With one giant cracking sound, everyone forgot the stain of a horrid first season of a giant contract and the broken wrist that cancelled half of the second year. As soon as Jayson Werth’s bat connected with the 13th pitch issued by St. Louis Cardinals reliever Lance Lynn, the criticism was lifted, and a $126 million deal that had to date paid mediocre dividends was suddenly worth every cent.

But there was no doubt that Werth’s hit would clear the left-center field wall. The bat and ball snapped with that noise that is instantly recognizable as a home run. Red fireworks shot out as Werth rounded toward home, where ebullient teammates awaited. And up in the stands, fans recovering from consecutive eight-run losses just kept cheering as the National League Division Series was tied at two games each.

Not bad for a day that began with the Nationals on the brink of seeing their amazing run snuffed out.

All evening, the Washington Nationals struggled to get runners on base. They never moved anyone past first, their entire offense having come from an Adam LaRoche home run in the second inning that seemed distant by the ninth.

The Cardinals evened the score in the next inning, after an error by Ian Desmond allowed Pete Kozma to advance to third base. Carlos Beltrán popped a sacrifice fly to bring Kozma home.

But Ross Detweiler—who landed in the postseason rotation thanks to the measures applied to a certain surgically repaired right-hander—was unnerved. Following disastrous turns by Jordan Zimmermann and Edwin Jackson, it was on Detweiler to chill the Cardinals’ lineup and give the Nationals a chance to stay in the fight.

He was up to it. In six innings, Detweiler allowed three hits and three walks, but aside from the unearned run in the third, he was efficient at inducing ground balls and easy fly outs. He probably could have retaken the mound in the top of the seventh inning had he not been due up first in the bottom of the frame.

Nationals Manager Davey Johnson took no chances on that. Zimmermann, reeling from a three-inning stumble on Monday, got the call. He struck out the side. Tyler Clippard did the same in the next inning. When Drew Storen took the mound in the ninth inning, he struck out the first two Cardinals he faced. The Nationals recorded eight consecutive outs with pitching verve. Only a walk issued by Clippard broke the streak.

It came to the bottom of the ninth. Much as the crowed had pleaded with the Nationals to bring the offense to life—raucous singalong to a-Ha’s “Take on Me” included—the bats had been nearly silent.

Jayson Werth had other plans, and now, the Nationals have plans for Friday night.