Washington Nationals

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg was named the 2019 World Series MVP following the Nats' 6-2 Game 7 win over the Houston Astros Wednesday night to clinch the franchise's first championship in history.   

Your World Series MVP is Stephen Strasburg 🏆

2009 No. 1 pick to 2019 World Series MVP 🔥 pic.twitter.com/1xs2uFb5nU

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 31, 2019

Strasburg went 2-0 in his World Series starts, including his crucial Game 6 performance Tuesday night to force a Game 7.

In Game 6, Strasburg stepped on the mound at Houston's Minute Maid Park with his team down 3-2 in the series and his opponent riding a three-game winning streak. The 2009 first overall draft pick pitched as if he felt none of that pressure, allowing two earned runs on five hits and striking out seven across 8.1 innings.

Prior to that, Strasburg had tossed six Game 2 innings in which he allowed two earned runs on seven hits while striking out seven. 

Overall, Strasburg became the first pitcher in league history to go 5-0 in a single postseason. The 31-year-old right-hander is also the first No. 1 overall selection to win World Series MVP (h/t MLB Stats).

The records don't stop there:

Stephen Strasburg joins Randy Johnson and Francisco Rodriguez as the only pitchers to record 5 wins in a single #postseason. pic.twitter.com/CpGZrC8zXj

— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) October 30, 2019

It's #Strasmas season. pic.twitter.com/QEf5a0usW6

— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) October 30, 2019

Perhaps Strasburg's most pivotal moments came in the seventh and eighth innings of Game 6. The Nationals had just been robbed by a controversial call in the top of the seventh that declared Trea Turner out at first base for batter interference, which resulted in manager Dave Martinez's ejection.

While Anthony Rendon calmed some tempers with a two-run home run in the top of the seventh to extend the Nats' lead to 5-2, it was Strasburg who put the game in cruise control by retiring each of the next seven batters he faced.

Strasburg arguably could have notched a complete game, but Sean Doolittle replaced him in the bottom of the ninth after he got Yuli Gurriel to line out. 

The Nationals had several different heroes at different junctures of this storybook postseason run, but Strasburg—and fellow starting pitcher Max Scherzer, who started Game 7 and went 3-0 with two no-decisions this postseason—was the glue.

And it's been a long time coming for Strasburg in Washington.

The organization drafted him in 2009 out of San Diego State. The San Diego native made his MLB debut in 2010, only to suffer a UCL tear in August that required Tommy John surgery. He returned on Sept. 6, 2011, but only started five games that year. 

Strasburg started 28 games in 2012, going 15-6 with a 3.16 ERA and 1.16 WHIP while on an innings limit. He was shut down for the remainder of the season on Sept. 8, 2012, even though Washington held the best record in the majors. 

"You got to do what's right for the player," Nationals owner Mark Lerner said in 2015 (h/t ABC News). "The Nationals organization did what's right, and we stand by that."

As recently as last summer, injury concerns lingered around Strasburg. But that narrative gave way to his greatness come 2019, as he led the National League in the regular season with 18 wins and 209.0 innings pitched and maintained his dominance once the calendar hit October.

The Nats and Strasburg played the long game, and they were vindicated in the best way possible Wednesday night.

Washington Nationals left fielder Juan Soto provided one of the key moments in his team's 7-2 victory in Game 6 of the World Series against the Houston Astros on Tuesday night, blasting a go-ahead home run in the top of the fifth inning.

And two of his former coaches, Rafael Zapata and Jeysson Adon, loved every second of it:

Two of Juan Soto's childhood coaches reacting to his Game 6 HR. Incredible 🙏

(via @MLBDominicana) pic.twitter.com/wi73SrIZoZ

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) October 30, 2019

When someone says they don't understand the power of sports, show them that clip and how much the homer meant to those two men.

As for Soto, his celebration—he carried his bat all the way down the first base line—mirrored what Alex Bregman did in the first inning when he blasted his own solo shot to give Houston a 2-1 lead.

"It's pretty cool. I want to do it, too. That's what I think when I saw that," Soto said, laughing, per Jeff Passan of ESPN. "I get the opportunity and do the same thing."

And now the Nationals will face the Astros in a decisive Game 7 on Wednesday night. You can bet Soto's former coaches will be glued to the television.

This preview includes schedule and ticket information, with links to StubHub. Bleacher Report has an affiliate marketing relationship with StubHub. We will receive revenue from your purchase.

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Somehow, the home team has yet to win a game in the 2019 World Series. 

After a tight Game 1 victory and gleeful Game 2 blowout, the Washington Nationals looked primed to claim their first-ever World Series.

However, the Goliath known as the Houston Astros woke up at Nationals Park, allowing a total of three runs in three games to the hometown club, and it looked like all was again right with the baseball universe. 

In another twist, though, the Nationals responded on Tuesday night, riding a near-cycle from third baseman Anthony Rendon and a spectacular eight-and-one-third innings pitched by Stephen Strasburg to a 7-2 Game 6 victory and a climactic Game 7 on Wednesday in Minute Maid Park.

        

Viewing Information

When: Wednesday, Oct. 30 at 8:08 p.m. ET

Where: Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX

Watch: Fox

Stream: FoxSports.com

Tickets: For tickets to this game, go to StubHub.

         

Preview

It seems nearly every game in this series has pitted two of the greatest pitchers of the last 15 years against one another. The final game of the 2019 MLB season will be no different. 

In one corner, we've got six-time All Star and one-time Cy Young winner Zack Greinke; in the other, we have fellow six-time All-Star, three-time Cy Young winner and potentially still-hurt Max Scherzer. 

Yes, Scherzer will be pitching Wednesday nearly 72 hours after he was scratched due to neck spasms that reportedly immobilized his neck. However, he threw off flat ground before Game 6 and told reporters he was ready, and manager Davey Martinez did not seem overly cautious when concurring with his starter.

If the Nationals win Wednesday and Scherzer is near his usual self, then overcoming his pain will become a story for the ages, near the level of Curt Schilling's Bloody Sock or Michael Jordan scoring 38 points in an NBA Finals game while having a severe case of the flu.

As for Greinke, after two shaky starts to begin the postseason, he was much more effective in his following two performances, giving up just two earned runs over nine total innings pitched in wins against the Yankees and Nationals.

The 36-year-old has walked seven batters over those two outings, so he's still not at the peak of his powers, but it'll likely do against a Washington offense that has generally underperformed through these six games. 

Wednesday's game is bound to be incredibly tense, and you might think Houston has the clear edge. The Astros are definitely more talented than Washington and have shown it throughout this series, plus they have some of the best fans in baseball, which is an advantage in a scenario such as this. 

However, the Nationals have had the edge in this series when Strasburg and Scherzer pitch, and even though the latter may not be 100 percent fit, his excellence is predicated more on intelligence than power, and that baseball IQ will likely remain unaffected through health issues.

On the other side, Greinke has been good recently but not close to his heights of recent years. In addition, Washington's offense looked a bit more normal in Game 6, with many of its normal contributors coming alive to complement Juan Soto against Justin Verlander and company.

It may be obvious and correct to pick the more talented team at home, but there's just something about this Washington team that can't be quantified. Against all odds, they'll be raising the Commissioner's Trophy high Wednesday night.

Good morning, readers. Wednesday night, we get the best phrase in professional sports: Game 7. 

Behind a masterful performance by Stephen Strasburg and five RBI from Anthony Rendon, the Washington Nationals were able to keep their 2019 season alive, defeating the Houston Astros 7-2 on Tuesday night. 

        

Game 7 Information

Day and Time: Wednesday at 8:08 p.m. ET

Place: Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX

TV: Fox

Live stream: Fox Sports Go

Pitching matchup: Washington Nationals RHP Max Scherzer vs. TBD

Series score: Houston Astros 3, Washington Nationals 3

          

Notes

After last year's relatively dull five-game affair, this year's World Series has at least had numerous fun narrative shifts, even if the games themselves have mostly been lopsided.

At various points over the last week, both teams have been heavy favorites to win the Fall Classic.

Houston entered the series as a heavy favorite, but the tide quickly turned after the Nationals took the first two games in Minute Maid Park and needed to win just two of the next five games, three of which would be in D.C.

However, the Astros promptly swept all three games in Washington, and now it was their turn to head home with two chances to win one game and the World Series. They botched the first opportunity on Tuesday but will get another Wednesday.

We may have yet another pitcher's duel on our hands in this one. The Astros are starting former Cy Young winner Zack Greinke in Game 7, while in a wild turn of events, the Nationals will be trotting out seven-time All Star and three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer.

After being scratched from a Game 5 start due to neck spasms so severe he apparently couldn't even lift his arm, Scherzer threw off flat ground before Game 6 and flashed reporters a thumbs-up sign after doing so. Later, Nationals manager Davey Martinez confirmed his star pitcher will be the Game 7 starter.

