WASHINGTON —At 7:39 p.m. local time Sunday, Joe Ross emerged from the Washington Nationals’ dugout and strolled out to the bullpen tucked in the right-field corner. Halfway there, the back of his navy blue No. 41 jersey appeared on the big screen at Nationals Park. The sighting ignited a stirring ovation from the crowd still filing in ahead of the night’s first pitch.
Max Scherzer was supposed to make that walk. The Nationals were scheduled to give the ball to the three-time Cy Young Award winner for Game 5 of the World Series against the Houston Astros. But Scherzer woke up Sunday unable to lift his right arm, neck spasms making pitching Sunday an impossibility.
So Ross got the start in the most important game in the Nationals’ 15-year history. The last-second development was a debilitating blow to the Nationals’ chances, but the crowd was behind him; fans produced another rousing ovation when Ross was introduced as part of Washington’s starting lineup.
Scherzer’s scratch was the latest dollop of adversity for a team that has overcome adversity all season long. They’ve thrived in those backs-to-the-wall situations. But those previous instances didn’t include having to beat Gerrit Cole at his absolute best, when every pitch in his arsenal can overwhelm a hitter.
The combination, and some beef with plate umpire Lance Barksdale, was too much to surmount as the Astros pounced early and didn’t relinquish the lead en route to a 7-1 win with President Donald Trump in attendance.
Ross gave up a two-run home run to Yordan Alvarez in the second inning and a two-run drive to Carlos Correa in the fourth. Those were the only runs Ross gave up in five innings, but Cole’s performance rendered the effort insufficient.
Cole, an impending free agent, suffocated the Nationals. He gave up one run and three hits in seven innings. He struck out nine batters and walked two.
The Astros slammed the door shut with Yuli Gurriel’s run-scoring single in the eighth inning and George Springer’s two-run home run in the ninth.
With the victory, their third in a row at Nationals Park after trailing 0-2 in the series, the Astros took a three-games-to-two lead. They return to Houston for Game 6 on Tuesday with a chance to seize their second World Series championship in three years.
The Nationals came home with a chance to claim their first World Series title in front of their fans after toppling the Astros’ two best pitchers in Games 1 and 2. But the Astros, winners of 107 games during the regular season, asserted themselves. Washington didn’t lead in any of the three games at Nationals Park and was outscored 19-3.
