Rangers 3-1 Diamondbacks (31 Oct, 2023) Game Recap،
PHOENIX — Corey Seager smashed a home run that flew off his bat at a speed few other mortals can match. Then he made a sliding save and initiated a double play in the eighth inning that could have saved the game.
The star shortstop is playing at a different level again in October.
That’s a good thing for the Texas Rangers, who could use more of those individual heroics after a costly win gave them the lead in this World Series.
Seager hit a two-run homer and made a terrific defensive play, Max Scherzer combined with four relievers for a gem on the mound and Texas beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-1 Monday night to take a 2-up lead -1 during the Fall Classic. .
“This is what you play for. That’s where you want to be right now,” said Seager, NLCS and World Series MVP for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020. “Luckily for me, having experience with that, it gives me has always motivated. I’ve been lucky enough to be part of good teams and experience these things.
Texas overcame injuries to Scherzer and slugger Adolis García by improving to 9-0 on the road in the postseason, this time in front of more than 48,000 fans at Chase Field.
Seager, 29 — in the second year of a $325 million contract — once again showed he’s worth every penny on the game’s biggest stage.
He smoked a two-run homer into the right-field seats as part of a three-run third after Diamondbacks rookie starter Brandon Pfaadt left a first-pitch changeup high in the zone. The ball left Seager’s bat at 114.5 mph, making it the hardest-hit World Series home run in the Statcast era, dating back to 2015.
García felled Christian Walker at the plate with a stellar throw to right field in the second half, snuffing out Arizona’s early momentum. García exited in the eighth with tightness on his left side after appearing injured during a swing. He went to the hospital for an MRI to determine the severity of the injury.
Scherzer pitched three scoreless innings before leaving with back pain. Jon Gray, Josh Sborz, Aroldis Chapman and José Leclerc combined to keep the Arizona offense quiet for most of the evening.
Scherzer said he was dealing with back spasms and would know more about his availability for a potential Game 7 in the next 48 hours.
“It’s tough. We’re a deep group. We’ll see what happens with those two guys,” Texas second baseman Marcus Semien said of the injuries. “Adolis has been the heart and the soul of our team. I hope it’s nothing too serious. But we’re a deep group. We have guys who haven’t played who are also very good players.
Gray replaced Scherzer and pitched three shutout innings with one hit for the win. Leclerc struck out two in a perfect ninth for his fourth save of the postseason.
“Just stay ready…and wait for that call.” I knew it would happen eventually,” said Gray, a veteran starter who recently returned from injury. “To be able to come in now and do a really good job, it’s amazing.”
Game 4 of the best-of-seven series is Tuesday at Chase Field.
The D-backs rallied in the eighth when pinch hitter Emmanuel Rivera led off with a double against Chapman. Geraldo Perdomo followed with an RBI single, making the score 3-1. But then Chapman got himself out of trouble – striking out Corbin Carroll before Seager began a clutch double play, sliding onto his knees to line up a hot smash from Ketel Marte before turning back to Semien, who relayed the first.
“I’m just trying to make the play,” Seager said. “I think Marcus did a better job than me with the turn and the handoff. Good on him, good on Chapman for making a good throw and we got out of the inning.
After García threw out Walker, the Rangers took the lead in the third. Nathaniel Lowe hit a double and scored on Semien’s two-out single, his first RBI in 10 games. Seager then launched his no-doubt home run deep into the right field seats to make it 3-0.
Texas is 9-0 in the postseason when it scores first, and the Rangers are the first team in major league history to win their first nine road games in a single postseason.
It was Seager’s fifth home run of the postseason. The four-time All-Star was also one of the heroes of Game 1 of this Fall Classic, hitting a game-tying homer in the ninth that helped the Rangers earn a 6-5 victory in 11 innings on García’s homer.
Pfaadt, 25, was a revelation in the postseason with a 2.70 ERA in four starts in October, despite a 5.72 ERA during the regular season. He wasn’t as good Monday — allowing three runs on four hits and two walks in 5 1/3 innings, striking out four.
The teams combined flawlessly through the first two games of the series and the Rangers produced more defensive highlights that helped them take control of Game 3.
Walker led off the second with a double and Tommy Pham followed with a single, but Walker was thrown out at home. Diamondbacks third base coach Tony Perezchica ran a stop sign, but Walker either didn’t see it or didn’t care, never hesitating as he rounded third base.
García — a Gold Glove finalist who has one of the best weapons in the major leagues — launched a 94.6 mph rocket across the plate to down Walker.
“I feel like it was a huge momentum shift,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. “It was a great moment. We were flat out there for a few innings.
Two batters later, Alek Thomas hit a grounder that deflected off Scherzer’s right elbow toward the third-base line. Josh Jung was there to hand the ball over with his bare hands and throw a powerful throw across the diamond to beat the speedy Thomas.
Scherzer allowed two hits and two walks while striking out one.
LARGE GLOVES
This was the first World Series in which neither team made an error through the first three games.
YOUNG AND CLEAN(UP)
Texas rookie Evan Carter became the fourth youngest player to hit a cleanout in a World Series game at 21 years and 62 days old. The outfielder batted third in the first two games, but manager Bruce Bochy said he flipped Carter and García into the lineup Monday to break up the left-handed bats.
The three youngest players to successfully clean up the World Series were Miguel Cabrera (2003), Ty Cobb (1907) and Juan Soto (2019), all of whom were 20 years old.
HAS BEEN A WHILE
It was the first World Series game played at Chase Field since November 4, 2001, when the Diamondbacks beat the Yankees 3–2 in Game 7 after Luis Gonzalez’s hit off Mariano Rivera won the series. .
The D-backs lost for the first time in the World Series at Chase Field on Monday. They were 4-0 at home in the 2001 series, the only other time they participated in the sport’s biggest showcase.
LARGE SWING
There have been 62 previous instances where the World Series was tied 1-1 after Game 2. The winner of the third game has gone on to win 41 times.
FOLLOWING
The Diamondbacks will recreate Game 4 on the mound with several relievers, starting with left-hander Joe Mantiply. Lovullo showed off his Southern California roots by mentioning a former Los Angeles Dodgers ace when asked about his team’s launch plans.
“Don Drysdale is not going to fall from the sky,” Lovullo said. “It’s definitely going to be someone in our bullpen that’s going to start the day tomorrow.”
Drysdale teamed with fellow Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax in the pitching rotation to help the Dodgers win the World Series in 1959, 1963 and 1965.
The Rangers will counter with left-hander Andrew Heaney. Bochy said before Monday’s game that Gray was an option, but he threw 30 pitches Monday.
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