When healthy, Scherzer has been as close to lights-out as you can be this postseason. Over four starts and a perfect one-inning relief appearance, he's 3-0 with a 2.16 ERA and 34 strikeouts in just 25 innings. He most recently started in Game 1 of the World Series, pitching five innings, allowing just two earned runs and striking out seven as the Nationals won 5-4. 

However, he'll be up against a dynamite collection of Astros hitters, who have far outpaced the Nationals hitters as a whole in this series.

Usual suspects like Jose Altuve, George Springer and Michael Brantley have smacked the ball in their typical ways, and even MVP Alex Bregman—who has ostensibly struggled to the tune of a 4-for-22 stretch—leads the team in RBI due to a Game 4 grand slam and an early Game 6 stinger. 

As we've seen time and again this year, it only takes a moment of weakness by the opposition for the Astros to get hot and break a game wide open, and that has happened three times in this series. 

On the other hand, the Nationals hitters have generally struggled outside of Game 2.

Before his breakout Game 6, Rendon was hitting just .200 in the series, and other big bats such as Trea Turner, Ryan Zimmerman and Howie Kendrick had been relatively neutralized as well. The offense has really been on the back of young phenom Juan Soto up until Wednesday night, and though he and the starting pitchers have proved more than capable of helping the Nats survive this team-wide slump, whether they'll be able to rise to the occasion for the deciding game is still in question. 

This final game of the season is likely to be a low-scoring pitcher's duel, the kind of game fans of each team will hate but agnostic baseball fans will love. There's a lot pointing in Houston's direction—general talent level, home-field advantage, and so on—but there's something about this Nationals team that feels preordained.

All postseason, they've found ways to win when that seemed impossible, and the story of Scherzer overcoming a seemingly insurmountable injury to lead the Nationals to their first World Series is waiting to be told.

Against all notions of common sense, we're picking the Nationals to win the World Series. 

It has been a strange year for the Washington Nationals, and relief pitcher Sean Doolittle believes it is only right it will end in Game 7 of the World Series.

"It had to be this way, right?" he suggested after his team won Tuesday's Game 6, per Emma Baccellieri of Sports Illustrated. "It's the most 2019 Nats thing ever for this to go to a Game 7."

Washington's up-and-down season started before Opening Day when superstar outfielder Bryce Harper elected to sign with the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies. Baseball prognosticators would have been forgiven if they assumed his departure meant the end of the Nationals' championship chances, especially since they never won a playoff series with him.

Those who assumed as much appeared to be right when Washington stumbled out of the gates during a 19-31 start.

However, the team gradually bounced back during the course of the season and eventually clinched a spot in the National League Wild Card Game. The Nationals overcame a deficit in that contest to defeat the Milwaukee Brewers in part because right fielder Trent Grisham misplayed a ball in the eighth inning and then battled back from a 2-1 hole in the National League Division Series against the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers.

That comeback was only possible because Clayton Kershaw gave up back-to-back home runs in relief in the decisive Game 5 when the Dodgers were holding on to a lead.

From there, Washington swept the St. Louis Cardinals in a stunning and dominating performance in the National League Championship Series and have won all three road games while dropping all three home games against the Houston Astros in the Fall Classic.

It has been quite the journey for the 2019 Nationals, but they are now just one win away from the first championship in franchise history. In one more twist of fate, ace Max Scherzer will take the hill in Wednesday's Game 7 after being scratched from his Game 5 start with an injury.

So much happened in Game 6 of the 2019 World Series, but there's a fundamental reason the Washington Nationals put themselves a win away from their first championship.

Their ace, Stephen Strasburg, was simply the best player on the field Tuesday night.

The Houston Astros had just as many answers for Strasburg as they did in Game 2, which is to say "none." He spearheaded a 7-2 Nationals win at Minute Maid Park with 8.1 innings of utter filth.

The best two words in sports: Strasburg shoved.#Strasmas // #STAYINTHEFIGHT pic.twitter.com/RqeCGuUkZv

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) October 30, 2019

It's thus largely because of Strasburg that the Nationals shrugged off three straight losses at home in Games 3, 4 and 5 to even the series at three wins apiece. A decisive Game 7 looms Wednesday night.

With any luck, it'll be even half as dramatic and entertaining as Game 6.

