Oct 25, 2019; Washington, DC, USA; Houston Astros catcher Robinson Chirinos (28) hits a single during the second inning against the Washington Nationals in game three of the 2019 World Series at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
MLBBy Phillip Bupp on

In the postseason, every game is a “must win” but for the Houston Astros, Game 3 was especially a must win. Down 2-0 in the World Series to the Washington Nationals, the Astros knew that if they lost Game 3, it would be very unlikely they would win their second title.

In a nine inning marathon game that exceeded four hours, the Astros remained in control almost the entire game and won Game 3 by a score of 4-1. The Nationals were playing at home in the first World Series game in Washington D.C. since 1933 but a win was not meant to be.

The Astros got things started early as they opened the scoring in the second inning. After Carlos Correa got on base, Josh Reddick hit a blooper to shallow left field and Correa scored.

Doubling their lead in the third, the Astros remained in control in the early parts of the game. The Nationals were able to get people on base but they couldn’t quite get it completely together to put points on the board. That was until the fourth inning as Victor Robles tripled to score Ryan Zimmerman and bring the game to within one.

That early Nationals comeback was a mirage as the Astros went back up by two in the fifth. Up 3-1 in the sixth, Astros catcher Robinson Chirinos launched a blast to left field, hitting the foul pole, and lifted the Astros to a 4-1 lead and eventual victory.

Despite the setback, the Nationals are still up 2-1 in the series. It’ll be in the back of their mind the opportunity lost in going up 3-0 and really having a stranglehold but it’s no time to panic. With two more games in Washington, it’s realistic for the Nationals to see the home team win a World Series. At the same time, the pre-WS favorites could use Game 3 as a rallying cry and potentially make it a best-of-three series.

About Phillip Bupp

Producer/editor of the Awful Announcing Podcast and Short and to the Point. News editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. Highlight consultant for Major League Soccer as well as a freelance writer for hire. Opinions are my own but feel free to agree with them.

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