The event kicked off with a quick Q&A with (L to R) Ryan Zimmerman, Mike Rizzo, Mark Lerner, Lindsay Czarniak, Craig Melvin; Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats
Many of you braved the cold weather a few weeks ago to see the premiere showing of the 2019 World Series documentary from Major League Baseball Productions that debuted to a sold-out crowd of 3,000 at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. The red carpet event was attended by Ryan Zimmerman and general manager Mike Rizzo as well as principal owner Mark Lerner, and the narrator of the film Craig Melvin. While Nats fans already know the final outcome in this come-from-behind World Series stunner, the journey to the destination is unique in the eyes of the director of this film, Jed Tuminaro, who tells a story using images you have not seen before and exclusive interviews that tell the story behind the scenes. It is worth getting the DVD of the documentary even if you want to skip ahead to watch only seventh game.
In the film, we saw views of Kendrick’s home run from behind the foul pole, and that was so special about the documentary in its entirety as the video was fantastic and creative with many field angles taken artistically through small openings, unique vantage points, and from the dugout. This is not the same video you saw in the FOX game broadcast. Here is a snippet of what that Kendrick home run looked like in the documentary:
This is why Howie Kendrick will forever be etched in #Nats history. Also a reason you should own the documentary DVD. #WorldSeries2019 pic.twitter.com/5BYlzl3YkN
— Talk Nats (@TalkNats) December 8, 2019
The fans in attendance at the premiere seemed to thoroughly enjoy the nearly 90-minute documentary of the entire World Series. Sure, Nationals fans wanted more Nats and less Astros, but again, it tells a story to a broader audience. As the narrator, Craig Melvin led the viewer in the right direction and added some insight for the fans. There is video from the “Watch Parties” at Nats Park during Game 7 and they used footage from Walter’s Sports Bar and out on Half Street. They did not include Brian Dozier dancing to Calma or any backstory on “Baby Shark” with Gerardo Parra which was a key part of my personal enjoyment of the 2019 season. But overall, it was well done in filming, editing and production, and I look forward to more viewings of it.
The director told me it was one of the most remarkable runs through a season he had ever seen as the Nats were counted out in mid-May only to go on the most historic run in modern baseball. Tuminaro added that it was one of the great postseason runs you ever want to see.
“All World Series champions have their own identity, and create their own lasting legacy,” Tuminaro said. “The Washington Nationals to me, in addition to being a very talented team with a great compliment of stars and role players, were one of the most resilient teams in baseball history. That is the lasting impression that I will have of the 2019 Washington Nationals — a team that continued to defy the odds and in the end wouldn’t be denied. From their slow start in the regular season to staring down elimination multiple times in the Postseason in multiple rounds and against some of the game’s elite pitchers this Nationals team was one of the most resilient World Series champions in recent memory.”
With numerous camera crews capturing exhilarating pitches, historic home runs and mesmerizing moments from every postseason game, THE 2019 WORLD SERIES FILM, a thrilling and expertly crafted documentary, edited from hundreds of hours of original hi-def footage, is chronicled in inimitable fashion. There is also comprehensive bonus features which I enjoyed watching when I got my DVD. There are Regular Season Highlights, Clinching Moments, Postseason™ Highlights and the unforgettable World Series Parade, that fans can relive with the Nats first World Championship again and again.
For Tuminaro, he has directed every World Series documentary since 2015 when the Royals beat the Mets. Each year, Jed is in charge of MLB crews in both stadiums, capturing hundreds of hours of footage – this year was his favorite he said.
“We were pleased with the final product,” Tuminaro said. “There are always time constraints and topics you wish you could have gone longer on and moments that may not have made the final cut. But overall we felt the film had a nice mix of big moments, behind the scenes access and captured the excitement, drama and emotion of the series.”
In the film’s final cut, they use writers and editors like you see in any movie to add to what you see. It helped that Tuminaro is a baseball fan even though his team is the Yankees, he has an appreciation for what the Nationals accomplished, and you can see that in the film as he called what the Nationals did as a special place in history.
“It’s tough to rank the series overall because there have been so many great ones, and they all take on their own special place in history,” the director said. “But I do think this is without question one of the more unique World Series in history. To have a series go seven games and not have a single home team win is something that may never happen again. There were also so many shifts in momentum that the overall feel on who you may think was going to win the series seemed to change dramatically multiple times in the series.”
The Fight may be Finished, but you can enjoy watching the documentary and games over and over with never before seen video and interviews with players like Sean Doolittle, Juan Soto, Anthony Rendon and Ryan Zimmerman. The behind the scenes footage was well-edited to flow with the action on the field including vintage flashbacks. One thing for sure, the Washington Nationals won the World Series as Mark Lerner said at the premiere that he woke up many times in the last month wondering if he had been dreaming. Some would say this was a dream season going from 19-31 through five elimination games in the postseason. It was all real.
