The Washington Nationals finished four games behind the Braves in the NL East.
But the Nationals are World Series champions.
Howie Kendrick and Anthony Rendon homered in the seventh inning as Washington overcame a two-run deficit, rocking the host Houston Astros 6-2 on Wednesday night in Game 7 of the World Series to win the first title in franchise history.
With all eyes on Max Scherzer and his remarkable recovery after a painkilling injection, these Nationals embraced their shot in a Series when the road team won every game. Even more against the odds: Juan Soto and Washington rallied from behind to win five elimination games this postseason.
Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin and the Nats brought the first World Series championship to the nation's capital since Walter Johnson delivered the crown for the Senators in 1924.
This franchise started out as the Montreal Expos in 1969 when the major leagues expanded beyond the border, putting a team with tricolor caps at Jarry Park. They moved to D.C. in 2005, ending Washington's three-decade-plus wait for big league baseball after the Senators left town to become the Texas Rangers.
But the incredible path these wild-card Nationals took, well, no one could have imagined.
Having lost star slugger Bryce Harper to free agency and beset by bullpen woes, Washington plummeted to 19-31 in late May. It got so bad there was talk around town the Nationals might fire manager Dave Martinez and trade away Scherzer.
Instead, they stuck with the motto that sprung up on T-shirts — Stay In The Fight.
And months later they finished it, indeed.
For the 43,326 revved-up fans at Minute Maid Park, it was a combination of shock and disappointment. So close to seeing the Astros win their second crown in three years, they watched their chance suddenly vanish as Houston fell apart.
Washington kept pulling away after taking the lead, with Adam Eaton's two-run single in the ninth accounting for the final margin.
Zack Greinke was in complete control until Rendon — a Houston prep and college star — hit a home run that cut Houston's lead to 2-1.
When Soto followed with a one-out walk, manager AJ Hinch decided to make a move. He'd had ace starter Gerrit Cole warming up in the bullpen earlier, but this call was for Will Harris.
Kendrick connected on the second pitch, slicing a drive that hit the screen attached to the right field foul pole.
Washington rallied in the eighth to beat Milwaukee in the wild-card game and took the last two to beat Los Angeles in the NLDS, setting up a sweep of the Cardinals in the NLCS.
The Braves, meanwhile, lost to St. Louis in the Division Series.
