NLDS Game 1 lineups: Nats vs. Cubs

It feels like we've been waiting around for this postseason for an extraordinarily long time. The Nationals clinched their division title way back on Sept. 10, but truth be told, they knew a lot earlier than that they were going to win the National League East and make the postseason. And they've known for most of that time they almost certainly were going to face the Cubs in the National League Division Series.

Well, at long last the day has come. It's Oct. 6, and a highly anticipated postseason in Washington has finally arrived. And it arrives with a critical Game 1 matchup, with Stephen Strasburg on the mound for what has to be the most important start of his career.

Strasburg pitched exceptionally well over the last six weeks, and he could not enter the second postseason start of his career in better position to succeed. Now it's up to the right-hander to deliver when his team needs it.

How important is this one? Well, the winner team in Game 1 of a five-game series historically has won that series 72 percent of the time. No, it's not officially must-win for the Nationals tonight. But it's not far removed from that.

NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES - GAME 1
CHICAGO CUBS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:31 p.m. EDT
TV: TBS, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 1500 AM, XM 89/869, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 76 degrees, wind 4 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
SS Trea Turner
RF Bryce Harper
3B Anthony Rendon
2B Daniel Murphy
1B Ryan Zimmerman
LF Jayson Werth
C Matt Wieters
CF Michael A. Taylor
RHP Stephen Strasburg

CUBS
RF Ben Zobrist
3B Kris Bryant
1B Anthony Rizzo
C Willson Contreras
LF Kyle Schwarber
SS Addison Russell
CF Jason Heyward
2B Javier Báez
RHP Kyle Hendricks