It took seven games, and more than 80 years, but the Nationals are the 2019 World Series champions.

The grinding Game Seven started slowly, with the Astros taking an early one-run lead. It would stay 1-0 until the Astros added another in the fifth with a zinger RBI single down the third base line from Carlos Correa.

The Nats made their big move in the seventh with two electrifying home runs — first, a solo from Anthony Rendon, and then a monster two-run shot ending with a satisfying loud bang off the right field foul pole from Howie Kendrick to put the Nats on top. An RBI single from Juan Soto in the eighth, followed by two more runs scoring off Adam Eaton’s bat in the ninth, sealed the win for the Nationals. The final score was 6-2.

Fans will be able to celebrate the win with a parade in downtown D.C. on Saturday at 2 p.m, Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office announced.

The story of the Nationals’ season seemed as if it were written to make them sentimental favorites.

The first 50 games left the Nationals at 19-31, a figure that later began appearing on signs and t-shirts as the team began winning. Soon, “Stay in the fight” and “Finish the fight” shirts, banners, signs and hashtags surrounded the team. The children’s song “Baby Shark,” which outfielder Geraldo Parra chose as his walk-out music in June, became an anthem.

The drama continued on the field as the post-season started. The Nationals trailed for most of the wildcard game against the Milwaukee Brewers until, in the eighth inning, Juan Soto batted in three runs, sending the Nationals to the division series.

That series, too, had an ominous start, with the Los Angeles Dodgers beating the Nationals in the first game. Again, the team rallied, going on to win three of the next four games against the Dodgers, then to sweep the St. Louis Cardinals in the league championship.

With that, Washington had its first Major League Baseball team in the World Series since 1933, though the Washington Homestead Grays won three Negro League World Series in the 1940s.

The drought was due, in part, to Washington not having a team. Its last professional baseball crew, the Senators, left in 1971, leaving the city without a major league team until the Montreal Expos moved to town in 2005, becoming what is now the Washington Nationals.

The World Series started strong, with two Nationals wins in Houston against the Astros. The team seemed unstoppable in their lucky blue jerseys when play moved to Washington last week. Fans outside the stadium were expecting a sweep, or at least an eventual win at home by Game Five. As we all know now, it took a little longer.

Washington’s showing drew the usual criticism of the city — that it was a city without natives, and that the stands of every stadium are full of bandwagon fans.

“Everyone gets on the bandwagon when your team’s doing very well,” said Peter Edwards outside the stadium on game one. “Everyone was a hockey fan when [the Capitals] won, so it’s the same for baseball. And baseball’s much more fun than hockey.”

Edwards’ faded blue Nationals cap made it clear that this long-time resident had been a Nationals fan since ‘05.

On the other side of Nationals Park, Gerry Widdicombe waited for his brother to show up and go see the game.

“It’s getting to be a baseball town. It takes a while for people to learn. In the regular season you come here and there are a lot of away team jerseys. I haven’t seen a lot of away team jerseys the last four games,” said Widdicombe, another longtime fan of Washington baseball, having attended Senators games before they left town (he says he once heckled Reggie Jackson at a Senators game).

He, too, had a worn-in Nats hat. “I left it at home and had to spend $35 on an Uber to go get it because I was wearing this when they clinched against the Cardinals,” he said. (This is one of the milder superstitions for a Nationals fan this year.)

As false as the lines about bandwagons and transient locals may seem, the die-hards were welcoming as play continued in D.C.

“You don’t have to be born in a place to be a fan of a place,” said Washington native Yolanda Lee outside Game Four.

The warmth even extended to anyone who showed up in Astros gear.

“People are friendly,” said Jonny Pious, who lives here but supports the Astros. “Nobody’s spit on me.”

A few fans found consolation in the Nationals’ presence in the series. It gave them something to unite behind, and a welcome distraction from all the other news out of Washington in the last few weeks. The scene at Navy Yard was a welcome break from hearings on Capitol Hill and tweets out of the White House.

“We’ve had a lot of things going on in the last week, so it’s nice to have a break and just enjoy a game and watch your team win,” Edwards said.

“Forget all the politics and everything else in this divided town we live in. Everyone is united behind the Nats,” said Doug McCleaf before Game Four. McCleaf, another long-time Washington baseball fan, was at the last Senators game in 1971.

But politics are unavoidable. When President Trump visited Game Five, the stadium united in a chorus of boos, with pro-impeachment signs and chants that filled the stadium.

Of course, the overlap of good sports and a hectic news cycle is historical coincidence, more anecdotes to add to a larger narrative. And the Nationals’ grand story seemed poised to end just after Game Five. Fairweather fans may have begun to question their choices as the Nats lost every game at home, leaving the series at 3-2, with Houston in the lead.

On the street outside the park after Game Five, some fans found a new type of science to keep their hopes up — pointing out that in five games, the away team had always won. A good omen as the series headed back to Houston, even if two Nationals wins would make history. Not only would it be the first for the franchise, it would mark the first time the away team won every game in a seven-game World Series.

But even if historical momentum would hold, and the Nationals were to lose, local fans were still thrilled just to have seen their team get this far.

“They have everything to be proud of,” said Beth Langston after Game Five. “It’s been fantastic. We weren’t even expected to be here. I was at the wildcard game where we barely even got into the playoffs. This has been amazing.”

“Considering we started the season 19-31 and how terrible the team was when they moved here from Montreal, this is monumental. I mean this is huge … huge,” said fan Julie Allard as she prepared to go home Sunday night.

Something huge would, indeed, come the next game. It was a winning night for the Nats filled with drama and emotion. A hugely controversial baserunning call against Trea Turner eventually led to the ejection of a very upset manager David Martinez that will undoubtedly be remembered as a defining moment of the series.

During Game Seven, Ashley Williams, a D.C. transplant from Los Angeles, marked the moment as one that felt really personal.

“This is pretty cool. I can’t even lie,” she said. “I was born and raised in Los Angeles. So it was tough to see the Dodgers go down. However, I think it’s time for me to start accepting D.C. as being my new home. And this is a great transition.”

Tyrus Yates, who was born and raised in D.C., had tears in his eyes when he described what the win meant to him.

“I like that people kind of doubt us,” he said. “No one expected us to win this, and so this is just an amazing feeling.”

This story originally appeared on WAMU. It was updated to include additional photos, details about Game Seven, comments from fans and information about the upcoming celebration parade. It was also updated to correct the recap of the division series against Los Angeles. 

Kelsey Proud and Barbara Sprunt contributed reporting.