The Rangers have finally won the World Series for the first time in the franchise’s 63 years. After heartbreak in the 2011 World Series, many fans had given up hope that the pennant was within reach. Corey Seager won World Series MVP in a historic postseason for him. Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi is the fifth pitcher in postseason history to pitch five wins, and the Ranger’s historic season will be remembered for years to come.
The Texas Rangers and the Arizona Diamondbacks met in the World Series for the first time. Both teams were wild card teams, meaning they did not win their divisions, so they had to settle for a wild card spot.
The Rangers started their World Series chase in Tampa Bay as they faced the Rays for a 3-game series. The Rangers ended up sweeping the Rays in 2 games thanks to recently called-up Evan Carter. The Rangers then faced the Baltimore Orioles in the ALDS (American League Division Series). The ALDS is a five-game series, and the Rangers swept the Orioles in 3 games. The Rangers then traveled to Baltimore since the Orioles were the American League East champs.
Game 1 was all Rangers, as they won 7-1 in a hostile crowd. The Rangers were led by Adolis García, with a home run and three runs batted in (RBI). Game 2 ended up being a shootout with the score of 11-8. Although the score looked close, the Rangers were in heavy control for most of the game. This time, the designated hitter Mitch Garver hit a home run and tallied 5 RBIs. Game 3 was back in Arlington with an eager crowd awaiting the first playoff game at home since 2016.
The Rangers got off to a hot start and ended up winning the game by a score of 3-2. Rookie Josh Jung was a considerable piece of this win with a solo home run. Also, the catcher Jonah Heim and rookie Evan Carter had one RBI a piece.
The Rangers were one step closer to the World Series, but a challenge awaited them. The Houston Astros were next up for the Rangers to face in the American League Championship Series (ALCS). Rangers versus Astros is one of the top ongoing rivalries in Major League Baseball.
The Rangers won 2-0, followed by great pitching from the Rangers’ ace, Jordan Montgomery. Game 2 attested to the Astros’ home-game bad luck with a 5-4 Rangers win. Game 3 was back in Arlington, and the Astros got their first series win in an 8-5 game. Jose Altuve led the way with a home run. Game 4 was similar, with the Astros tying up the series 2-2 with a score of 10-3. Game 5, arguably the best game of the playoffs, went back and forth, with the Astros taking the lead over the Rangers.
The Rangers took a 4-2 lead heading into the 9th inning, but Jose Altuve hit a 3-run home run, and the Astros won the game 5-2. Taking game six back to Houston, the Rangers had their backs on the wall with one loss, meaning no more playoffs. As the Rangers usually do, they got off to a hot start and did not look back with a 9-2 win. Now, the most crucial game of the season, game seven, would end up as a Rangers blowout win and ended the Astros run disappointingly. The Rangers advanced to the World Series for the first time in 2011 when they played the St. Louis Cardinals.
On the National League side, the Arizona Diamondbacks came out of nowhere. The Diamondbacks were considered the underdogs in the playoffs because nobody thought they could make a run. The Diamondbacks barely snuck into the playoffs, making the last spot. They had to take on the Milwaukee Brewers in the Wild Card game, who were considered a heavy favorite.
The Diamondbacks showed they have the best young core in the league, with their rookie Corbin Carrol hitting a home run and young catcher Gabriel Moreno with a home run. Also, long-time Diamondbacks star Ketel Marte hit a home run as well. Game 1 resulted in a 6-3 Diamondbacks win. Game 2 was very similar as the Diamondbacks showed off their quick offense and swept the Brewers in two games by a score of 6-2.
The Diamondbacks traveled to Los Angeles and took on the Dodgers. The Dodgers were also another heavy favorite in this series against the D-backs. In Game 1, the Diamondbacks would get to Clayton Kershaw in the first inning, and Kershaw could only get one out before being pulled out by manager Dave Roberts.
The Dodgers could not recover from a poor start, and the D-backs won 11-2. Pitchers dominated Game 2, but the D-backs won and put together a hard-fought 4-2 win. Game 3 was another game where Dodgers pitching was not apparent, and Lance Lynn would only pitch 2.2 innings. The D-backs swept the Dodgers in a surprising three games. The Diamondbacks faced the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Championship Series. The D-backs were once again given no chance to beat the Phillies.
The Phillies looked commanding in the first two games at home and won both, taking a series lead of 2-0 heading to Arizona. In a very low-scoring afternoon game 3, the D-backs got a walk-off hit in the ninth inning by their star Ketel Marte. Game 4 looked like the Phillies would take a series lead of 3-1, but Arizona did not give up and fought back to win 6-5.
With the series tied up, the Phillies came back easily and won game 5 with a score of 6-1. Games 6 and 7 were back in Philadelphia with arguably the best crowd in baseball. This did not affect the Diamondbacks, and they won 5-1 with a non-existent Philadelphia offense. Another game 7 in a championship series would occur. The Diamondbacks took a 4-2 lead, and the pitching would do the rest. The D-backs were back in the World Series for the first time since 2001.
The Diamondbacks and Rangers met in the playoffs, which no one expected. Both teams had over 100 losses just two years ago, which is remarkable to say that they are playing for a championship now. Game 1 of the World Series did not disappoint. This game went back and forth, eventually leading to the Diamondbacks’ 5-3 score heading into the bottom of the ninth inning. The Ranger’s best player, Corey Seager, stepped up to the plate with a runner on and hit a monster 2-run home run to tie the game up, and Globe Life Field was rocking. The game went into extra innings, and the Ranger’s most powerful bat would come up in Adolis García. He had been on a tear in the playoffs and delivered in the bottom of the 11th inning with a solo home run to win the game.
The Diamondbacks dominated Game 2, led by pitcher Merrill Kelly, who pitched seven innings, allowing three hits and one run and put the D-backs to a 9-1 victory. Game 3 back in Arizona started with a Marcus Semien RBI single for the Rangers, and in the same inning, Corey Seager hit a 2-run home run, which is all the Rangers needed to win game three by a score of 3-1.
Game 4 started with a 5-run second inning for the Rangers and would run away with it, winning 11-7. The Rangers have a 3-1 series advantage and are looking to make history for their first-ever World Series Title. Game 5 was a pitching duel between Zac Gallen and Nathan Eovaldi.
The game was knotted up 0-0 in the Top of the seventh, with the Diamondbacks pitcher throwing a no-hitter through 6 innings. Corey Seager broke up the no-hitter in the seventh and got a base hit. The rookie Evan Carter also got a hit with two runners on base ready to score.
Mitch Garver came up to the plate with no outs and delivered an RBI single. Rangers made no runs in that inning but had to leave it with a 1-0 lead. The Rangers bullpen continued to show out as they would not allow a run.
Heading to the Top of the 9th, the Rangers sought insurance runs to secure their World Series victory. Jonah Heim delivered with a single to center field, scoring two runners. With Heim on third base, Marcus Semien was up to bat with a runner in scoring position. Semien delivered with a two-run single, putting the Rangers at a three run advantage.
Now, in the bottom of the 9th, the D-backs last chance, they could not score, and the Rangers secured their spot as World Series Champs.
