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So it's official, the Z-Burger Curse is a thing.

As soon as the Z-Burger press release hit our inbox last Monday, we knew it wasn't good.

Um, did Z-Burger just jinx the Nats? DC joint slinging free burgers after Nats win NLDS.

— Burger Days (@burgerdays) October 8, 2012

When the release was issued, the Nationals were up 1-0 in the best-of-five series, but Game 1 was hardly a walkover. The Nats squeaked by 3-2, but here was Z-Burger already celebrating an NLDS series victory with free burgers WHEN, not IF, the Nats wrapped it up. Hey, we're all for hometown pride, but the Baseball Gods are fickle deities, and too much hubris is never a good thing in the Church of Baseball.

So when the Cardinals took Game 2 in decisive fashion, we were wary, but still hopeful the Jinx was just in our heads. Then came the Game 3 shutout and we were trembling in our greasy boots.

But, then, in the bottom of the ninth in Game 4, Jason Werth and his face full of hair came to the plate and deposited a game-winning shot into the Cardinals bullpen and there was HOPE. Real, honest-to-goodness-Nats-moving-on-to-the-NLCS-free-burgers-for-all HOPE. We had the home field in Game 5. Momentum was on our side. We had Gio on the mound. Much like Dave McFly, the Jinx was slowly vanishing from existence.

And then the game began! And Oh! What joy! That Nationals were killing it! Fucking KILLING IT. Bryce, Zimm, Morse were hitting the shit out of the ball and Gio was doing his thing on the bump. We would be dining on free burgers on Saturday and the Nationals would be playing the Giants. Huzzah!

But a Jinx --A CURSE-- doesn't just fade away. While the Nats lead began to evaporate, the Curse was busy rising to the surface.

And it all came down to one strike.

The Nationals were one strike away. Not once. Not twice. But FIVE TIMES.

But alas, a Washington series win, and yes, free burgers for all, was not meant to be. In the end, the Baseball Gods showed their wrath and ripped victory away from D.C. and turned Z-Burger's grills cold. The final, heart-wrenching-greasy-tear-jerking 9-7 loss to the Cardinals was here, and it was real. Just like The Curse.

Chicago's got the Billy Goat. Boston had The Babe.

D.C. now has Z-Burger.