Rangers take out D-backs for franchise’s 1st World Series title،
PHOENIX – Max Scherzer found Adolis Garcia in the middle of a stampede near the pitchers’ mound at Chase Field Wednesday night – moments after a 5-0 victory that sealed the first championship in Texas Rangers history, as the emotions were still fresh – and He hugged him so tightly that it seemed he would never let go.
Just 28 hours earlier, the Rangers learned they would have to win two more World Series games without Scherzer and Garcia, who both suffered season-ending injuries in Game 3. They did so immediately and defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks by winning the fourth game. and 5 in their building spoke about what many have long considered the most important aspect of this decorated and expensive group of players:
No matter what, they would find a way.
“It’s a total team effort to win a World Series,” Scherzer said. “There’s never just one guy.”
The final guy was Nathan Eovaldi, the 33-year-old right-hander who struggled with shaky command, weathered numerous issues and somehow matched a more dominant Zac Gallen for six scoreless innings until something that the Rangers’ deep lineup is finally able to break down. through.
Mitch Garver got the Rangers on the board with an RBI single in the seventh, and Marcus Semien put the game away with a two-run homer in the ninth.
Semien looked at his dugout and roared as soon as he touched first base, a rare sign of emotion from the typically stoic second baseman. At that moment, he knew: The Rangers were on their way to the first championship in their franchise’s 63-year history.
“That’s the vision, isn’t it?” said Rangers shortstop Corey Seager after winning the World Series MVP trophy for the second time in his career. “I’m a little at a loss for words, but it’s a really special moment.”
The Rangers finished the best playoff series in franchise history with an unprecedented 11-0 road record. This helped make them the third team in baseball history to win the World Series in two seasons after losing more than 100 games, joining the 1969 New York Mets and the 1914 Boston Braves.
Texas lost 102 games in 2021 and responded by spending a total of $500 million to sign Semien and Seager during the following offseason. A year later, the Rangers splurged on their rotation – signing Eovaldi, Jacob deGrom and Andrew Heaney – and brought three-time champion Bruce Bochy out of retirement to become their manager.
Bochy became the sixth manager with four or more World Series titles, joining Joe McCarthy (7), Casey Stengel (7), Connie Mack (5), Joe Torre (4) and Walter Alston (4). His constant presence has proven invaluable to a team continually facing adversity.
The Rangers have been hit with a litany of injuries to their lineup and pitching staff. DeGrom, who signed a $185 million contract to become their ace, underwent Tommy John surgery. Scherzer, acquired mid-season to lead the Rangers through October, suffered a shoulder injury that put his entire playoff run in doubt. Seager, Eovaldi, Garver, Jonah Heim, Josh Jung, Jon Gray, Josh Sborz and Jose Leclerc, among others, were also all injured.
Texas lost eight straight games by mid-August and six of its first seven games in early September. The Rangers held a 2½-game lead in the American League West heading into their final series of the regular season, then lost three of four to the Seattle Mariners, including the finale, to lose the division title on the final day and fall into nature. map.
That somehow sparked seven straight playoff wins, a run that saw them eliminate the 99-win Tampa Bay Rays and the 101-win Baltimore Orioles and take a 2-0 lead over the defending champions, the Houston Astros.
When they lost three straight home games in the AL Championship Series, the Rangers responded by winning back-to-back games in Houston, clinching their first pennant since the 2011 World Series disappointment. trailed the Diamondbacks by two runs in the ninth. inning of the first game of the World Series, they fought to the end, getting a game-tying home run from Seager and, as extras, a home run from Garcia. And when they lost Scherzer (back spasms) and Garcia (oblique strain) in Game 3, they responded with one of their most dominant performances in Game 4, scoring 10 points before the end of the third inning, all with two outs.
Game 5 showed more of their motivation. The Diamondbacks put at least one baserunner in each of the first five innings, but Eovaldi continually worked smoothly, including one with the bases loaded in the fifth, keeping the game scoreless until the Rangers’ offense broke through. finally against Gallen, ending his unsuccessful bid in the seventh.
Eovaldi lowered his career ERA to 1.03 in potential series wins, the third-lowest mark in history.
Seager led off the seventh inning with a single on vacant third base. Evan Carter, the rookie sensation, followed with a double to right field. And Garver singled up the middle, putting the Rangers on the board.
Texas broke the game open with four runs in the ninth. Heim hit a single to center field on a fly ball that slipped under Alek Thomas’ glove, scoring two runs, and Semien followed with his two-run homer.
It was the kind of moment he envisioned when he agreed to team up with Seager less than 24 months earlier.
“Everybody in the room wanted it,” Semien said. “We all play for this. We don’t play for any other accolades or anything else. We play for this. We’ve learned that if you make the playoffs, if you warm up, if you advance pitchers, anyone can win this game.”
About a half-hour after the final out was recorded, Chase Field was still half full of Rangers fans remaining to watch the trophy presentation. Many of them chanted “Bruuuuce” when Bochy received the World Series trophy. Later, inside the visiting clubhouse, Creed’s “Higher,” which became this team’s rallying cry, blared through the speakers, cutting through the cigar smoke and champagne.
At one point, Scherzer walked up to veteran infielder Brad Miller, handed him the trophy and asked him to hold it up high and look at his reflection from below.
“Wow!” » Miller said in wonder.
The Rangers had finally succeeded.
“It’s unreal,” Bochy said. “A year ago, I was sitting in a recliner. To be in this place, I can’t tell you how lucky I am.”
