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Jake Peavy stills Nationals’ bats in 3-2 victory in Game 1 of NLDS Jake Peavy stills Nationals’ bats in 3-2 victory in Game 1 of NLDS
(35 minutes later)
They had all waited two years for Friday afternoon, for the Washington Nationals’ return to the postseason, but the 44,035 filling Nationals Park had fallen quiet after the seventh-inning stretch. They had been thrilled by Stephen Strasburg’s 99-mph fastball, discouraged by the San Francisco Giants’ relentless execution and deflated by a meat-grinder of a sixth inning. They had been left to gnash teeth and chew fingernails and ponder a three-run deficit. They had seen the worst the playoffs can offer, and now maybe they expected it. And then Bryce Harper happened. The detritus of Friday afternoon had not yet been swept away, and the Washington Nationals had already shifted focus to Saturday evening. Their own squandered chances and the peerless execution of the San Francisco Giants remained fresh. The bat crack from Bryce Harper’s third-deck missile still echoed. Jake Peavy’s guile had foiled Stephen Strasburg’s laborious postseason debut not an hour earlier.
Harper’s missile into the third deck ignited the Nationals’ comeback in Game 1 of the National League Division Series, but the battle-tested Giants fended off the Nationals’ rallies to claim a white-knuckled, 3-2 victory. The Nationals will hand the ball and a 1-0 series deficit to Jordan Zimmermann on Saturday at 5:37 p.m. for Game 2 against longtime nemesis Tim Hudson, asking their star right-hander to follow his no-hitter in a season-turning situation. The Nationals pushed aside the details of their 3-2, white-knuckled defeat in Game 1 of the best-of-five National League Division Series. They knew their season — a 96-win steamrolling that anointed them a World Series favorite — and maybe their collective reputation would be distilled into three or so hours of baseball.
In his postseason debut, which came two years after the Nationals sidelined him for the playoffs, Strasburg allowed two runs in five-plus innings on eight hits, all singles, while striking out only two against a lineup of relentless contact hitters. Ian Desmond went 0 for 4 with two key strikeouts in the middle of rallies. Saturday afternoon, the Nationals will hand the ball and a 1-0 series deficit to Jordan Zimmermann for Game 2 against longtime nemesis Tim Hudson, asking their star right-hander to follow his season-ending no-hitter in a season-defining situation.
Giants starter Jake Peavy allowed no runs in 52 / 3 innings on only two hits and three walks. He never challenged the Nationals. He threw a motley mix of cutters and sinkers to the edges of the plate, either just over the corners or just off. The Nationals never submitted, using patience to drive up his pitch count. But Peavy never wavered, either, leaving with two outs in the sixth and a zero still on the scoreboard. “We have to win that game tomorrow, definitely,” Harper said. “That’s a must-win. Being able to go 1-1 into San Fran is going to be huge. If we go 0-2 going into San Fran, I don’t even want to think about it. We’ve got to win that game tomorrow.”
The Nationals have self-identified since opening day — when they beat the New York Mets in 10 innings after erasing a three-run deficit — as a resilient group. They won 14 times after they trailed after six innings. They built their second-half surge on a stretch of five walk-off victories in six games. Game 1 played out in a manner they expected, all gnashed teeth and chewed finger nails. “This series,” reliever Craig Stammen said, “is going to be tight.” And the Giants — winners of two of the past four World Series, 23-8 in their past 31 postseason games — excel in tight situations. Wednesday night, after the Giants won the wild-card game to advance to the NLDS, Hudson lauded the Nationals’ talent, but said the series would be determined by something more: “What’s between your legs?”
With the Nationals trailing, 3-0, Harper led off the seventh. Rookie Hunter Strickland — who had shut down a sixth-inning rally with a 100-mph fastball — fired a 2-1, 97-mph fastball, down the middle and at the knees. Harper unleashed his viciously efficient swing. The ball screamed toward right field. Strickland covered his face with his glove, either because he wanted to curse on live television or because he could not bear to watch the ball’s sonic-boom flight. Harper paced out of the batter’s box, admiring his work, a chance he had earned. The Nationals went 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position Friday and stranded seven runners. Shortstop Ian Desmond went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts, one with the bases loaded and two outs, the other with two on in the eighth. With four games potentially remaining, the top-seeded Nationals still must prove to their opponents they can hang as tough as them in October.
As Harper tossed his bat aside, the ball landed three rows deep in the third deck, beyond the facade marking Jackie Robinson’s retired No. 42. Harper tore around the bases so quickly he pressed his hand to his helmet to ensure it would not fall off. He floated across home plate and leapt in the air, flashing the thumb, index finger and pinkie off his left hand — the sign for “I love you” to his parents, Ron and Sheri Harper of Las Vegas. “I just feel that we understand what’s at stake,” Giants reliever Sergio Romo said. “We understand it takes a little bit more than talent, so to speak. Talent gets you here, getting the job done during the season gets you here. It does take a little bit more to get you through this postseason.”
