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The win-or-go home playoff game begins at 8:08 p.m., an hour later than most Nationals home games, which will likely place the end of the game beyond the time last trains typically depart from the Navy Yard station. As a response, Metro "is prepared to accommodate fans by running additional trains on the Green Line, both before and after the games, as we always do."
"While there has been no formal request to extend Metrorail service," the announcement goes on, "we want to assure fans considering choosing Metro that we will get you home if the game runs later than expected.
"Trains will continue running at least 20 minutes after the end of the game, up to one hour later than our normal closing time, if necessary."
At the same time as Nationals-Brewers, the Washington Mystics will be tipping off against the Connecticut Sun for Game 2 of the WNBA Finals at the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Southeast. Mystics fans use the Congress Heights station along the Green Line for transport to games. By extending Green Line service, Metro is also addressing those fans' concerns.
The Mystics lead the best-of-five series 1-0.
While this announcement addresses the immediate concern around Tuesday’s games, the Metro Board will take up the broader issues concerning Metro’s closing time and accommodating fans during playoff season in the coming months," the Metro announcement says. "Thank you for your support of Metro. Go Mystics! Go Nats!"
It's important to note the announcement states Metro will "continue running at least 20 minutes after the end of the game, up to one hour later than our normal closing time, if necessary," meaning a potential extra-innings situation that goes beyond one hour past Metro's normal closing time could still leave Nationals fans stranded.
In 2014, Game 2 of the Nationals-Giants division series began at 5:38 p.m. and went – after 18 innings – to 12:01 a.m., or six hours and 23 minutes from start to finish. If a similar situation were to arise Tuesday evening, the latest the Green Line would remain open is 12:48 a.m. for a Branch Ave.-bound train, and 12:22 a.m. for a Greenbelt-bound train.
We don't know when the NL Wild Card game will end Tuesday night (or even Wednesday morning), but the familiar refrain of the D.C. Metro will sound at it's regularly scheduled closing time at Navy Yard on Oct. 1.
And while you may think that should give you enough time to make the last train, remember the average time increases for playoff games. In 2017, the average postseason fixture was completed in 3 hours, 32 minutes. During the 2016 playoffs, the average was 3 hours, 24 minutes.