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With Baby Shark looking on from the dugout, the Washington Nationals are now one win away from the World Series

By Ian Oland

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October 14, 2019 11:08 pm

The Washington Nationals throttled the St. Louis Cardinals 8-1 during Game Three of the National League Championship Series Monday night. The Nationals are now only one win away from going to the World Series for the very first time.

The Nationals scored four runs in the fourth inning, spurred on by an RBI double by huge Capitals fan Adam Eaton. The Nats added four more runs in the later innings to cement the W. Stephen Strasburg struck out 12 batters — none on fastballs — and gave up no earned runs in one of the most dominant starts of his career. Howie Kendrick had three doubles and three RBI.

And looking out on it all was Baby Shark. Gerardo Parra brought a tiny, neon blue, plush shark out to the dugout steps and hung it from the netting. Baby Shark has become as important on this Nationals team as Jobu was for the fictional Cleveland Indians team from the cult-classic movie, Major League.

Parra could be seen rubbing Baby Shark for good luck during the game.

It never left Parra’s sight.

Victor Robles even kissed it after his home run.

Baby Shark has become a rallying cry for the Nationals after Parra chose the song as his walkup music on June 19.

The story goes like this. Parra’s three children had taken his cell phone to listen to Baby Shark on his phone. When dad shuffled through to find new walkup music one day, the song kept popping up like it was destiny.

“Like, five times,” Parra said. “I never thought I would pick that song.”

But he went with it to try it out and it instantly became a fan favorite and a source of good luck.

Parra had two hits and the Nationals swept the doubleheader that day. The victories were first of two in a 15-4 run that got them over the .500 mark for the rest of the season.

It became so popular that everyone at Nats Park was doing the Baby Shark dance when he came up to bat.

Now whenever players get singles, doubles, or triples, they do the hand motion back to the bench as the players there reciprocate.

It’s a thing.

And now the Nationals, and Baby Shark, are one win away from playing for a championship for the first time.

Let’s go Nats.

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