David v. Goliath: The Nationals Complete the Comeback
The Nationals completed a previously unseen postseason run by topping the Houston Astros in Game 7 of the World Series. Perhaps, like no others before them, they were the Team of Destiny.
Let me preface this with a fact: I am no baseball savant or aficionado. I only ever really watch baseball in October, but have found a recent liking to the sport. Yet, what the Nationals just thrillingly accomplished was exactly what I hoped for heading into October baseball.
The Ewing Theory — popularized by Bill Simmons — is the idea that a team performs better after the departure of a franchise player. In this case, the Nationals lost Bryce Harper, their seemingly all-time great player, to free agency before the season. He left for the Philadelphia Phillies for an unbelievable contract: $330 million over 13 years.
Now to say that the Nationals were entirely Bryce Harper’s team beforehand would be negligent. They had stellar pitchers — headlined by Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer — and up-and-coming batters like Juan Soto. Similarly, the Nationals paid a high price even without Bryce Harper on the squad, a page out of the 2018 Red Sox’s playbook.