Harper’s blast invigorated Nationals Park. Energy rippled through the stadium even after Wilson Ramos took a close 3-2 pitch for strike three. Asdrubal Cabrera walked to the plate next. Strickland threw him a 1-2 inside fastball and the letters. Cabrera turned on it and drilled it into the Nationals bullpen. He skipped out of the batter’s box and circled the bases. On both sides of the ball, the Giants stuck to a carefully crafted script. Peavy threw nothing over the middle and nothing straight, refusing to give in to the Nationals as they drove his pitch count to 104 over 52 / 3 innings. They focused on hitting the ball up the middle against Strasburg, who allowed two runs and struck out only two in five-plus innings, allowing eight hits, all of them singles from the contact-crazy, pesky Giants.
The Nationals had cut the lead to 3-2, and the crowd reached a new decibel level as Ryan Zimmerman, the franchise player reduced to bench duty by a balky right hamstring, dug into the box. He smoked a line drive to center field, but Gregor Blanco settled under it for the second out, and the inning fizzled. “Usually when you give up eight hits, they’re not all singles,” Strasburg said. “I really had to go out there and battle my way through some innings today, and that’s what I really wanted to do going into the start. ”
The Nationals kept the pressure on in the eighth against Giants set-up man Sergio Romo. Anthony Rendon singled through the right side, and with one out Adam LaRoche flicked an opposite-field single to left. The key at-bat fell to Desmond. After he took strike one, Desmond fished for two sliders that broke away from him and out of the strike zone. Harper grounded to first base, and the tying run skulked off the fileld. The 44,035 towel-waving fans at Nationals Park park had grown whisper-quiet after the Giants took a 3-0 lead in the top of seventh. Harper led off against rookie Hunter Strickland, who had shut down a sixth-inning rally with a 100-mph fastball. He fired a 2-1, 97-mph fastball, down the middle and at the knees. Harper unleashed a viciously efficient swing. The ball screamed toward right field. Strickland covered his face with glove, either because he didn’t want to curse on live television or because he could not bear to watch the ball’s sonic-boom flight.
Desmond had also foiled a rally in the dramatic, deflating sixth. Pinch hitter Nate Schierholtz led off with a double, putting the Nationals in an ideal position. They feasted all year on worn-out pitchers their third trip through the lineup, and Peavy’s pitch count climbed toward 100. Denard Span and Rendon both flied out. But when Jayson Werth drew a walk to put two men on, the inning’s strategy got interesting. Strickland “came in throwing fuzz,” Harper said. “I got a pitch I could handle, and I did what I do. Hitting that homer was something we needed.”
Giants Manager Bruce Bochy summoned sidewinding lefty Javier Lopez to face cleanup hitter LaRoche, who had gone 0 for 9 with eight strikeouts against Lopez. Manager Matt Williams kept Zimmerman holstered, and LaRoche rewarded his faith by drawing a walk to load the bases. As Harper tossed his bat aside, the ball landed three rows deep in the third deck, beyond the façade marking Jackie Robinson’s retired No. 42. Harper tore around the bases, floated across home plate and leapt in the air. He flashed the thumb, index finger and pinkie off his left hand – the sign for “I love you” to his parents.
Up to the plate walked Desmond, who in his career had hit .433 with a .388 on-base percentage and .583 slugging percentage in 67 plate appearances with the bases loaded. Bochy emerged from the first base dugout again and summoned Strickland, a lightning-armed, 26-year-old right-hander who had made his major league debut on Sept. 1. “The roof blew off this place,” reliever Tyler Clippard said. “It was a momentum shift. We felt it.”
Desmond can a hit fastball, but he couldn’t touch Strickland. He threw Desmond pitches clocked at 99, 98, 99 and 100 mph. Desmond waved at the last, and the Nationals had left the bases loaded. Energy rippled through the stadium even after Wilson Ramos took a close 3-2 pitch for strike three. Asdrubal Cabrera walked to the plate next. Strickland threw him a 1-2 inside fastball at the letters. Cabrera turned on it and drilled it into the Nationals bullpen
As air escaped the stadium, reliever Craig Stammen took over and allowed Joe Panik a leadoff triple in the seventh. Panik scored on Buster Posey’s single that deflected off Stammen’s glove, an insurance run that the Giants would come to need desperately. The Nationals kept the pressure on in eighth against Romo. Anthony Rendon and Adam LaRoche singled to put two on with one out for Desmond. After he took a fastball for strike one, Desmond fished for two “drop-down” sliders that broke away from him and out of the strike zone. Harper grounded to first base. The tying and go-ahead runs had been marooned.
