Doug Fister Keeps Washington Nationals Alive

By Steve Ungrey on October 6, 2014

The Washington Nationals are still alive in the National League Division Series thanks to the pitcher the team brought in over the offseason.

Doug Fister did what Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann could not do for the Nationals. Fister won, and he won in convincing fashion.

His shutout of the San Francisco Giants means the Nationals have a chance to tie the series and send it back to Washington for a fifth and deciding game. Should Nationals fans be surprised? A little bit, I would say.

Against the Giants, Fister was 1-1 with a 2.77 earned run average, and San Francisco hit .294 against him. That didn’t matter too much in the long haul, as Fister went 16-6 with a 2.46 ERA.

Wouldn’t the Detroit Tigers love to have him back right about now?

The Nationals made a gamble last season that they needed more starting pitching. Strasburg was prone to injury and Zimmermann couldn’t get the job done by himself if that happened. So, Nationals management went after Fister in a trade with the Tigers in what may turn out as one of the biggest steals in Nationals history. Fister’s all-out heist propelled Washington to first place in the NL East and has given this team a realistic chance at the first World Series in the Nationals’ history.

But first, Washington must win another game. Only then can it go back to our nation’s capital and try to finish the job.

With Bryce Harper‘s home run power leading the hitters, the team needed a huge boost in its pitching staff. Fister is that boost, and his first postseason test as a National can be graded an A.

Time will tell if the Nationals earn a passing grade to the National League Championship Series.