Seven games. Zero home wins.
Honestly, if you pitched that script to a Hollywood producer before October 2019, they would have laughed you out of the room for being too "unrealistic." But that is exactly what happened when the Washington Nationals became the answer to who won the world series 2019. They didn't just win; they defied every statistical probability known to Major League Baseball. For the first time in the history of the Fall Classic—and indeed the history of all major North American professional sports—the visiting team won every single game of a seven-game series.
It was weird. It was exhausting. And for the city of Washington D.C., it was the first baseball championship since the Senators took it all home back in 1924.
The Team That Refused to Die
The Nationals' path to the trophy wasn't a cakewalk. Not even close. By May 24, 2019, the team sat at a miserable 19-31 record. Pundits were calling for manager Dave Martinez to be fired. Fans were looking toward the 2020 draft. The "Baby Shark" craze hadn't even started yet.
Then something clicked.
They went on a tear, finishing the season 93-69. They clawed through a heart-stopping Wild Card game against the Milwaukee Brewers, upset the heavily favored Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS, and swept the Cardinals in the NLCS. By the time they met the Houston Astros in the World Series, the Nationals were the ultimate "team of destiny," fueled by Gerardo Parra’s walk-up song and the veteran presence of guys like Ryan Zimmerman.
Breaking Down the Matchup: Nats vs. Astros
The Houston Astros were a juggernaut. They had 107 wins. They had a rotation featuring Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole, two guys who were basically pitching like gods that year. On paper, the Nationals stood no chance.
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- Game 1 & 2: Washington stuns the world in Houston. Juan Soto, just 21 years old at the time, starts hitting rockets off Gerrit Cole. Stephen Strasburg proves why he was worth every penny of his contract. The Nats go up 2-0.
- Game 3, 4, & 5: The series shifts to D.C. You’d think the home crowd would propel them to a finish. Nope. The Astros' bats wake up. They dominate. Suddenly, Houston leads 3-2, heading back to Texas.
- Game 6: This is the game everyone remembers for the controversy. Trea Turner was called out for "interference" at first base, leading to a massive argument and Dave Martinez nearly getting ejected. But Anthony Rendon and Stephen Strasburg didn't care. They forced a Game 7.
The Game 7 Heartbreaker (For Houston)
The finale was a tactical chess match. Zack Greinke was cruising for Houston. He looked untouchable through six innings. The Astros held a 2-0 lead, and it felt like the Nationals had finally run out of gas.
Then came the seventh inning.
Anthony Rendon hit a solo home run. Howie Kendrick—the veteran who had already hit a grand slam in the NLDS—stepped up against Will Harris. He hit a slicing line drive to right field that clanged off the foul pole. Clank. That sound is still ringing in the ears of Astros fans. It was a two-run shot that gave Washington the lead. They never looked back, eventually winning 6-2.
Why Stephen Strasburg’s MVP Performance Matters
When discussing who won the world series 2019, you have to talk about Stephen Strasburg. He became the first former number-one overall pick to win World Series MVP for the team that drafted him. He went 2-0 in the series with a 2.51 ERA.
But it wasn't just the stats. It was the "Strasburg Shrug." He was a machine. In Game 6, with the season on the line, he pitched 8.1 innings of two-run ball. In an era where managers yanked starters after the fourth inning at the first sign of trouble, Strasburg was a throwback. He threw 104 pitches. He took the ball and refused to give it back.
The Analytics vs. The Vibe
This series was a massive talking point for baseball nerds. The Astros were the kings of data, launch angles, and spin rates. The Nationals? They were a bit more old-school. They relied on "old" pitchers like Max Scherzer, who literally pitched Game 7 just days after getting a cortisone shot in his neck because he couldn't even dress himself.
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Scherzer’s grit in Game 7 is the stuff of legend. He wasn't at his best, but he battled. He kept the Nats in it. It was a reminder that while data wins regular-season games, raw "want-to" often decides championships in October.
Notable Stats from the 2019 Series
You can't really grasp how lopsided the "home-field disadvantage" was without looking at the run totals.
In Houston, the Nationals outscored the Astros 30-11 across four games. In Washington, the Astros outscored the Nationals 19-3 across three games. It made no sense. Home teams usually win about 54% of the time in the postseason. In 2019, that number for the World Series was 0%.
Juan Soto also cemented himself as a superstar. He finished the series with 3 home runs and 7 RBIs, all while doing the "Soto Shuffle" to intimidate pitchers. He was 21. Most 21-year-olds are worried about midterms; Soto was staring down Justin Verlander.
The Dark Cloud: The Sign-Stealing Context
We have to be honest here. Shortly after this series ended, the MLB world was rocked by the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal. While the investigation focused primarily on the 2017 season, it cast a long shadow over their 2019 run.
Critics often point out that the Nationals' road dominance might have been aided by the fact that they were hyper-aware of Houston’s reputation. The Nats changed their signs constantly. They used complex sequences even with no one on base. They were paranoid, and as it turns out, they had every reason to be.
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How to Relive the 2019 Glory
If you're a Nats fan or just a baseball junkie, the best way to process this series is to watch the "Five Days in October" documentary or find the full Game 7 broadcast on YouTube.
Pay attention to the pitching change in the 7th inning. Why did Astros manager A.J. Hinch pull Greinke? Why didn't he use Gerrit Cole out of the bullpen? These are the questions that still haunt Houston sports talk radio.
Practical Takeaways from the 2019 Nationals
What can we actually learn from a bunch of guys playing a kid's game for millions of dollars?
- Slow starts don't define you. The 19-31 start is the most important part of the story. If you're failing at a project or a goal right now, remember that the Nats were dead in the water in May.
- Veteran leadership is underrated. While the league was getting younger, the Nationals relied on Zimmerman, Kendrick, and Rodney—guys in their mid-to-late 30s. Experience matters when the pressure is high.
- Adaptability is key. The Nationals changed their entire pitching philosophy to counter Houston's hitters. They weren't rigid.
The 2019 World Series wasn't just a win for Washington; it was a bizarre, historic anomaly that we likely won't see again in our lifetimes. Seven games, seven road wins. It was a beautiful, chaotic mess.
If you want to dive deeper into the mechanics of that season, check out the official MLB season archives or the Baseball-Reference pages for the 2019 Nationals. You can specifically look for the "Win Probability Added" (WPA) charts for Game 7—the swing on Kendrick’s home run is one of the most dramatic vertical lines in baseball history.