In the first inning, Strasburg revealed his excitement for his first playoff start. All nine fastballs Strasburg threw, out of 11 pitches, hummed at least 97 mph. He threw one change-up, and it dove to the plate at 91 mph. He finished the inning with a 2-2 fastball to Posey. The scoreboard radar gun flashed “99” — the fastest pitch Strasburg had thrown since 2012. Posey flied out to right field, and Werth shuffled backward a few steps to snare the third out. “I didn’t come through in that last at-bat,” Harper said. “So that homer is nothing.”
Strasburg rolled into the third inning, when the Giants struck. Travis Ishikawa rolled a 96-mph fastball into center field for a leadoff single. Peavy pushed a sacrifice bunt toward first, and LaRoche charged and scooped it. Rather than tossing to first for an easy out, LaRoche gambled and fired to second for the lead runner. Ishikawa’s slide beat LaRoche’s risky throw, and he was ruled safe after Bochy challenged the original out call. “We had some opportunities,” Manager Matt Williams said. “We’ll take that every single of the week – the opportunity with guys out there and the middle of our order up. Today, it didn’t happen.”
Blanco lofted a flyball to deep center field, and Span held Ishikawa at second with a strong throw to third base. Ishikawa scooted to third, anyway, when Strasburg’s 96-mph sinker squirted out of Ramos’s mitt, a passed ball that moved both runners into scoring position. The most painful missed chance came in the sixth. Jayson Werth worked a two-out, seven-pitch walk that knocked Peavy from the game. LaRoche drew another walk off Javier Lopez to load the bases with two outs. Up to the plate walked Desmond, who in his career had hit .433/.388/.583 in 67 plate appearances with the bases loaded. Giants Manager Bruce Bochy emerged from the first base dugout again and summoned Strickland, a lightning-armed, 26-year-old right-hander who had made his major league debut Sept. 1.
With sound defense, Strasburg would have faced a man on second with two outs. Instead, two runners stood in scoring position with only one out. Panik ripped a single to center field, and Ishikawa crossed the plate with the game’s first run. The inning threatened to spiral as Posey, the 2012 NL MVP, walked to the plate. Strasburg induced a 5-4-3 double play and limited the damage — a test passed. Desmond can a hit a fastball, but he couldn’t touch Strickland. He threw Desmond pitches clocked at 99, 98, 99 and 100 miles per hour. Desmond waved at the last, and the Nationals had left the bases loaded.
Strasburg leaked another run in the fourth inning after Hunter Pence reached on a fielder’s choice and stole second base. Brandon Belt laced a change-up into right field, and Pence bolted around third and slid home. As Pence leaped to his feet and pumped his fist, Nationals Park felt whisper quiet. “One hundred is 100,” Desmond said. “I don’t think it has anything to do with velocity. I didn’t put my best foot forward. We have some games left, and hopefully I’m able to bounce back.”
Strasburg threw seven straight balls to open the fifth and induced a visit from pitching coach Steve McCatty. He wormed out of a two-on, one-out jam by striking out Pablo Sandoval with a 97-mph fastball, just his second strikeout of the day. The Giants lead remained 2-0, and they added a run in the seventh off Craig Stammen that would prove crucial. Rookie Joe Panik smoked Stammen’s sinker to left-center field. Denard Span underestimated the carry of Panik’s blast, and as he reached the warning track he mistimed his leap at the wall. The ball deflected off his glove, and Panik raced for a triple. Span said the later the play would haunt him.
Williams left Strasburg on the mound to start the sixth, even with three lefties due up. Belt and Brandon Crawford singled, and Williams called on Jerry Blevins. Throwing cutters and curves to the outside corner, Blevins retired Ishikawa, Peavy and Blanco in a row, a monster relief appearance that held the deficit at 2-0. “It’s not a routine play,” Span said. “But I don’t consider myself a routine type of player.”
Buster Posey followed with a rip that Stammen deflected but could not corral. Two hits off gloves, and the Giants had pushed ahead, 3-0.
The Nationals won 14 times this season when trailing after six innings, and they all believed they could again. “Just because we’ve been there and we’ve done it and we’ve seen it happen so many times,” LaRoche said. “I think everybody was just waiting for it to happen.”
The rally came and fell short. And so they will arrive at Nationals Park on Saturday with renewed urgency. “We got to treat Game 2 as if it is an elimination game,” Span said.
The Nationals will also be greeted with a question, that same one that has hovered over them for two years.
More on the Nationals:More on the Nationals:
Box score: Giants 3, Nationals 2Box score: Giants 3, Nationals 2
Boswell: Winning, the Giants wayBoswell: Winning, the Giants way
Wise: Harper provides a bright spot
Strasburg solid in Game 1 defeatStrasburg solid in Game 1 defeat
Nats face a tough climb against GiantsNats face a tough climb against Giants
Bog: Best and worst from Game 1Bog: Best and worst from Game 1
Zimmermann the same after no-hitterZimmermann the same after no-hitter
Photos: Scenes from Game 2Photos: Scenes from Game 2
MLB playoff scores and scheduleMLB playoff scores and schedule