Metroplex bracket: 2019 Nationals defeat 1969 Yankees in five games

Game One: Yankees 5, Nationals 3
WP: Peterson (3-2)
LP: Doolittle (0-2)
Save: Aker (4)
HR: Rendon (5)

Game Two: Nationals 3, Yankees 1
WP: Strasburg (4-0)
LP: Stottlemyre (5-3)
Save: Doolittle (6)
HR: Kendrick (4)

Game Three: Nationals 5, Yankees 1
WP: Corbin (4-0)
LP: Bahnsen (2-2)

Game Four: Nationals 7, Yankees 4
WP: Sanchez (1-0)
LP: McDaniel (1-1)
Save: Hudson (2)
HR: Turner (4)

Game Five: Nationals 3, Yankees 2
WP: Scherzer (4-0)
LP: Stottlemyre (5-4)
Save: Doolittle (7)
HR: Bi Robinson (2), Rendon (6)

The Yankees Cinderella run ended as the Nationals bullpen, after a collapse in the opener, shut them down in the next four games. The Yankees did not homer until there were two out in their final inning.

The Nationals led 3-0 going into the eighth inning of the opener in Nationals Park. Reliever Fernando Rodney, after retiring the first hitter, walked the next three. Sean Doolittle entered and gave up three straight hits, with Bobby Murcer and Joe Pepitone each driving in a pair, and the Nats had to go to a third bullpenner, Javy Guerra, to get out of thefive-run inning. Jack Aker threw two scoreless innings in relief of winner Fritz Peterson.

There was no bullpen collapse in the second game. Howie Kendrick broke a 1-1 tie with a fourth-inning homer off Mel Stottlemyre, and the Nats added an insurance run in the eighth off Steve Hamilton. Guerra, Tanner Rainey and Doolittle combined for three scoreless innings of relief behind winner Stephen Strasburg.

The series shifted to 1969's version of Yankee Stadium. Patrick Corbin yielded one run in seven innings for the win. Trea Turner scored three runs for Washington, and both he and Adam Easton had three hits.

Peterson started Game Four on short rest and left after six innings with a 4-3 lead. The Nats took the lead three batters into Lindy McDaniel's outting -- single by Victor Robles and a homer by Turner -- and tacked on two more in the eighth after Brian Dozier led off with a triple. Relievers Guerra and Daniel Hudson worked three scoreless innings to close it out.

Max Scherzer, who got a no-decision in the opener, allowed just one run in six innings and handed a 2-1 lead to the bullpen. This time the bullpen held, with Rodney and Matt Grace each working a scoreless inning. Anthony Rendon's eighth-inning homer gave the Nats a 3-1 lead, and the extra run proved valuable when Bill Robinson, pinch-hitting against Doolittle, homered with two outs in the ninth. Gene Michael followed with a triple, but pinch-hitter Thurman Munson flew out to left and the game and series was over.

Player availablity: Plenty of off days for the Nats bullpen.

Projected rotation: Scherzer-Strasburg-Corbin-Sanchez-(Scherzer)-(Strasburg)-(Corbin)