Do-or-die, for all the marbles, there's no tomorrow. Got any other World Series Game 7 clichés? The Houston Astros will host the Washington Nationals on Wednesday at 8:08 p.m. E.T. on Fox in the final game of the 2019 Major League Baseball season, with the winner crowned champion. Here are three pressing questions to ponder ahead of Houston starter Zack Greinke's first pitch.
How will Scherzer fare in his return to the mound? Washington's ace, Max Scherzer, was scratched from his Game 5 start in D.C. because of a neck issue, but a cortisone shot apparently got him ready to take the hill in the decisive game. Will Scherzer have his own "bloody sock" game and carry the Nationals to their first World Series title? If there are any lingering affects, though, Washington should have starters Aníbal Sánchez and Patrick Corbin raring to go in the bullpen.
Can the Astros' offense get going at home? The road team has won every game this World Series, which is just plain weird. Houston's offense came alive in the nation's capital where they punished Washington for three straight games even without the designated hitter, but their bats fell silent after the first inning in their Game 6 return to Houston. Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg deserves the credit for that, but the Astros have one of the most formidable offenses assembled in recent memory and, in case it wasn't obvious, they'll need to get it going again. The key will be their ability to manufacture runs, rather than rely on the homer.
Will there be any controversy? Game 6 was filled with controversy — most notably, the Astros benefited from a strange runner's interference call, which ultimately led to Nationals manager Dave Martinez getting ejected. Meanwhile, Astros third baseman Alex Bregman and Nationals outfielder Juan Soto made some people mad because they carried their bats down the first base line after homering. The latter situation shouldn't be a big deal going forward, but the umpiring has been suspect on multiple occasions, so it's worth keeping an eye on.
