2019 World Series Collector's Edition: Washington Nationals Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		2.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.5

2019 World Series Collector's Edition: Washington Nationals Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 2, 2020

This set includes eight baseball games -- all seven form the 2019 Fall Classic and Washington's NLCS clinching game four victory over the Cardinals -- as they were originally broadcast on television. Commercials have been removed but no other corners have been cut. The presentation is crude and straightforward but effective. Fans looking for a more dramatically driven narrative (and superior A/V quality) for the 2019 World Series can find it here.

The following games are included in the set:

Disc One
Washington Nationals at Houston Astros
World Series Game 1

Washington travelled to Houston for games one and two of the World Series to play a playoff-hardened team that retained the core of the club's 2017 championship and added to it with staff ace Gerrit Cole, traded to Houston the season prior from a floundering Pittsburgh squad. Cole found himself in Houston, allowed to pitch to his strengths rather than to a system, and dominated the Junior Circuit throughout the season with a historic strikeout streak and finished a close second to teammate Justin Verlander in the American League Cy Young vote. Cole would be off his game, however, punching out only six in seven innings and surrendering five earned runs, even after being staked to an early 2-0 lead. Ryan Zimmerman and Juan Soto would each go deep off Cole while Nationals co-ace Max Scherzer would gut out a five inning, two earned run performance, turning the game over to the Houston bullpen that would hold on to secure a 5-4 Nationals road win in game one.

Disc Two
Washington Nationals at Houston Astros
World Series Game 2

Game two featured another marquee pitching matchup worthy of game one status. The Astros threw future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander and Washington countered with one time phenom, now grizzled veteran, Stephen Strasburg. But as Cole's subpar performance in game one demonstrated, names and statistics mean little on the big stage. Both hurlers got off to rocky starts, each surrendering a pair of first inning runs before settling down through the middle innings. The score remained tied at two until the top of the seventh when Verlander got in trouble when Nationals backstop Kurt Suzuki blasted a home run to give the Nationals a 3-2 lead. The Houston bullpen would surrender several more in the seventh, three more in the eighth, and another in the ninth. Washington would turn an early nail-biter into a laugher 12-3 win to secure both games in Houston and return home for three straight up two games to none.

Disc Three
Houston Astros at Washington Nationals
World Series Game 3

No game is ever a "must win" unless a team is starring down elimination, but with he Astros down 2-0 in the World Series and headed to Washington, game three seemed as close to a "must win" as a game could be without facing elimination. Having used both Cole and Verlander in losing efforts in games one and two, Houston turned to yet another future Hall of Famer, Zack Greinke, himself a Cy Young award winner and one of baseball's steadiest twirlers over the past decade-plus. Washington countered with Aníbal Sánchez, who had quietly put together a solid middle of the rotation season for the Nationals. Houston would peck away at Washington, scoring single runs in the second, third, fifth, and sixth. Washington would tally a single run off Greinke, who pitched only 4 2/3 innings but turned the ball over to a shutdown Houston bullpen that surrendered only two hits, two walks, and no runs over 3 1/3 innings of work. Houston was back in the series with a 4-1 game three victory.

Disc Four
Houston Astros at Washington Nationals
World Series Game 4

Houston's three-headed monster of Cole, Verlander, and Greinke had yet to secure a win in the World Series -- Greinke's failure to go five full cost him that opportunity in game three -- so if Houston hoped to tie the series at two there was a good chance that game four starter Jose Urquidy, who had only started seven games in his Major League career, would have to pick up the win. The Mexican rookie was matched against Washington veteran Patrick Corbin whose 14 wins in 2019 were double his mound opponent's career starts. But it was the rookie who would shine. Urquidy tossed five scoreless, surrendering two hits and walking none while fanning four. Corbin, meanwhile, pitched six but gave up two in the first and two in the fourth, the latter off a two-run blast by Houston catcher Robinson Chirinos. Houston would tack on four more off the Nationals bullpen in the seventh en route to an 8-1 drubbing, tying the series at two games apiece and ensuring a return trip to Houston for, at least, a game six.

Disc Five
Houston Astros at Washington Nationals
World Series Game 5

With the Nationals having dropped two in a row at home, losing a two-games-to-none lead, it was time for longtime ace Max Scherzer to take the ball and regain the momentum for Washington. Except he couldn't. Neck spasms kept him from pitching in the game, and Joe Ross stepped in to take the ball for a Nationals team that suddenly seemed to have its back against the wall. Facing Ross was game one loser Gerrit Cole, who would not again shrink on the big stage. On the road, Cole tossed a gem, going seven strong innings and surrendering only a single run before being pulled in the seventh. He would strike out nine en route to the win. Ross, meanwhile, threw five complete, allowing a pair of runs in both the second and fourth innings. Washington's bullpen would surrender three more in the final two frames. Houston won 7-1, winning the last two by a collective score of 15-2, and suddenly returning home up three games to two after hitting the road down two games to none.

