HOUSTON _ A World Series largely devoid of drama the first five games delivered it in spades in Game 6.
One can only imagine what's on tap for Game 7.
The Nationals, facing elimination, got a brilliant 8 1/3-inning performance from Stephen Strasburg and home runs from Adam Eaton, Juan Soto and Anthony Rendon in a 7-2 victory over the Astros in front of 43,384 at Minute Maid Park.
The theatrical night also saw the first ejection of a manager _ the Nationals Dave Martinez _ from a World Series game since 1996.
The home team has yet to win a game in this series, which concludes here Wednesday night.
More drama?
Nationals ace right-hander Max Scherzer, scratched from his start Sunday night in Game 5 because of severe back spasms that wouldn't allow him to dress himself when he woke up that morning, is slated to start Wednesday night for the Nationals. Zack Greinke will start for the Astros, who won their first World Series title two years ago with a Game 7 victory over the Dodgers in Los Angeles.
Strasburg, 4-0 with a 1.93 ERA in four previous starts this postseason, allowed two runs and five hits. The right-hander, who can opt out of his contract after the season, struck out seven and walked two.
Still, the game might most be remembered for a bizarre sequence in the top of the seventh inning.
The Nationals, because of solo homers off Justin Verlander by Adam Eaton and Juan Soto in the fifth, took a 3-2 lead into the inning. Yan Gomes led off with a single against Brad Peacock and Trea Turner followed with a trickler in front of the plate. The runner appeared to reach the base at the same time as the throw from Peacock and plate umpire Sam Holbrook called Turner out for interference _ not adhering to the running lane as he approached the bag _ as the ball made contact with him as he arrived. An argument ensued and Holbrook along with crew chief Gary Cederstrom ended up getting on the headsets and conferring with replay central in New York. After a nearly five-minute delay, new Astros pitcher Will Harris retired Adam Eaton but he grooved a 1-and-0 pitch to Rendon, a free agent after the season who continued to make himself some money this postseason. The third baseman crushed it for a two-run homer that made it 5-2 and his two-run double in the ninth made it 7-2.
After the Nationals were retired in the seventh, Martinez, still incensed over the Turner call at first, got into a heated argument with Holbrook and Cederstrom and eventually was ejected by Holbrook. The usually mild-mannered Martinez had to be restrained from going after Holbrook. He became the first manager since Atlanta's Bobby Cox, in Game 6 of the 1996 Series against the Yankees at the Stadium, to be thrown out of a World Series game.
The Nationals gave Strasburg an early lead. Turner led off the game against Verlander and beat out a chopper to third for an infield single (he was initially called out, but a replay challenge overturned the call). Eaton's sacrifice bunt put Turner on third. Rendon, 4 for 20 the first five games of the Series, fell behind 1-and-2 before working the count full. He then beat the overshift, punching a slider through the open area at second for an RBI single that made it 1-0.
It took the Astros four pitches to tie it in the bottom half and 12 pitches to take the lead.
George Springer, with a 1.217 OPS the first five games, quickly re-electrified the crowd. Hunting fastball, he got one, 94 mph and right over the middle, and he rifled it off the wall in left for a leadoff double. Strasburg's first pitch to Jose Altuve was a wild pitch, advancing Springer to third. Altuve's sacrifice fly to left tied it at 1. After Michael Brantley was called out on strikes, Alex Bregman, just 4-for-22 in the Series, obliterated a fastball to left to make it 2-1.
Verlander, who despite a regular season that may earn him a second Cy Young, still allowed a career-high 36 homers and he was touched by the long ball in the fifth. Eaton got him on a hanging 0-and-1 slider, blasting it to right, tying it at 2. After Rendon flied out, Soto turned on a 3-and-1 fastball, which came in high and inside, and drove it halfway up the second deck in right to give the Nationals a 3-2 lead.
Soto, taking note of Bregman carrying his bat all the way to first base after his first-inning homer, carried his, handing it off to first base coach Tim Bogar.
