2012 NLDS Game 5 vs Cardinals

Lore & Background

The 2012 Nationals were a young, exciting team that had won the National League East for the first time in franchise history. Led by stars like Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper, and Ryan Zimmerman, they entered the playoffs with high hopes. But Strasburg had been shut down earlier in the season due to innings limits—a decision that still sparks barstool arguments—leaving the pitching staff thin. Game 5 of the NLDS against the defending champion Cardinals was the ultimate test.

The game started like a dream, with the Nationals building a 6-0 lead behind a sharp Gio Gonzalez and a lineup that was hammering Cardinals pitching. But the Cardinals, as they always seem to do, chipped away like termites in a wooden dugout: two runs in the fourth, three in the fifth, and suddenly the lead was 6-5. The Nationals added a run in the eighth to make it 7-5, and hope flickered back. But in the top of the ninth, closer Drew Storen—who had been nearly automatic all season—allowed four runs, including a two-run double by Daniel Descalso that tied the game and a go-ahead single by light-hitting Pete Kozma. The Nationals went down quietly in the bottom of the inning, and the stadium felt like a funeral.

This game is remembered as a turning point for the Nationals franchise, exposing the risks of managing young pitchers and the unforgiving nature of playoff baseball. It also cemented the Cardinals' reputation as a postseason juggernaut—the kind of team that never, ever dies.

In Their Own Story

The air was electric at Nationals Park, the crowd roaring as the home team took a commanding 6-0 lead after three innings. For six innings, everything was perfect—Gio Gonzalez was painting corners, and the bats were booming. But baseball is a game of inches and moments, and the Cardinals, never out of a fight, began to claw back. By the eighth, the lead was down to two, and a sense of unease crept through the stands like a cold draft.

Then came the ninth. Drew Storen, the young closer with a 2.37 ERA and 43 saves, took the mound with a 7-5 lead. He got two quick outs—one on a fly ball, one on a grounder—and the crowd began to exhale. But then the Cardinals refused to die. A single by David Freese. A walk to Yadier Molina. Another single to Carlos Beltrán, and suddenly the bases were loaded. Descalso's double into the right-field corner tied the game, and the stadium went silent, a collective gasp of disbelief. Kozma's single up the middle put the Cardinals ahead. The Nationals went down in order in the bottom of the ninth—a weak grounder, a pop-up, a strikeout—and the dream was over.

Reader's Guide

The 2012 NLDS Game 5 was the Nationals' first elimination game at home since moving to Washington. The team had a 6-0 lead after three innings—the largest lead ever blown in a winner-take-all playoff game at the time—but the Cardinals chipped away, scoring two in the fourth and three in the fifth. The Nationals extended the lead to 7-5 in the eighth on a single by Ryan Zimmerman, but in the top of the ninth, closer Drew Storen allowed four runs on three hits and a walk, including the go-ahead single by Pete Kozma. The Nationals failed to score in the bottom of the inning, losing 9-7.

This game is remembered for the Nationals' collapse and the Cardinals' resilience. It highlighted the risks of shutting down Stephen Strasburg earlier in the season, as the team lacked a reliable starter for the decisive game. The loss was a bitter lesson in the cruelty of October baseball and prompted changes in how the Nationals managed pitcher workloads in future seasons.

Did You Know?

• The Nationals led 6-0 after three innings, the largest lead ever blown in a winner-take-all playoff game at the time.
• Cardinals shortstop Pete Kozma, who drove in the go-ahead run, had only 11 RBIs in the regular season—and just two home runs.
• This was the first postseason game at Nationals Park, which opened in 2008.
• The loss prompted changes in how the Nationals managed pitcher workloads in future seasons, including more careful innings limits for young arms like Stephen Strasburg.