World Series 2019 Bracket: Complete Schedule for Nationals vs. Astros

The 2019 World Series matchup is set.

With a walk-off home run from Jose Altuve on Saturday night, the Houston Astros came away with a 6-4 victory in Game 6 of the ALCS, sending the New York Yankees packing.

Meanwhile, the Washington Nationals steamrolled the St. Louis Cardinals in a four-game sweep in the NLCS, outscoring them 20-6 to reach the Fall Classic for the first time in franchise history.

Now two teams with stacked starting rotations and star-studded lineups will do battle for the right to be called World Series champions in 2019.

2019 World Series Schedule

Game 1 (Tuesday, Oct. 22): Nationals at Astros, 8:08 p.m. ET

Game 2 (Wednesday, Oct. 23): Nationals at Astros, 8:07 p.m. ET

Game 3 (Friday, Oct. 25): Astros at Nationals, 8:07 p.m. ET

Game 4 (Saturday, Oct. 26): Astros at Nationals, 8:07 p.m. ET

*Game 5 (Sunday, Oct. 27): Astros at Nationals, 8:07 p.m. ET

*Game 6 (Tuesday, Oct. 29): Nationals at Astros, 8:07 p.m. ET

*Game 7 (Wednesday, Oct. 30): Nationals at Astros, 8:08 p.m. ET

*If necessary. All games will be televised on Fox.

Players to Watch

SP Gerrit Cole, Houston Astros

Mike Stobe/Getty Images

Gerrit Cole, 29, put together the best season of his career in 2019, and he has kept things rolling in October.

The hard-throwing right-hander went 20-5 with a 2.50 ERA and an MLB-leading 326 strikeouts in 212.1 innings during the regular season, and he ended the year on a roll. In fact, to find the last time he was charged with a loss, you have to go all the way back to May 22, when he allowed seven hits and six earned runs against the Chicago White Sox.

After that rock outing, he went 16-0 with a 1.78 ERA over his final 22 starts, and he's been nothing short of brilliant in the postseason.

He allowed just four hits while striking out 15 in 7.2 scoreless innings in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Tampa Bay Rays, and then he slammed the door with eight innings of two-hit, one-run ball in Game 5 to close out the series.

He made just one start in the ALCS, and he was unusually wild with five walks. But he allowed just four hits in seven shutout innings.

In a series loaded with some of the best starting pitchers in baseball, Cole is pitching better than anyone on the planet.

3B Anthony Rendon, Washington Nationals

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

Interestingly enough, the World Series will be a matchup of this offseason's two marquee free agents, as Cole is set to hit the open market alongside Anthony Rendon.

The perpetually underrated Rendon authored the best season of his seven-year career in 2019, hitting .319/.412/.598 for a 153 OPS+ while slugging 44 doubles and 34 home runs and leading the NL with 126 RBI.

The fact that he has racked up 27.3 WAR in his career and made his first NL All-Star team in 2019 speaks to how he's long been overlooked as a bona fide superstar.

As was the case during the regular season, he has led the Nationals offense in the postseason.

He went 7-for-17 in the team's NLDS matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers, including a 3-for-5 performance in the decisive Game 5 when he had two doubles and a home run.

He followed that up by going 5-for-12 with four walks in the NLCS, and he will enter Game 1 of the World Series working on a modest eight-game hitting streak.

For the record, Rendon is 5-for-13 with two strikeouts in his career against Cole.

Who will get the best of that matchup?

All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, unless otherwise noted.