The night started with the Nationals matching their total hits with runners in scoring position over three games in Washington on an RBI single by Anthony Rendon in the first inning. The Astros, however, answered with a two-run first.

The capper was Alex Bregman's solo home run, which came with a rather, ahem, batty celebration.

Both Strasburg and Astros ace Justin Verlander settled down after that, but the latter hit an all-too-familiar wall—he now owns a 5.68 ERA in seven career World Series starts—in the fifth inning. Adam Eaton knotted the score with a solo homer, and Juan Soto gave the Nationals the lead with a solo blast of his own.

For his own celebration, Soto staged something of an homage to the likely American League MVP standing at third base:

21 savage. #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/AcYp6Ypps5

— MLB (@MLB) October 30, 2019

"I saw what Bregman did in the first inning...I was like, 'That looks pretty cool. I wanna do that,'" the 21-year-old said on MLB Network after the game.

With that, there were twice as many lead changes just halfway through Game 6 (two) as there had been through the first five games (one). The way the game was going, yet another seemed almost inevitable.

And yet another might indeed have come if the Nationals had let a hugely controversial call in the seventh get the better of them.

With nobody out and a runner on first base, Trea Turner hit a soft ground ball that Houston right-hander Brad Peacock picked up and threw past first baseman Yuli Gurriel into right field. But rather than the Nationals having runners on second and third with nobody out, Turner was called out for running out of the baseline.

There was a lengthy delay while the umpiring crew talked it over with replay officials in New York, even though the ruling itself wasn't technically reviewable.

"The violation was when he [Turner] kept Gurriel from being able to catch the ball," Major League Baseball's chief baseball officer, Joe Torre, explained after the game, per Astros field reporter Julia Morales. "It's a judgment call. The right call."

The Nationals dugout was understandably steamed, and manager Dave Martinez was later ejected after a heated argument during the seventh-inning stretch.

Yet in between those two events, Rendon came to the rescue with a two-run homer that quelled fears of the call on Turner ruining Game 6 and, by extension, the entire World Series:

Rendon RAKES. #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/UnkQqIoFZb

— MLB (@MLB) October 30, 2019

For good measure, Rendon later added a two-run double in the ninth inning that ran his RBI count to five and effectively put the game out of reach.

The utter strangeness of this World Series is difficult to understate. The road team has now won all six games. And while the Nationals and Astros sure seem like a good match—the run differential is 28 to 27 in Houston's favor—Washington's 5-4 victory in Game 1 marks the only truly close contest of the series.

It will be decided one way or another in Game 7, but anyone who claims to know how that's going to go is full of every type of "it."

The pitching matchup is between two veteran aces in Zack Greinke and Max Scherzer, but the former is struggling and the latter couldn't even dress himself because of neck spasms as recently as Sunday. Neither of these offenses, meanwhile, has enjoyed anything even resembling consistency of late.

Regardless of how Game 7 pans out, however, the 2019 World Series may ultimately be remembered as the finest hour of one Stephen Strasburg.

Though Strasburg seemed in for a rough night when he served up two runs in the first, he indicated to Fox Sports' Tom Verducci that he realized he was tipping his pitches and adjusted accordingly.

Astros hitters could thereafter do nothing against the 31-year-old right-hander, who had his fastball humming in the mid-90s and all his pitches breaking this way and that at the bottom of the strike zone. His changeup was especially lethal, drawing five swings-and-misses out of only 17 total offerings.

Tuesday's outing marked the fifth start and sixth overall appearance for Strasburg in the 2019 postseason, and it would be an understatement to say he's made the most of them. Across 36.1 innings, he's racked up a 1.98 ERA with 47 strikeouts and four walks, only three of which were unintentional.

This, coupled with Strasburg's preexisting October track record, brings his career ERA to 1.46 over 55.1 postseason innings. Couple this, in turn, with 10 regular-season campaigns marked by a 3.17 ERA, a 4.5 strikeout-to-walk ratio and three All-Star berths, and all available evidence says he's made good on the hype that surrounded his selection at No. 1 all the way back in 2009.

It's all but a given that Strasburg will opt out of the four years and $100 million remaining on the $175 million deal he signed in 2017. A dependable and clutch ace like himself can certainly do better on the open market.

The only pity is that Strasburg won't have a hand in securing himself a ring in Wednesday's Game 7. But by doing everything in his power to at least get the Nationals to that point, he's bound to be remembered as a hero in Washington no matter what happens.

                   

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.

