Stephen Strasburg, Nationals Beat Justin Verlander, Astros to Force Game 7

So much for home-field advantage.

The Washington Nationals defeated the Houston Astros 7-2 in Game 6 of the 2019 World Series on Tuesday at Minute Maid Park and evened the series at three apiece. The road team has won every game of the series, and Stephen Strasburg made sure that continued with an absolute masterpiece.

That means there will be a winner-take-all Game 7 at the Fall Classic for the third time in four years.

Washington is a single victory away from its first championship in franchise history, while Houston is one win away from its second in three seasons.

Notable Player Stats

• WAS Stephen Strasburg: 8.1 innings, two earned runs, five hits, two walks and seven strikeouts
• WAS Juan Soto: 1-for-5, one home run, one RBI and one run
• WAS Adam Eaton: 1-for-2, one home run, one RBI, two runs and one walk
• WAS Anthony Rendon: 3-for-4, one home run, five RBI, one run and one walk
• HOU Justin Verlander: five innings, three earned runs, five hits, three walks and three strikeouts
• HOU Alex Bregman: 2-for-4, one home run, one RBI and one run

Strasburg, Home Runs Help Nationals Overcome Umpires

If Houston won Tuesday's game, it would forever be remembered for the call in the top of the seventh inning.

With Washington nursing a 3-2 lead, Trea Turner dribbled one down the third base line. An errant throw to first got away, leading to runners on second and third with nobody out. However, Turner was called out for runner's interference, kicking off a mind-blowing sequence of events that included a lengthy review for a play that wasn't reviewable because it was a judgement call and Washington protesting the game.

He was eventually called out, and Nationals manager Dave Martinez was ejected in between innings for vehemently arguing the ruling.

Fortunately for the visitors and anyone with Major League Baseball looking to avoid one of the most controversial World Series finishes in history, Anthony Rendon launched a two-run homer two batters later to give the Nationals critical breathing room in a "ball don't lie" situation.

His blast came after Adam Eaton and Juan Soto both went deep in the fifth to give Washington the lead for good.

The home runs provided the offense, and Strasburg provided the cold-blooded pitching. He allowed two runs in the first inning—one from an Alex Bregman homer—but settled in and dominated the rest of the way. He struck out Carlos Correa with two runners on in the fourth, induced a groundout from Michael Brantley with two runners on in the fifth and powered his way through 8.1 frames in one of the best performances of his career.

The formula has been fairly straightforward for the Nationals this October. They are 6-0 when Strasburg appears in a game and 5-0 when Max Scherzer appears in a game, and the latter told reporters he will be fine for Game 7 even though he was scratched from a Game 5 start with injury.

Strasburg and the home runs set the stage for Game 7. Now it's up to Scherzer to finish the series.

Verlander's Inability to Match Strasburg Yet Again Puts Astros on the Brink

There is little questioning Justin Verlander's list of accomplishments that includes a World Series crown, MVP, Cy Young and eight All-Star nods, but he hasn't been his normal self in these playoffs.

He posted a 4.15 ERA in his first five starts—a far cry from his 2.58 mark during the regular season—and allowed four earned runs in Game 2 against the Nationals while losing to Strasburg.

The right-hander had the opportunity to atone for his recent struggles in the same matchup but found himself in constant trouble on the way to being chased after five innings. Rendon started the scoring with an RBI single in the first, Eaton tied the game with a solo blast in the fifth and Soto went deep two batters later to give the visitors the lead.

It could have been even worse, but Verlander worked out of situations with multiple runners on base in the third and fourth innings.

While Verlander didn't get much help from his offense or the bullpen, he is a future Hall of Famer who had the World Series title right in front of him. If he pitched up to his potential in either of his two starts, the Astros would be celebrating another championship.

Instead, Strasburg pitched like the future Hall of Famer yet again and will now give the ball to his fellow ace with a chance to close out a championship run.

What's Next?

The decisive Game 7 is Wednesday in Houston.