2023 World Series Games 1 and 2 @ Globe Life Field
Diamondbacks (84-78) @ Rangers (90-72)
A dozen teams entered the postseason, and now only two remain. The Fall Classic gets underway down in Arlington, Texas, with the Rangers back in the series for the first time since 2011 and the Diamondbacks returning for their second ever appearance. Just two years ago, both of these teams lost over 100 games, and just last year, Texas lost 94 and Arizona lost 88. These teams have taken different pathways to return to relevancy. the Rangers invested heavily in free agency, shook up the front office, and hired a future Hall-of-Famer as manager. With a brand new ballpark that opened in the covid-shortened 2020 season, Texas ownership expressed a sense of urgency to its new architects. The Diamondbacks retained their coach and GM despite a brutal and disappointing stretch, because they knew the future was still bright. Arizona GM Mike Hazen (a Princeton grad like new Texas GM Chris Young) had strong track record with drafting and developing players, which he supplemented with shrewd deals during the offseason and at the trade deadline. Torey Lovullo, in his seventh year at the helm, led the DBacks to the playoffs in his first season, and he now has an NL Pennant under his belt. His calm and steady demeanor has been attributed to keeping this young team focused despite some bumps along the way. Few experts or prognosticators would have picked this matchup at the beginning of the year, or even at the start of these playoffs, but for us avid baseball fans, this should make quite a compelling series.
Game one will be a battle of right-handed All Stars. Texan Nathan Eovaldi looks to continue his excellent postseason (4-0 2.42 ERA 26 IP 4 GS) and cement a legacy of playoff dominance. Zac Gallen gets the ball for the Snakes, though his second half struggles have rolled over to the postseason (2-2 5.27 ERA 22.1 IP 4 GS). In game two, the Rangers will call upon lefty Jordan Montgomery, who’s been nothing short of outstanding these playoffs (3-0 2.16 ERA 25 IP 4 GS 1 GR). Opposing him will be Merrill Kelly, a solid veteran (2-1 2.65 ERA 17 IP 3 GS) amidst an excellent two-year stretch (25-16 3.33 ERA 378 IP 63 GS). For the offenses, Corey Seager and Adolis García (ALCS MVP) have provided a ton of thump for the Rangers, while it’s been the trio of Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte (NLCS MVP), and Gabriel Moreno getting things going for the Snakes. Texas desperately wants to maintain home field advantage in the best of seven, but Arizona will be happy with a split before things head to Phoenix.
Audio clips from MLB.tv
TEX Radio 105.3 KRLD - Eric Nadel and Matt Hicks
ARI Radio 98.7 - Greg Schulte, Tom Candiotti, and Chris Garagiola
FOX Broadcast - Joe Davis, John Smoltz, Ken Rosenthal, and Tom Verducci
Catch you next time,
P.C.O.