Major League Baseball's chief baseball officer Joe Torre spoke with Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports to explain the umpires' controversial interference call on Washington Nationals shortstop Trea Turner in the top of the seventh inning in Game 6 of the World Series on Tuesday.

Trea Turner was called out on this play.

"That's a potentially series changing call." - Joe @Buck pic.twitter.com/E3Po7hSNcR

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 30, 2019

Fox Sports' MLB Twitter account provided interview footage:

MLB's chief baseball officer, Joe Torre, explains all aspects of Trea Turner's controversial runner interference call to @Ken_Rosenthal. pic.twitter.com/SEJDUuwRB7

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 30, 2019

Torre told Rosenthal that umpire Sam Holbrook deemed that Turner interfered with Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel's ability to catch the ball and that the out call had nothing to do with whether the shortstop was out of the baseline.

When Rosenthal asked why the play wasn't reviewable, Torre said that the play was a "judgment call" and therefore unable to be protested as well.

The play ended up being much ado about nothing, as the Nationals ended up winning 7-2 thanks to Anthony Rendon's two-run homer in the seventh and two-run double in the ninth.

Still, the call raised the ire of the Nationals and baseball analysts alike in the moment. Nationals manager Dave Martinez had to be restrained during the seventh-inning stretch and was eventually ejected.

During the 7th inning stretch, Nationals Manager Dave Martinez was visibly upset with the umpires and was ejected during the exchange. pic.twitter.com/AZ23MusrNN

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 30, 2019

And ESPN's Jeff Passan, Yahoo Sports' Hannah Keyser and ex-MLB All-Star Michael Young all offered pointed criticisms, among many others:

Call upheld.

Unreal.

What a failure.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 30, 2019

Imagine how confusing and alienating this absurd out call and long delay must be to any causal baseball fans tuning in for the World Series.

— Hannah Keyser (@HannahRKeyser) October 30, 2019

https://twitter.com/MikeyY626/status/1189374583037669376

Jared Diamond of Wall Street Journal did point out that the umpires may have made the right call, a thought backed by Cincinnati Reds television analyst Chris Welsh:

Like, hey, not for nothing, but if I'm reading the rule correctly -- and I absolutely might not be -- Turner is out for running inside (to the left) of the foul line and the umpire made the right call.

But I also have no idea how this rule works, and neither do you. pic.twitter.com/Oyd8N46tio

— Jared Diamond (@jareddiamond) October 30, 2019

The umpires got the interference call correct. This is a classic lane violation play. It is a judgement call and Sam Holbrook was spot on. Perhaps certain announcers should visit https://t.co/N2eglOkEIW @rulesacademy

— Chris Welsh (@thinkpitch) October 30, 2019

Even so, Game 6 of the World Series was relegated to a state of mass confusion. A four-minute, 32-second review that slowed the game's pace to a halt didn't help matters either.

Regardless, the Nats and Astros will move on to Game 7, which will take place on Wednesday at 8:08 p.m. ET in Houston. The Astros' Zack Greinke and the Nationals' Max Scherzer are the probable starters.

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg tossed 8.1 innings of two-run ball in his team's 7-2 victory over the Houston Astros in Game 6 of the World Series on Tuesday.

Strasburg looked like he was in trouble after a two-run first inning following a George Springer double and Alex Bregman home run, but the right-hander told Tom Verducci of Fox Sports that an in-game adjustment worked in his favor, per Travis Sawchik of FiveThirtyEight:

Strasburg says Astros likely picked up pitch tipping early so he started ‘shaking glove’ when concealing grip. Says Paul Menhart saw tell.

— Travis Sawchik (@Travis_Sawchik) October 30, 2019

Nationals pitching coach Paul Menhart noticed that Strasburg was tipping pitches, and following the switch, the ace scattered only three hits over the remainder of his start. 

Pitch-tipping has been a topic of conversation during the Astros' World Series run.

Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Tyler Glasnow told reporters that he believed he tipped pitches in his team's 6-1 loss to the Astros in Game 5 of the American League Division Series.

"I went back and looked, and it was pretty obvious," Glasnow said. "As far as the tips go."

Following Game 3 of the American League Championship Series, Fox baseball analyst Alex Rodriguez believed that New York Yankees right-hander Luis Severino tipped his pitches in a 4-1 loss to Houston:

To recap Severino's first inning:

36 pitches
18 fastballs
18 secondary pitches
11 swings on fastballs
5 swings on off-speed pitches, no misses
No chases on off-speed pitches.

