Last In The American League

With apologies to the Houston Astros, the biggest story about this year's World Series is that a team from Washington is in it. That hasn't happened since 1933. Of course, there was no team in Washington from 1972-2004, and the history of teams in that city has been checkered, to say the least.

Baseball has been played in the nation's capital since 1871, with names such as the Blue Legs and the Statesmen, but mostly the Nationals (in the nineteenth century National League, and the current team), and the Senators, who played in the National League from 1892-1899. The American League Senators came into existence in 1901, and played until 1960. They played in three World Series, winning one, in 1924, when the team's best ever player, Walter Johnson, won game seven pitching in relief (using a starter as a reliever is not a new idea) and a ball hit by Bucky Harris hit a pebble and hopped over Giants' infielder Freddie Lindstrom's head.

For most their existence, the Senators were inept, earning the city the sobriquet, "First in war, first in peace, last in the American League." When the team started to get good, in the late fifties, the franchise moved to Minnesota, where they exist now as the Twins. Washington's booby prize was an expansion team, which meant they were once again terrible (and managed for a time by Ted Williams), and that team moved to the Dallas area in 1972 and is now the Texas Rangers.

From then until 2005, there was no baseball in Washington, until the Montreal Expos moved and became the current Nationals. They have been consistent contenders, but never managed to win a series until this year. They won the play-in Wild Card game against Milwaukee with a late rally, and then shocked the Dodgers in the Divisional Series, topping it off with a sweep of the Cardinals in the NLCS. Now, for the first time in 86 years, there will be a World Series played in D.C.

The Astros are the opponent, and they were expected to be here, having won 107 games to top the Majors. But it wasn't easy, as Tampa Bay took them to five games in the ALDS, and the Yankees were a tough out in the ALCS. I was able to watch two games in that series, and they were the right two, games two and six, which were two of the best games I've seen in recent years.

Game two was won by Carlos Correia with a walk-off home run in the 10th inning, but that wasn't all he did, as he made a play on a liner that bounced off of second basemen Jose Altuve. Correia, in a shift that had him on the first-base side of second, fielded the ball bare-handed and gunned down D.J. LaMahieu at the plate, preserving a tie game.

There were more defensive heroics by the Astros in game six. J.J. Reddick face-planted catching a ball in right with two out that would have scored a run, and then Michael Brantley in left, fully extended,  dove for a ball, caught it, and then popped up and doubled up Aaron Judge off first base. The Astros had a slim lead at the time, which they took into the ninth, only to see it wiped out with a home run by LaMahieu that just eluded the glove of right-fielder George Springer, taking the air out of Minute Maid park.

But that just led to a classic moment a half-inning later. The Yankees brought in their tough closer, Aroldis Chapman, who made quick work of the first two batters. He lost Springer to a walk ("Oh, those bases on balls," manager George Stallings once said) and then faced Altuve. A light-hitting defensive replacement was on deck, but Chapman challenged Altuve, hung a slider, and the diminutive second-sacker clobbered it over the wall. Game over. Chapman, as if he couldn't believe it, stood motionless on the mound for quite awhile.

I usually root for underdogs, so I would be happy with a Washington win, but I really like the Astros. I like the way they play--they hit their share of home runs, but they also don't strike out, and can play small ball (the sacrifice bunt and the hit and run are almost extinct in baseball today). I have never stopped liking Justin Verlander, even after he left the Tigers (the Nats have two ex-Tiger starters, Max Scherzer and Anibal Sanchez). And I usually root for the American League, except when it's the Yankees, so I will probably pull for the Astros.

The Astros are heavy favorites, but the Nationals have enough great starting pitching and timely hitting to make this series go deep. Both bullpens are suspect, but for the most part have been great, Osuna giving up the LaMahieu homer notwithstanding. I'll take the Astros in six, but would not be surprised by an upset.