Washington Nationals are World Series champions

A team that slogged its way through the beginning of the season with a 19-31 record finished it as the best in baseball. The Washington Nationals came from behind in Game 7 of the World Series on Wednesday, scoring six runs in the final three innings to defeat the Houston Astros 6-2. It was the first World Series championship for the franchise that began as the Montreal Expos in 1969 and the city’s first title since 1924. In another first, the visiting team won all seven games in the championship series, which had never happened in any major U.S. professional sport.

How did the Nats clinch it? With strong pitching from starter Max Scherzer—who came back Wednesday after a pain in the neck kept him from starting Game 5—plus solid performances from relievers Patrick Corbin and Daniel Hudson and key hits from Howie Kendrick and Anthony Rendon, who both homered in the seventh inning. Pitcher Stephen Strasburg took home the MVP hardware after winning two games, including a dominating performance in Game 6 on Tuesday.

Dig deeper: Read Hannah Harris’ report in WORLD Magazine from behind the scenes at a major league game.