houston lineup at designated hitter and finished with 27 home runs in only 87 games. The postseason has been more of a struggle, though. Alvarez was just 1-for-22 in the ALCS, and he had just one RBI in 49 October at-bats heading into Game 5.
Houston manager A.J. Hinch wrote his name into the lineup Saturday anyway, despite his shortcomings defensively in the outfield.
“Coming into this game I didn’t want to go three games without having his bat in the lineup for multiple at-bats,” Hinch said.
So what did he do? Alvarez, in his first AB of Game 5, lined a home run into the center field stands, a ball that left his bat at 106.4 mph and gave the Astros a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning. That’s how you make an instant impact and validate a manager’s decision.
Opportunities, schmoppertunities
A two-run deficit against Houston pitcher Gerrit Cole is a tough hill to climb, but the Nationals looked ready to do exactly that in the bottom half of the second.
Juan Soto lashed a single to right field, and Howie Kendrick followed with a sharp single into center. Soto easily cruised into third base for a first-and-third, no-out situation.
The good news stopped there. Ryan Zimmerman struck out, a half-swing on an 86 mph breaking ball. Then, Victor Robles fell behind Cole 0-2, and did the worst thing possible, grounding into a double play that ended the inning.
The Astros still led 2-0.
Second verse, same as the first
Houston struck quickly again in the fourth, and again Alvarez was involved. This time, with two outs, he laced a single through the Nationals’ infield shift, somehow fitting the ball between first baseman Ryan Zimmerman and second baseman Howie Kendrick.
Ross worked the count to 0-2 on Carlos Correa, then threw a slider that appeared to catch the outside corner. He was not given the call.
Correa fouled off a couple of pitches, took a ball to even the count at 2-2, then smoked a slider from Ross that caught way too much of the plate into the left-field bleachers. All of a sudden, the score was 4-0 Astros.
Broken Nationals record
Juan Soto homered off Gerrit Cole in the seventh, trimming Houston’s lead to 4-1. The Astros answered with one in the top of the eighth to restore the four-run cushion.
And when Yan Gomes led off the bottom half of the inning with a single off reliever Joe Smith, the Nationals had a chance to answer the answer.
But, again, nada. Pinch-hitter Asdrubal Cabrera struck out, leadoff batter Trea Turner lined out and Adam Eaton popped out. More futility with runners on base.
