5 reasons the Nationals will win the World Series regardless who they face

1. Playing with the house money

There is a different type of air around this Nationals team that was never quite present during the Bryce Harper years — they’re playing loose and free and having fun. The Nats have made Baby Shark their unofficial anthem, Gerardo Parra is keeping the clubhouse in stitches, Anthony Rendon is leading them with a laid-back swagger and their 20-year-old superstar is fully enjoying the run with none of the pressure to create a legacy-defining moment like Harper. For as good as he was during his time in Washington, Harper always seemed to suck the oxygen out of the clubhouse.

No one thought the Nationals would fall off a cliff without Harper, but expectations were definitely reset to a more reasonable level. Since recovering from their 19-31 start, the Nats have been playing like they have nothing to lose. They’ve won at a pace that would put them on track for 107 wins over a full season since May with none of the pressure a team playing that well would have to win a World Series.

The Nationals just look like they’re having fun playing baseball right now and it’s almost as if the dam that held them back in the playoffs before has broken. There was a similar feel when the Boston Red Sox made their epic comeback in the 2004 ALCS. You just knew they were going to win the World Series.

A very good team playing unencumbered of pressure and extreme expectations is a scary thing. While the Astros and Yankees both entered the playoffs with a World Series or bust mentality, the Nats just had to win a playoff series for it to qualify as a successful October. They’re not pressing and they’re just letting it fly every night.