Disc Six
Washington Nationals at Houston Astros
World Series Game 6

For the talk that Houston had to win game three to prevent going down 3-0, it was now Washington, once in full command of the series, that faced the first true must-win elimination game in the 2019 World Series. Doing so in Houston, coming off three straight losses, and starring down Justin Verlander would not be easy. The momentum shift was entirely in Houston's favor, even with Stephen Strasburg taking the mound for the Nationals. Verlander would surrender a first inning run and Strasburg would allow a pair, but the Washington starter would settle down after that. Verlander, meanwhile, would allow two more runs in the fifth, each on home runs off the bats of Adam Eaton and Juan Soto. Houston's bullpen would fare no better, surrendering additional two-spots in the seventh and ninth innings. Strasburg, meanwhile, pitched 8 1/3, allowing only those two first inning runs. Final score: Nationals 7, Astros 2.

Disc Seven
Washington Nationals at Houston Astros
World Series Game 7

Suddenly, the Washington Nationals seemed to be in the driver's seat. The road team had won every game in the series to date, and the game was to be played in Houston. Washington was starting its best pitcher, Max Scherzer, back from the injury that sidelined him in game five. Houston would counter with Zack Greinke, who pitched well in game three. The matchup was historic, the first pairing of former Cy Young Award winners in a World Series game seven. Houston would take a 2-0 lead into the seventh inning when home runs by Anthony Rendon and Howie Kendrick put the Nats up 3-2. Houston manager A. J. Hinch did not turn to Gerrit Cole out of the bullpen, and Washington would tack on three more runs over the final two frames. Washington's bullpen held Houston scoreless, anyway, with Patrick Corbin and Daniel Hudson closing the door and securing the World Series victory for the Nats.

Disc Eight
St. Louis Cardinals at Washington Nationals
National League Championship Series Game 4

With a commanding three-games-to-none lead in the NLCS, Washington's World Series tickets were all but punched heading into game four. Patrick Corbin got the call for the Nats, opposed by the Cards' Dakota Hudson. Hudson would not fare well, surrendering seven runs, four earned, on five hits, a walk, and a key error by second baseman Kolton Wong. The Cardinals would valiantly attempt to chip away at the lead, scoring once in the fourth and three times in the fifth, but Washington's bullpen pitched four scoreless to send the Nats to the Fall Classic.

2019 World Series Collector's Edition: Washington Nationals Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The 720p resolution produces subpar results, though nothing that's any worse than the original broadcast presentation. Compression artifacts abound. Jagged edges are commonplace. Some pixelation and poor definition appear throughout, particularly in front of the green screen signage behind home plate. But the image usually appears fuzzy, flat, and failing almost fully across the board. It's watchable, but there are so many poor shots it's difficult to do so at times (see the screenshot above which captures one of the earliest poor offenders in game one). On the plus side of the ledger, the picture is fairly stout and capable at its best, revealing fine fundamental details on faces and uniforms. The stadiums are relatively crisp and dirt and grass are well defined when not on the verge of digital collapse. Graphics are relatively sharp but are prone to many of the same issues, including aliasing. Colors are relatively fair, with Houston orange and Washington red and blue appearing with fair tonal accuracy but no feeling of vitality, pop, and authenticity. The green grasses are fairly flat, too. This is a disappointing presentation, but considering it's essentially a regurgitation of the always problematic live broadcast, it's to be expected.

2019 World Series Collector's Edition: Washington Nationals Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There's little difference here compared to last year's World Series audio presentations; the same observations carry over and the previous review suffices, but here are a few highlights: play-by-play and color commentary present with sturdy clarity and close to center placement. Crowd ambience is sloppy and mushy with no discernible detail. The ebbs and flows of volume are inconsistent and unpredictable. Crowd noise rises and falls on a dime, and frequently. Generally, the radio broadcasts are crisper with less sloppy crowd clutter getting in the way.

2019 World Series Collector's Edition: Washington Nationals Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Each game ends with a few minutes' worth of postgame coverage from the team at MLB Network. The set does come with a booklet that details each game included with box scores and factoids. The main menu screen for each disc offers only selections to skip ahead by inning (top and bottom alike) and choose from any of the audio broadcasts.

2019 World Series Collector's Edition: Washington Nationals Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Shout! Factory has tried nothing new with the winning formula. The eight-disc collection's layout and presentation style is all but identical to previous World Series full game releases. It's a streamlined collection that offers no frills or fuss: just the games. No real extras are included, but the booklet and postgame studio commentary are solid enough additions. Recommended for Nationals and hardcore baseball fans.