It was all too perfect how the stars aligned for tonight’s match-up between the Nationals and Mets on South Capitol Street.
What was supposed to be just one of 19 meetings between division rivals turned into a convergence of past and future for the Nationals.
Max Scherzer made his highly anticipated Mets debut and return to Nationals Park tonight in front of a crowd of 25,677 that gave him another loud ovation as he took the mound in the bottom of the first inning. He returned the favor by striking out six over six innings en route to a 7-3 win over his former team.
And who opposed him from his former team? The two players that headlined the package deal that sent Scherzer to Los Angeles at last year’s trade deadline: Josiah Gray and Keibert Ruiz.
It’s almost too easy to call this match-up fate. The baseball gods had some fun with this one.