The 2019 Washington Nationals could become the first team since the 1996 Atlanta Braves to lose four straight World Series games after winning two on the road to open the Fall Classic. That’s where the comparison should end.
If the Washington Nationals can’t find a way to beat the Houston Astros in Game 6 of the World Series on Tuesday night, they’ll have dropped four consecutive games after shocking just about everyone by taking the first two away from home.
The last team to lose a World Series in such frustrating fashion was the Atlanta Braves, who won the first two games against the New York Yankees in October of 1996. The Braves then lost all three home games before returning to the Bronx and losing Game 6.
As soon as the Nationals lost Game 4 to even the series, comparisons to the ’96 Braves started pouring in all over social media.
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Examples can be found here, here, here, and here.
As someone who vividly remembers the 1996 baseball season, these comparisons are almost completely baseless. For the ’19 Nats and ’96 Braves, the similarities start and end with their elite starting rotations and historically young outfield stars in Juan Soto and Andruw Jones. That’s just about it.
The Washington Nationals never contended for the NL East crown this season before needing miracle comebacks to win the NL Wild Card Game and Game 5 of the 2019 NLDS. The 1996 Braves were defending World Series Champions who coasted to a fifth straight division title and won 96 games, which was easily best in the National League.
At the start of the 2019 Fall Classic, the Nats were the biggest underdog since the 2007 Colorado Rockies, who were swept by the Boston Red Sox. In 1996, Atlanta was playing in its second consecutive World Series and fourth in five seasons (there was no World Series in 1994) and heavily favored to defeat the Yankees, who weren’t picked to represent the American League, let alone win their first title since 1978.
The key moment of the 1996 World Series was Game 4, which the Braves led 6-0 before backup Yankees catcher Jim Leyritz hit a shocking game-tying home run off Atlanta closer Mark Wohlers. Game 5 was a nailbiter that the Yankees won 1-0 behind left-hander Andy Pettitte, who just barely outpitched future Hall of Fame right-hander John Smoltz.
Twenty-three years later, Games 3, 4 and 5 at Nationals Park were thoroughly dominated by the Astros, who held the Nats to just three runs in as many games. While it’s painful to type this as a Nationals fan, Washington’s offense was simply overmatched in the city’s first three home World Series games since 1933.
No matter what happens on Tuesday night, 2019’s Nationals will be remembered as heavy underdogs who weren’t supposed to play deep into October, let alone push the 107-win Astros to at least a sixth game. The 1996 Braves were reigning champs who had been to the Fall Classic several times before and were favored to handily beat their World Series opponent.
Even if the Washington Nationals don’t return from Houston with the franchise’s first World Series trophy, this year’s team will be remembered not only by their fanbase but every sports fan who loves an underdog. From a 19-31 start until the very end, the Nats stayed in the fight.