TheWashington Nationalsdefeated the St. LouisCardinalsin Game 1 of the National League Championship Series on Friday, 2-0, to take the lead in the best-of-seven series. The winner of the series will claim the NL pennant and advance to the World Series, where they’ll take on either theHouston Astrosor theNew York Yankees.
Here’s a quick recap of what happened in Game 1.
Why the Nationals won
Anibal Sanchezcarried a no-hitter into the late stages of the game, not giving up his first base knock untilthere were two outs in the eighth inning. Sanchez did walk a batter and hit two before that point, but he befuddled the Cardinals with good location and crafty pitching. The Nationals also received more clutch hitting fromHowie Kendrick— he scored the first run after leading of the second inning with a double, then later platedAdam Eatonin the seventh with a single.
Why the Cardinals loss
It’s hard to win a game if you can’t hit or get on base. The Cardinals were shut out of the run and hit column for most of the game, all but wasting whatever production they received fromMiles Mikolasand their pitching staff. (Mikolas, by the way, recorded a quality start before handing it over to a bullpen that mostly held its own against a good Nationals lineup.)
Turning point
When Sanchez took the mound? We guess you could point to Kendrick’s double in the second, or perhaps his run-scoring single in the seventh. Alternatively, you could say Jose Martinez’s single to break up the no-no in the eighth. But the answer is that Sanchez suppressed the Cardinals’ offense in a way that meant anytime he was on the mound it was a “turning point” in a sense.
Highlight of the Game
Ryan Zimmermanmade a terrific diving stab to retireTommy Edmanfor the first out in the bottom of the eighth, temporarily preserving the no-no. Take a look:
That certainly meets the “highlight” criteria that most (though not all) no-hitters require. Alas, it just wasn’t meant to be — not on this night.
What’s next
The Nationals and Cardinals will play again on Saturday afternoon. Game 2 will begin shortly after 4: 00 p.m. ET.Max Scherzerwill take the mound for the Nationals, whileAdam Wainwrighttakes the ball for the Cardinals, hoping to pull the Red Birds even in the series.
Below, you can relive the game with our live blog.
Relive Game 1
We were with you the whole game, providing analysis and reaction to the game’s best moments. If you’re having trouble viewing the live blog, please clickhere.
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