GERARDO PARRA

Christian Vázquez tripled home the tiebreaking run in the ninth inning and the Boston Red Sox moved to the brink of a postseason berth with a 5-3 win over the Washington Nationals.

Max Scherzer delivered a signature performance in what might be his last start for the Nationals, allowing three hits in six innings as Washington beat the Philadelphia Phillies 3-1 in the opener of a doubleheader.

Washington Nationals shortstop Trea Turner has left the game against the Philadelphia Phillies in the first inning after testing positive for COVID-19.

Jake Cronenworth hit for his first career cycle, Wil Myers had two homers including a grand slam, and the San Diego Padres blew out the Washington Nationals 24-8.

Kyle Schwarber homered twice, becoming the first player in major league history to hit 15 home runs in a 17-day span, and the Washington Nationals beat the New York Mets 8-4.

The Nationals slugger drew an 11-pitch walk from Sixto Sánchez with one out in the top of the first. He then was replaced in right field in the bottom half of the inning by Gerardo Parra. AdOpening day of the 2021 baseball season is a week away; Washington hosts the New York Mets at night on April 1. We can do some different things to keep them ready as far as the swing and things of that nature,” Martinez said. “But we want to make sure this doesn’t become a bigger issue.”___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Outfielder Gerardo Parra helped turn things around for the Nationals when he joined the team in May, but he may be remembered more for giving the team a new anthem: Baby Shark. As the team advanced to the World Series, the seas of fans would dance along with baby shark, mama shark and daddy shark moves. You know, I want to stay," Parra said, adding he'll take however many years God gives him with the Nationals. According to Parra, Baby Shark is "inside my heart." It not only gave him the World Series, but "I think more important is every kid's happy."

Washington The Washington Nationals are celebrating the team's first World Series win in the history of the franchise. On their road to victory, the Nationals gave fans something that all of Washington, D.C., could unite around. It all began this past summer when reserve outfielder Gerardo Parra convinced the team to adopt his 2-year-old daughter's favorite song, "Baby Shark," as its anthem. The Washington Nationals celebrate after defeating the Houston Astros in Game Seven to win the 2019 World Series on October 30, 2019, in Houston. National Symphony Orchestra Musicians were playing Baby Shark.

"Before the game, I tried merengue, reggaeton, hip-hop, then I said, 'You know what, I want to put in 'Baby Shark,'" Parra told NBC Sports. Fans caught on to the "Baby Shark" craze, contributing to the MLB's retail sales. "It's amazing, the energy the fans bring to me and to my teammates," Parra told the Washington Post. Astros and Nationals' jersey sales are also hot. Since the postseason began, the Nationals have four players, while the Astros have six in the top 30 most popular jersey sales.

WASHINGTON - WASHINGTON (AP) - The "Baby Shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo" earworm might just be coming to a World Series near you, if Washington Nationals backup outfielder Gerardo Parra heads to the plate during one of his team's home games against the Houston Astros. Some players work out wearing headbands sporting a cartoon shark. There's even a little blue stuffed-animal shark that Parra placed in the netting in front of the home dugout at Nationals Park. Plenty of players say that atmosphere has been key to Washington's turnaround from 19-31 that month to the sport's biggest stage now. The full-body embraces, including of Stephen Strasburg, who acknowledged, "I'm not much of a hugger, but they kind of just surround me.

Gerardo Parra #88 of the Washington Nationals celebrates with the trophy after winning the National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals at Nationals Park on Oct. 15, 2019, in Washington, DC. Houston - The countdown clock to the World Series is winding down. The Nationals, who struggled early in the season, bounced back to finish strong and took out the Dodgers and Cardinals to punch their ticket to their first ever World Series. Washington's last rep in the World Series were the Senators way back in 1933. WHICH 4 NATIONALS PLAYERS ARE KEY TO THEIR SUCCESS AND TO LOOK OUT FOR ?

It's the first World Series appearance for a team from the nation's capital since the 1933 Washington Senators. But it's hard to think of many guys better than that trio to kick off a World Series." The Astros are in their third World Series in franchise history, having reached the series in 2005 and winning it all in 2017. While the Astros were a favorite throughout the season to get this far, the Nationals were on more uneven footing. The San Francisco Giants are the last wild card team to win a World Series, in 2014.