In a league that is full of teams becoming more and more focused on finding statistical and strategical legs up and relying on matchup advantages, the 2019 Washington Nationals showed once again that having Hall-of-Fame starting pitching is the ultimate game breaker in postseason baseball.
And for the Oakland Athletics, that means they should feel good about the way they have built their team.
The Nats’ four key starters (Scherzer, Strasburg, Sanchez and Corbin) pitched 70% of their postseason innings, and their five World Series starters (including Joe Ross) pitched 74% of their World Series innings.