Why do things happen the way that they do? I’m talking weird, out of the ordinary things which appear to have no apparent explanation(s) nor reason as to why they occurred.
One theory posits that it all has to do with karma.
I mention this because I wonder what the Washington Nationals have ever done to offend the Baseball Gods such that “karma” keeps kicking them in their post season posteriors. For the 4th time now in the past 5 seasons they have been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
Thursday night’s crazy 5th inning may just have been the ultimate example of Nats’ bad karma. View for yourself their 20 minutes of anguish and bad karma (below.)
Nat’s pitcher Scherzer gets the first 2 outs but then karma comes a calling (starting at the 3:30 mark) beginning with a Cubs’ infield scratch hit, a bloop single and a double.
All of that was but a prelude to what Lady Karma really had in store for the Nationals because from there things got very weird.
Go to the 12:30 mark in the video where you will see Baez striking out for the apparent third out. However, the ball gets by Nats’ catcher Weiters allowing Baez to take first base and another run to score on Weiters’ subsequent throwing error. Next batter is awarded first base following catcher interference. Scherzer then hits a batter to walk in the third run of the inning before he (Scherzer) gets the third out. Keep in mind that Scherzer is one of the favorites to win the Cy Young this year so for the Cubs to do all of this after 2 outs is all the more remarkable and unbelievable.
However, looking at this from another perspective, maybe karma did play true to form in that for years it was the Cubbies who got snake bit by bad karma. Remember the Bartman incident? Not to mention the whole Curse of the Billy Goat. Maybe Game 5 was a case of good karma siding with the Cubs more so than it was bad karma screwing the Nationals.
Trivia bonus question for you – who was manager of the Cubs when the Bartman incident played out? Maybe Dusty is the one with the bad karma cloud following him.