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The Washington Nationals won a wild Game 6 thanks to a dominant Stephen Strasburg performance, and in spite of umpire shenanigans that almost cost them. The team bounced back from a blown call when Anthony Rendon launched a two-run homer to break open a one-run game. The Nationals added two more in the ninth to win 7-2.
The win forces a deciding Game 7 in Houston, in a series that has seen the road team win the first six games. It’s the only time in the big four professional sports that has happened. And given how back-and-forth it has been, the race for World Series MVP is not quite clear-cut for one of the two teams.
We’re back for another look at the MVP candidates with a power ranking. DraftKings Sportsbook posted World Series MVP odds prior to first pitch, and we’ll spend the remainder of this series tracking how players perform game-by-game and how it impacts the eventual MVP award. We broke down what the race looked like after Game 1, Game 2, Game 3, Game 4, and Game 5.
If the Nationals manage to win Game 7, Stephen Strasburg seems a strong bet to take home MVP honors. He has two wins in this series and has given up four runs over 14 1⁄3 innings. He came into Tuesday’s elimination game and after a shaky first inning was dominant. Anthony Rendon had a big game as well, but has otherwise been somewhat quiet in this series. If he or Juan Soto has a big Game 7, maybe they grab the award — but Strasburg would seem to be the safe bet.
If the Astros win Game 7, I am not sure who would take home the award. George Springer leads the team with a .348 average, and Alex Bregman hit his third homer of the series. Michael Brantley started hot, but had his first 0-fer of the series. It would likely come down to which of the three has the biggest game on Wednesday.
I have no idea who will win on Wednesday, so feel free to adjust accordingly. Here are the top six MVP candidates heading into Game 7. Max Scherzer will face off against Zach Greinke. If Scherzer dominates coming off the nerve issue in his back, he could get in the mix as well for MVP.
1. Stephen Strasburg (+1400)
2. Michael Brantley (+2000)
3. George Springer (+1000)
4. Juan Soto (+1400)
5. Anthony Rendon (+1400)
6. Max Scherzer (+1300)
7. Alex Bregman (+1000)