The Nationals watched the conclusion of the NLDS between the Cardinals and Nationals on the tarmac as they waited to see where their plane would be headed for the NLCS.

They initially planned to wait out the St. Louis-Washington series in Cincinnati, where they had eliminated the Reds, saving themselves a cross-country trip if the Nationals won and simply hop home if the Cardinals won.

The Giants planned watch the game together. In the seventh inning, they'd roll off to the airport. By the ninth, they'd board the airplane. By the last pitch, they'd be on the runway.

"We had," Bruce Bochy said, "what I thought was a pretty good plan."

"No disrespect intended to the Cardinals, but by the ninth inning the plane had just enough fuel in its tank to carry the Giants to Washington D.C." In the cabin, the likes of Matt Cain and coach Shawon Dunston pulled up the game on their iPads, drawing teammates and front office types. Dunston shouted the play-by-play for those in the back," writes Tim Brown.

"Some players, elbowed out of sight and voice range, called their wives, who walked them through the developing ninth inning at Nationals Park. Well ahead of the iPad feed, they’d gasp and screech, then dash to Cain’s side to see it for themselves. Drew Storen was a strike away. He was a strike away again. Then along came Daniel Descalso and then Pete Kozma, and seconds after the Giants were headed east, they were headed west, assuming the bottom of the ninth wasn’t anything like the top of the ninth."