NATS-STROS
MVP and Cy Young Award trophies, and three no-hitters on his resume.
He struck out six to become the career leader in postseason Ks with 202 — another impressive statistic on a stellar resume that’s still missing that elusive World Series win.
Their dominance against Houston’s best pitchers turned the underdog Nationals into heavy favorites to win the title. Only three of the previous 25 teams to lose the first two games at home under the 2-3-2 format have come back to win the Series. No one has done it since the 1996 New York Yankees.
“I wish I was a betting man, but I’m not,” Martinez said. “I don’t really believe in that stuff ... we’re here because the boys never gave up.”
But the Astros insist the tough start hasn’t dampened their confidence.
“We have a really good team,” manager AJ Hinch said. “Clearly, the Nats have outplayed us — bottom line. They came into our building and played two really good games. We’re going to have to try to sleep off the latter third of this game.”
Things went wrong immediately for Verlander when he walked leadoff man Trea Turner on four pitches.
Eaton, who homered in the eighth, singled before Anthony Rendon, the Houston native who said he’d certainly have 100 friends and family members at Minute Maid Park for each game, knocked a ball off the wall in left field for a double that put the Nationals up 2-0.
Michael Brantley singled with two outs in the bottom of the first before Bregman’s homer to left tied it. After hitting .167 with no homers in the ALCS and struggling in the opener of this series, Bregman took a second to admire his homer before nonchalantly tossing his bat and trotting to first.
All eight of Bregman’s postseason home runs have come off All-Stars.
Verlander got his 200th postseason strikeout when he fanned Victor Robles for the second out in the second inning. The eight-time AllStar passed John Smoltz, who had 199 and was in the TV booth for Fox to see his record fall.
Verlander and Strasburg both settled in after their early wobbles and neither pitcher allowed the hitters to string much together until things fell apart for Houston in the seventh.
Suzuki sent Verlander’s 100th pitch sailing above the seats in left field to start the inning and put the Nationals on top. Ryan Pressly, who left Game 6 of the ALCS with
a knee injury, took over and didn’t look right from the start.
He walked Turner before Hinch called for his first intentional walk of the season when he gave Juan Soto a free pass to load the bases with two outs. Howie Kendrick, Asdrúbal Cabrera and Ryan Zimmerman followed with successive singles to bust this one open, putting the Nationals up 8-2. As those hits were piling up and run after run crossed the plate, many in the stunned sellout crowd of 43,357 began streaming for the exits.
Hinch was asked what happened in the seventh inning.
“Where would you like me to start? The leadoff homer? That’s what happened,” he said. “It started with the leadoff homer and then a tough at-bat with Robles.”
Michael A. Taylor padded the lead further when he hit a solo homer off Chris Devenski in the ninth.
The only time Strasburg was under any kind of real duress after the first inning came when Yuli Gurriel doubled with one out in the sixth before the Nationals intentionally walked Yordan Alvarez. But slumping Carlos Correa hit a weak fly ball for an out before rookie pinch-hitter Kyle Tucker struck out to allow Strasburg to wriggle out of the jam and end his solid night.