ST. LOUIS — Baseball is all about coming home. And when you come home in the NLCS with a 2-0 lead there is nothing better.

Max Scherzer also came home — and pitched a gem for the Nationals against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium on Saturday — beating them 3-1. Scherzer came back to his home state of Missouri and shut down the Cardinals’ bats in much the same way his teammate, Anibal Sanchez, did in Game 1.

Mad Max did not allow a hit until Paul Goldschmidt lined a single to left just in front of Juan Soto to lead off the seventh inning.

Sanchez, on Friday, did not allow a hit until there were two outs in the eighth inning of the Nationals’ 2-0 win in Game 1.

Only once before had teammates held an opponent hitless in consecutive starts through at least five innings and that was done by Sanchez and Scherzer in Games 1 and 2 in the 2013 ALCS against the Red Sox when they were Tigers.

That series didn’t work out for the Tigers, but the Nationals plan on getting to the World Series this year and if the starting pitching holds up (Stephen Strasburg goes in Game 3 on Monday in Washington), they will get there.

Scherzer loves everything about this team and how they have each other’s backs.

“This team’s got a lot of personality and a lot of grit to it,’’ Scherzer said. “We got really 25 guys, no matter who it is, when their number gets called, they’re going to lay it all on the line for each other. It’s such a treat to be in the clubhouse like this and to know that that’s the type of baseball we’re playing and right now it just seems like anybody who gets their number called is going to do something big.

“Somebody might make a mistake and then come back and do something big for the team. This is really, it’s not just one guy carrying this team or two guys, it’s really just a collective of everybody out there doing their job.

“I know when Sanchie gets locked in, he’s nasty,’’ Scherzer added. “He can just absolutely do anything with the baseball. He’s such a treat to watch. The way he can change speeds and execute pitches. For me, I’m just in the moment. I’m not trying to do anything great, I’m just trying to stick within my game and just work with [catcher Kurt Suzuki].’’

The Nationals, who could not win anything in the postseason in years past, can close out the Cardinals with two more wins as the series switches to Washington.

At the time of Goldschmidt’s hit, the Nats had a 1-0 lead, and Soto made the right choice, playing it safe, not letting the ball get past him.

“It’s really tough,’’ Soto said. “You have to know we are in a playoff game and every error counts. You try to keep the game [situation] in mind.’’

The no-nonsense Scherzer agreed with the way Soto played the ball.

“It’s 1-0,’’ Scherzer said. “We can’t afford to get a runner in scoring position. That’s just the way the game is being played at that point. Just keep him at first and go to work.’’

Closer Daniel Hudson, who missed Game 1 because his wife Sara gave birth to their third daughter, Millie, came home to his team and came on for the two-out save in the ninth.

Scherzer, who went to Parkway Central High School in Chesterfield, Mo. (about 20 miles from St. Louis) and the University of Missouri, came in with a 2-2 record in five career starts in his home state.

Scherzer struck out 11 over his seven innings, allowing just that one hit, two walks and no runs. So, in two games the Nationals’ starters have not allowed a run to the Cardinals. The Nationals are putting on a starting pitching clinic. They are built on starting pitching and making the most of their advantage.

Nats general manager Mike Rizzo came up through the scouting ranks and believes in starting pitching as the base to all success. Rizzo said he learned early in his career, “Once you have starting pitching anything is possible, and if you don’t have it, nothing is possible.’’

Everything is now possible for these Nationals.