The Washington Nationals made history as they claimed the title of World Series champions for the first time in history after defeating the Houston Astros 6-2 in Game 7. This unprecedented win marked the first postseason series in MLB, NBA, or NHL history in which the home team lost all seven games. Despite the oft-mentioned “home advantage,” it became clear, to fans and players alike, that this supposed advantage was anything but. Since the Washington Nationals won Game 7, this 2019 championship has gone down in American sports history, road teams going 7-0 in a World Series for the first time.

Pitching an average fastball of 95.3 miles per hour, Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals was named 2019 World Series Most Valuable Player. He started and won Games 2 and 6 for his team. In Game 2, he threw six innings and allowed two runs. Strasburg also pitched in Game 6. Nearing the end of a $175 million contract, Strasburg will be a free agent after this season, a clearly valuable commodity that many teams will be vying after.

The Washington Nationals’ performance this season made the team something of an underdog, the team having started the season with a record of 19-31 and ending the season 74-38. Going into the World Series as the wild-card team and playing against a team with 107 wins was clearly overwhelming; however, the Nationals proved to be up to the task. The Nationals, originally the Montreal Expos, won the franchise’s first world championship and the first title for a Washington-based team since 1924.