In 2019, the Washington Nationals reached the pinnacle of baseball, beating the new enemy of Major League Baseball, the Houston Astros. It was cathartic for fans to finally see the team accomplish what they’d sought to do every year since 205. Up until last year, they just couldn’t get the job done in the postseason.
Then, of course, all that changed.
It seemed plausible that the Nationals would make a deep run in the 2020 postseason, as well. Teams don’t often repeat in baseball; it’s a finicky sport where plenty of things can go wrong and where a single player can’t steer the ship alone (like LeBron James in the 2016 NBA Finals).