Anibal Sanchez took a no-hitter two outs into the eighth, and then Sean Doolittle retired the last four to complete the third one-hitter in NLCS history, as the Washington Nationals took Game 1 with a 2-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.
You’d have been happy getting six innings from Sanchez, then hoping to patch something together from the bullpen to get the ball to Doolittle, on a night when closer Daniel Hudson was not available, after his wife gave birth earlier in the day on Friday.
Sanchez allowed just three baserunners, on a walk and two hit batters, before a two-out, eighth-inning single by pinch-hitter Jose Martinez, on a 3-2 pitch.
Doolittle then came in to retire Dexter Fowler, then put the Cardinals down in order in the ninth.
The Nats got on the board in the second on a two-out Yan Gomes double to left-center that scored Howie Kendrick, who had doubled to lead off the inning.
It would stay there at 1-0 until the seventh, when Kendrick added an insurance run with a two-out RBI single that scored Adam Eaton, who had tripled with one out in the inning.
Washington had plenty of other opportunities, recording 10 hits and working five walks from Cardinals pitchers, but the Nationals left 13 runners on base, going just 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position on the night.
The Cardinals had far fewer chances due to the brilliance of Sanchez, who limited St. Louis to four at bats with runners in scoring position for the game.
Game 2 is Saturday at 4:08 p.m. Eastern. The Nats will send Max Scherzer (11-7, 2.92 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 12.7 K/9) to the mound to face St. Louis starter Adam Wainwright (14-10, 4.19 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 8.0 K/9).
Story by Chris Graham
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