Nationals Touch Up Gerrit Cole In Game One Win

The Washington Nationals shock the Houston Astros at Minute Maid in game one of the 2019 World Series 5-4 on Tuesday.

With a highly anticipated pitching match-up between Max Scherzer and Gerrit Cole coming into this one, it was the offenses who took center stage to open the Fall Classic.

The Astros jumped on Scherzer first as Yuli Gurriel hammered a high fastball deep to left-center with two runners on-base to open up the scoring and give Houston a quick 2-0 lead.

In that first inning, Scherzer would throw 26 pitches and that would become a theme for him on this night. However, the Astros couldn't deliver a knockout blow as he fought through five innings ultimately throwing 112 pitches.

The Nats would respond right away when old man Ryan Zimmerman took a fastball that Cole left right down the middle to dead center for a solo home run. 2-1 Houston.

After Washington tied it on an impressive opposite-field shot by 20-year-old Juan Soto in the fourth they got to him even further in the fifth for three runs in the inning. The Nationals led 5-2 after six.

Cole would pitch seven innings in this one but did allow the five earned runs on eight hits, one walk, and six strikeouts.

There was some hope for the Astros late as they rallied for a run in the seventh. With one-run already in and Springer on second after the run-scoring double in the eighth Michael Brantley hit a line-drive right at Soto in left to neutralize the threat.

Sean Doolittle got Houston 1, 2, 3 in the ninth for the save and Washington took game one 5-4.

Game two comes your way Wednesday at 7:07 p.m. as Justin Verlander will face Stephen Strasburg.