If you look at Astros' hitters body language, this screams tipping.

#postseason

— Alex Rodriguez (@AROD) October 15, 2019

The topic has now come up in the World Series, too, although the Nationals caught it before it was too late.

Strasburg won his start to move to 5-0 in the playoffs, which stands as the best win-loss mark in a single MLB postseason, per Ben Pershing of the Wall Street Journal.

The World Series now moves to a winner-take-all Game 7 thanks in part to Menhart's keen eye. Zack Greinke will get the call for Houston, and Max Scherzer will take the hill for Washington.

Scherzer was slated to pitch Game 5 but was scratched with neck spasms. He was seen on the Fox broadcast warming up in the bullpen, which seems to bode well for his availability Wednesday.

Game 7 will start at 8:08 p.m. ET, with Fox carrying the broadcast.

The Washington Nationals had to win Game 6 of the World Series on Tuesday night in order to keep their season alive, and manager Dave Martinez argued with the umpires as if there were no tomorrow en route to an ejection.

In the top of the seventh inning, Nationals shortstop Trea Turner was called out on a controversial call. Umpires ruled that Turner committed interference at first base:

Trea Turner was called out 🤨

(via @MLBONFOX)pic.twitter.com/CBsBtEQKTx

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) October 30, 2019

Martinez was furious with the call, which is non-reviewable, and had to be restrained from the umpires before getting tossed:

During the 7th inning stretch, Nationals Manager Dave Martinez was visibly upset with the umpires and was ejected during the exchange. pic.twitter.com/AZ23MusrNN

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 30, 2019

Martinez getting ejected in an elimination game wasn't ideal for the Nationals. More than that, though, Martinez getting that worked up could have been scary for him personally, as he underwent a minor heart procedure in September after experiencing chest pains.

Elsewhere on the field, chief baseball officer Joe Torre conferred with crew chief Gary Cederstrom. Turner was caught on a hot microphone criticizing Torre:

Oh wow, Turner calling out Joe Torre, claiming he’s ducking his head and hiding.

— Sarah Spain (@SarahSpain) October 30, 2019

Trea Turner, very close to a microphone in the dugout about Joe Torre: “He’s right there, just ask him. Why is he hiding?"

— Eric Stephen (@ericstephen) October 30, 2019

Two batters after Turner was called out, Nats third baseman Anthony Rendon helped ease the tension by mashing a two-run home run to extend Washington's lead to 5-2:

Anthony Rendon sends one deep after the controversial call at first base 💥

Ball don't lie.

(via @MLBONFOX)pic.twitter.com/e27oekpZHF

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 30, 2019

Turner came to the plate again in the top of the ninth and got his own revenge with a double. Two batters later—sound familiar?—Rendon knocked a two-run double to make it 7-2 Nationals:

Anthony Rendon is on another level! Make that 5 RBI tonight for the @Nationals star! pic.twitter.com/8cvz61OOld

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 30, 2019

Rendon's five RBI made it certain that Martinez will get to manage one more game this season.

Game 7 will be Wednesday night, back at Minute Maid Park and scheduled for an 8:08 p.m. ET start.

After being scratched from his scheduled start in Game 5 of the World Series, Washington Nationals starter Max Scherzer will be available for Game 7 on Wednesday if necessary, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

"He's good to go," Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said Tuesday. 

The Nationals trail the Houston Astros 3-2 entering Game 6 and will need to win to force a Game 7.

Neck spasms forced Scherzer to miss his scheduled start in Game 5.

"Moment I wake, I couldn't get out of bed," he said after the game, per Bradford Doolittle of ESPN. "I basically just fell out of bed. Picked myself up with my left arm, and I was moving around, just couldn't even move my [right] arm. I just knew at that point I was in a really bad spot."

Joe Ross started in his place, but he gave up four earned runs in five innings during the 7-1 loss.

Scherzer was back to warming up before Game 6 on Tuesday:

Mad Max throwing before Game 6 👀#WorldSeries | #STAYINTHEFIGHT pic.twitter.com/P87YApu0GG

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) October 29, 2019

"I'm good," he said after the throwing session, per Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.

The three-time Cy Young award winner wasn't as dominant this season as he has been in recent years, but he still produced a 2.92 ERA and 243 strikeouts in 172.1 innings. The Nats have also won all three of his starts in the postseason, which should give them plenty of confidence if he does take the mound in Game 7.