Before the series, Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer lobbied for Metro to make an exception for Nationals playoff games.

“God, I would hope to believe that playoff games here in D.C. would mean more than shutting down the lines for a couple hours,” Scherzer told Grant Paulsen and Danny Rouhier on 106.7 The Fan. “I mean, isn’t it a supply-and-demand issue? We have a supply of people that demand to use the line to go to the park. Why wouldn’t you want to meet that?”

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Metro board Chairman Jack Evans, who raised the possibility of making an exception for the World Series at the last board meeting, warned that “it’s going to look foolish if 15,000 people have to get up and leave the game.”

But Metro GM Paul Wiedefeld has opposed any exceptions for special events during SafeTrack maintenance, and has already declined to make exceptions for the Redskins and Marine Corps Marathon. Wiedefeld argues that extending the hours for one special event, such as a Nationals playoff game, would create a slippery slope. On Wednesday morning, Wiedefeld said Metro wouldn’t extend operating hours for Thursday’s Game 5.

As a result, the best hope for fans who were planning to take Metro to the game on Thursday is that Scherzer makes quick work of the Dodgers. It would also help if Los Angeles reliever Pedro Baez — the man who takes an MLB-high 30 seconds between pitches — remains in the bullpen. Game 1 at Nationals Park lasted 3 hours 46 minutes. Game 2 went 3:55. Fortunately, those games started at 5:30 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.