ANALYSIS/OPINION:
The sold-out crowd at Nationals Park on Saturday afternoon was roaring when Max Scherzer struck out opposing Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Francisco Liriano in what had been a 1-0 pitching duel. The Washington Nationals led thanks to a solo home run by Bryce Harper.
After what Scherzer had done in his last start – 16 strikeouts in a one-hit, 4-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers last Sunday — Nats fans sensed they were on the brink of perhaps seeing something historic.
They kept roaring in the bottom of the seventh when Washington scored four runs on RBI singles by Anthony Rendon and Harper, and a two-run single by Tyler Moore to give the Nationals a 5-0 lead, because they knew then the game had gone from a pitching duel to one pitcher’s memorable performance — their pitcher.