World Series Winners and Losers

Washington Nationals:

Last Wednesday, the World Series concluded with a 6-2 win by the Washington Nationals. This was the franchise's first World Series appearance and starting as a wild card in the playoffs, no one expected much of them. The Nats started the series 2-0, but then lost three games to the Houston Astros making the series 2-3. This put Washington in a situation where they could not lose another game, and they didn’t. The comeback win in game seven by the Nats made their World Series experience a major win taking home their first ever title.

Houston Astros:

For the Nationals to win, someone had to lose. The Astros started the postseason in the American League Division Series and easily advanced to the American League Championship Series where they beat the Yankees 4-2. Spirits were running low for the Astros after suffering two hard losses at home to start the World Series but they soon bounced back, winning the next three games. Unfortunately, for the Astros, The Nats went on to win the final two games and took home the title. The Astros ended the series as losers.

The Cities of DC and Houston:

For the first time in World Series history, no team won a game at home. Fans were left in a state of utter devastation having to watch their teams lose at home. Being deprived of victory celebrations at home leaves both cities feeling like series losers.

Beer Guy:

James Adams went out to support the Nats at home during Game 5 of the series, but could not have expected how it would change his life. In the top of the second, Yordan Alveraz hit a 2 run bomb directly toward Adams. However, Adams had a can of $9.50 Bud Light in each hand, and faced the dilemma of sacrificing the brews or catching the home run. Adams used his chest to deflect the ball into the stands and picked it up without spilling a drop, propelling him into national legend status. After seeing this, Anheuser Busch, the company behind Budweiser, took notice of Adams. He received tickets and a flight to Houston to attend Game 6, free Bud Light for life, custom Bud Light t-shirts were made in his honor, and Budweiser aired a commercial featuring the deflection during the game.This commercial shows the video of his heroic actions with the words “Not all heroes wear capes, or gloves” appearing on screen. Adams credits his little league coach who taught him to use his body to deflect the ball down and away for his actions. 

Atlanta Braves Fans:
The Braves ended the season with an 11-8 record against the Nationals and went into the playoffs as the NL East champs over the Nationals. Atlanta seemed to have the momentum to go all the way with their initial wins against St. Louis in the National League division series, but game 5 ended in a 13-1 blowout for the Cardinals. The Nats then went on to beat the Cardinals in the National League Championship series despite losing to the Braves all season. After seeing the Nats performance it seems like the Braves could have brought home the first Atlanta sports title since their last World Series win in 1995. But, the utter choke at the end of the NLDS leaves Atlanta fans feeling like absolute world series losers.

By Jake Bogartz