[ArquimedezPozo]

Game 1, West Side Park, Chicago, Illinois, 1906: Max Scherzer vs. Jack Pfiester, series tied 0-0.

Now this? This was a pitcher's duel. All the way from start to finish, all eyes were on the two men at the center of the diamond, Max Scherzer and Jack Pfiester, as they went deep into the game, each outdoing the other and making their respective offenses look silly and useless.

Let's talk about Scherzer first, because it turns out a dominant pitcher in 2019 will also dominate in 1906. Scherzer allowed seven hits over his nine innings of work, but he never gave up more than one in an inning, and he allowed only one extra base hit, a double to Jack Slagle with two outs in the 2nd that didn't figure into the final score. His command was also top notch, walking none while striking out six in a nine inning effort.

But out of the gate, Jack Pfiester was special. Around the third, you started to notice that persistent zero on the scoreboard under H; Pfiester hadn't been perfect, with a walk and 2 HBP, but the third passed without a base hit, and then the fourth, and the fifth, and the sixth, so that every at bat was dramatic. The seventh started with the Nationals two most dangerous hitters, Rendon and Soto, but Pfiester got them both to ground out to second, possibly facing them for the last time.

And then Victor Robles homered to right.

It wasn't a devastating shot - just 375 feet, but on a rope, off the bat at almost 110 mph. It broke up the no hitter and the shutout at once, and Max Scherzer still hadn't given up a run.

In the bottom of the seventh, Jimmy Slagle singled and was stranded.

In the eighth - after Pfiester worked around a Trea Turner double - Frank Schulte singled, and was stranded.

In the ninth, Frank Chance singled to lead off, though. He was replaced by Johnny Evers after the latter hit into a fielder's choice, and Johnny Kling struck out on four pitches, making Slagle the last chance for the Cubs. He went down 0-2 before taking a ball, then another. He fouled off four in a row, then took a ball to run the count full. On the tenth pitch of the at-bat, though, he swung, made contact...

... and flew out to right field, not deep. The Nationals streamed onto the field as RF Adam Eaton closed his glove around the last out: the Nationals had taken Game 1, 1-0, in a classic pitchers' duel that we can only hope will set the stage for the rest of the series.