WASHINGTON — There are moments in baseball history that have forever seared into the hearts of the Washington Nationals and their fans.
The ninth-inning meltdown of Game 5 of a National League division series against the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012. The bullpen debacle of Game 4 against the San Francisco Giants in 2014. The final two innings of Game 5 versus the Los Angeles Dodgers last year.
All were gut-wrenching losses, and what unfolded late Thursday night at Nationals Park in a do-or-die Game 5 of their division series against the defending champion Chicago Cubs added yet another painful memory with a messy and wild 9-8 defeat.