(Photo Credit: Mike Ehrmann | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images)

Nationals take Game 6 in World Series

The Washington Nationals pushed the World Series to a seventh game with a 7-2 victory over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night that had more than a little of everything. The Nationals won on the road for the third time – no home team has won a game yet for the first time in World Series history – to set up baseball’s championship finale at 8:07 p.m. ET on Fox Wednesday night.

Anthony Rendon’s two-run homer in the seventh inning helped the Nationals overcome what might have been a disastrous call by umpire Sam Holbrook. He called Nats shortstop Trea Turner out at first base for interference with Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel, leading to a nearly five-minute replay discussion (the call itself was not subject to a reversal, however). Instead of runners on second and third and no outs, the Nationals, who were ahead 3-2, wound up with a runner at first and one out.

Rendon, as part of a 5-RBI night, homered to make it 5-2 and ensure that Stephen Strasburg could continue working his magic on the mound. Strasburg pitched into the ninth inning of his fifth postseason victory.

When the top of the seventh ended, Nats manager Davey Martinez went back out to argue the Turner call and was ejected. He was the first manager ejected from a World Series game since the Atlanta Braves’ Bobby Cox in 1996.

As Astros manager A.J. Hinch observed: “This series has been a little weird.”

What else? The Astros’ Alex Bregman homered and carried his bat to first base, a violation of baseball’s “unwritten rules.” The Nats’ Juan Soto would later do the same as payback. And Justin Verlander was saddled with a loss for the second time in this series – he’s now 0-6 all-time in the World Series.

It comes to a close on Wednesday night. Will the Astros pick up their second championship in three years, or will a Washington baseball team win its first since 1924?

 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman