In the final season of his 6-year, $140 million contract in DC, Patrick Corbin has disappointed again. It’s time to look back on his tenure before he steps onto the stage one last time in a Nationals jersey.

The backbone of every successful Washington Nationals ballclub has been starting pitching. Of course there was Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg, but Mike Rizzo always made sure there were other workhorses to round out a successful rotation.

Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann, Doug Fister, Tanner Roark and Anibal Sanchez all had successful runs in Washington, with Jordan Zimmermann delivering arguably one of the best playoff performances in Nationals history, which came about due to a botched save by Drew Storen during the infamous game Often forgotten was the 18-inning marathon loss.

Every single one of these guys deserved to be in the conversation or to be one of the better starters in the 2010s, but other than Anibal Sanchez, none of these guys were able to contribute to the 2019 World Series run.

After a disappointing 2018 season that saw only Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg signed for 2019, Rizzo targeted multiple starters in the offseason, signing Anibal Sanchez and winning a bidding war against the Yankees and others for Patrick Corbin by signing the sixth year added to his contract. And then, almost instantly, magic happened.

After an All-Star season with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2018, Corbin earned a 6-year, $140 million contract with the Washington Nationals, forming a three-headed monster that was the best rotation in the National League.

In six seasons in Arizona, Corbin appeared in 172 games for the weak DBacks, posting a 3.91 ERA and 897 strikeouts in 945 2/3 innings. Corbin was an All-Star in 2013 at just 23 years old before missing a season and a half before underperforming in 2016 and being temporarily moved to the bullpen. He regained his pre-injury condition in 2017-2018 with a 3.58 ERA, 3.25 FIP and 424 strikeouts in 389 2/3 innings. Corbin was at his best and proved it in his first year in Washington.

Reliable, a strikeout machine and an athlete on the mound are all words that describe Patrick Corbin in 2019. He was fantastic, posting a career-high ERA+ (138) and a 3.25 ERA in 33 games started and 202 innings pitched, earning the Warren Spahn Award for the best left-handed starting pitcher in the MLB.

As good as his 2019 regular season was, Corbin cemented his legacy with the Nationals in the postseason, as the winning pitcher in Game 7 of the World Series.

Patrick Corbin threw a pitch out of the bullpen and entered the game in the bottom of the 6th inning when the Astros led 2-0. The mood was low. Ace Max Scherzer struggled and drained the tank over 5 innings of 2-run ball, and the Nats hitters had done nothing against Zack Greinke. With his back against the wall, Corbin fended off a strong Astros offense, pitching three scoreless innings with three strikeouts and allowing just two hits and zero walks. After the Nats took a 6-2 lead early in the 9th inning, Daniel Hudson slammed the door, leading to a moment we will never forget.

Corbin entered the next season with high hopes, but he was unable to put together a season anywhere close to what he had in 2019. Over the past five seasons, Corbin has been one of the worst, if not the worst, pitchers in baseball. He also now has one of the worst, if not the worst, contracts in baseball, ironically behind only the now-retired Stephen Strasburg and Angels third baseman and former Nationals hero Anthony Rendon.

In 136 starts from 2020 to 2024, Corbin has a 5.61 ERA, with a staggering 131 home runs allowed and 237 walks, with just 591 strikeouts in 739 1/3 innings. His strikeouts are off, his wipeout slider is gone, the newer addition of a cutter has offered no help, and he has been absolutely difficult to watch. If you’re planning on attending or watching a Nationals game, it’s hard not to make plans during a Patrick Corbin start. What went wrong, you may ask? The analytics say it all, but one thing will always be clear: Corbin never complained, never made excuses and always took the ball.

I know many of you are rolling your eyes at the end of my last paragraph. If not for his heroics in 2019, I would be with you. Corbin has been terrible for five seasons now and is one of the many poster boys for the humble, rebuilding Nationals. He is overpaid and every one of his starts seems to end in a bust.

Corbin’s time in DC and perhaps even the Major Leagues is almost certainly coming to an end. Ahead of his 137th start and final game in a Nationals uniform, it’s important to remember the good before the bad. It’s easy to say because I don’t write the player’s check, but 2019 alone earned him every penny of that $140 million contract. Without him, there’s no doubt we wouldn’t have won the World Series. Corbin won’t be missed in DC, but will always be remembered for his exploits in 2019.