World Series

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Nationals clinch World Series title

In 2019, the World Series was played by The Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros. The teams battled it out to the very end for all seven games.

Washington D.C. has had several MLB teams. The first Washington team was the Washington Senators that operated from 1901-1960. They won the World Series in 1924. In 1960, The team moved to Minnesota and became the Minnesota Twins. The second Washington Senators played from 1961-1971. That team moved to Texas to become the Texas Rangers.

D.C. spent the next 33 years without a team. In 2005, the Montreal Expos moved to D.C. and became the By Joshua Escobedo Staff Reporter IG: Joshuae305

Washington Nationals pitcher Daniel Hudson celebrates after defeating the Houston Astros, 6-2, in Game 7 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park in Houston on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019. photo with permission Getty Images/TNS

current Washington Nationals.

Houston’s team was a little younger, being established in 1962. At first, the Astros became established as the Houston Colt .45s which gave them the entrance to the National League in 1962.

By 1964 they had become the Astros; they played in the AL West division until 2012. The Astros made their first World Series appearance in 2005, but were swept by the Chicago White Sox as a National League team. They moved to becoming a American League team in 2013. In 2017, Hurricane Harvey hit Texas and flooded large portions of Houston. The team was playing away games at the time and the storm forced them to play even home games at away locations. But Texas was proud when just nine weeks later, they were able to win their first World Series title again the Los Angeles Dodgers throughout all seven games. The Astros overall are considered one of the most dominant baseball teams in recent years.

This year’s series was played from Oct. 22 to Oct. 30. Teams must win the best of seven games. This series was very special for the Nationals who hadn’t made it to the World Series since 1924 when they were called The Senators.”

The Washington Nationals celebrate after defeating the Houston Astros, 6-2, in Game 7 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park in Houston on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019. The Nationals won, 6-2. photo with permission Getty Images/TNS

The Nationals took the first two games, while the Astros took the next three. The Nationals tied it up in the 6th game forcing the tie-breaking 7th game.

One of the best standout moments of the World Series was that Nationals’ pitcher Stephen Strasburg was named MVP following the Nationals’ 6-2 Game 7 win. He played a crucial role in playing six innings to outduel Astros pitcher Justin Verlander in Game 2. He eventually came back in Game 6 to pitch the ninth inning to beat Verlander again. Another great standout from the game was during the final moments of the game when the closing pitcher Daniel Hudson struck out Michael Brantley in the final inning that sealed the Nationals’ victory in Game 7.

About a week after their win, the Nationals participated in a parade honoring their championship win. At the end of the day, Nationals’ owner Ted Lerner told the crowd, “This is for the city that's always believed, the players who always fought and the fans who were with us every step of the way.” Houston Astros pitcher Chris Devenski reacts after retiring the side against the Washington Nationals during the ninth inning during Game 6 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park in Houston on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019. The Nationals won, 7-2, to force a Game 7. photo with permission Getty Images/TNS