HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610)- The youngest player on the field Tuesday night at Minute Maid Park was the best player on the field, as Juan Soto's three-hit, three-RBI night led the Washington Nationals to a 5-4 win over the Astros in game one of the World Series.
The 20-year old Soto struck out in his first at bat, but homered, doubled, and singled his next three at bats, while adding a stolen base in the process.
Washington leads the World Series despite falling behind after Yuli Gurriel put the Astros on top with a two-out, two-run double off Max Scherzer in the first inning, and while Scherzer dealt with traffic throughout the night, he only yielded those two runs over five innings of work.
The Nationals comeback started in the second when Ryan Zimmerman sent a 1-0 Gerrit Cole fastball over the centerfield wall. Soto led off the fourth and tied the game by driving another 1-0 Cole fastball onto the train tracks to tie the game, and the Nationals grabbed the lead in the fifth, taking advantage of a leadoff walk, a single, and then a 1-out RBI single by Adam Eaton. Cole got Anthony Rendon to ground into a fielder's choice for the inning's second out, but Soto struck again with two-run double off the leftfield wall, making it 5-2 Nationals.
Cole lasted seven innings and allowed five runs for the first time since May 22. He walked one and struck out six. The Astros made a bid to take him off the hook, but fell short.
After Patrick Corbin pitched a scoreless sixth inning, George Springer started the Astros seventh by smacking a 2-1 fastball from Tanner Rainey over the Crawford Boxes, extending his World Series home run streak to six games. The Astros loaded the bases later in the inning, but Daniel Hudson struck out Yordan Alvarez to end the threat. The Astros got closer in the eighth with Kyle Tucker starting the frame with a pinch hit single. He scored when Springer launched a double off the top of the rightfield wall, but Springer was left at second.
Sean Doolittle recorded the last out of the eighth and closed the game out by retiring the side in order in the ninth.
The Astros hit 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base.
Springer reached base in four-of-five plate appearances, while Alvarez reached base three times.
Gurriel collected two hits, but the man batting in front of him, Alex Bregman, finished 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and a walk.
Eaton had a two hit game in what is the first World Series win in Nationals history.
The Astros and Nationals will play game two of the World Series Wednesday night at Minute Maid Park with Justin Verlander facing off against Stephen Strasburg.
