The Washington Nationals had the best team in the National League. They had home-field advantage all the way through the playoffs. Heck, Jordan Zimmerman threw a no-hitter for the Nats in the final game of the regular season.
Then, in the space of five days — and three agonizing losses — it was all gone. How did it happen? And why? Lots of reasons, but most of them come back to a single person: Nats Manager Matt Williams.
Yes, Williams is still likely to win manager of the year in the NL for his first season as skipper. But champions are made in the postseason. And Williams dropped the ball.
Game 2 last weekend. Two outs in the ninth inning. Zimmerman, in front of a wildly cheering home crowd, issues a walk to the San Francisco Giants’ second baseman. Out comes Williams. Out goes Zimmerman. In comes Nats “closer” Drew Storen. In comes the tying run. Nine innings later — yes, the 18th inning — the Nats lose on a solo home run. Game — and, let’s be honest about it, series — over.
But Williams wasn’t done yet! After a convincing win in Game 3, the Nats found themselves tied at two with the Giants following a monstrous home run by Bryce Harper in the top of the seventh inning of Game 4 on Tuesday. Inexplicably, with Giants runners on first and second, Williams decided to go to right-handed rookie relief pitcher Aaron Barrett, who had spent the season in the minor leagues prior to a September call-up.
The moment proved too big for Barrett, who looked as nervous as a young me doing C-SPAN TV hits in my mid-20s. He walked Hunter Pence to load the bases, then uncorked a fastball that skipped past catcher Wilson Ramos, allowing the winning run to score. Game over and, this time officially, series over.
Matt Williams, for making all the wrong moves, you had the worst week in Washington. Congrats, or something.
Cillizza covers the White House for The Washington Post and writes The Fix, its politics blog.
