WASHINGTON – It’ll go down as one of the wildest elimination games in postseason history but somehow, some way -- while using seven pitchers -- the Chicago Cubs advanced to their third consecutive league championship series behind a 9-8 win over the Washington Nationals.
It wasn’t supposed to end this way for Washington, not when righty Max Scherzer marched in from the bullpen in the top of the fifth inning to a roar from the sold-out crowd. But the reigning Cy Young winner wasn’t his usual dominant self.
Leading 4-3 at home in an elimination game, Scherzer was supposed to bridge the middle innings and deliver the lead to the Nationals brilliant late game pitchers.