By Jack Walker
The stage is set for the 2023 Fall Classic. The Texas Rangers will take on the Arizona Diamondbacks for a chance at becoming the champions of Major League Baseball. An unthinkable yet amazing matchup, as the franchises were two of the three worst teams in baseball after the 2021 season.
The Rangers defeated the reigning champion Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series to earn themselves a spot back in the World Series for the first time since 2011. In the National League, the Diamondbacks defeated the Philadelphia Phillies, making it the first time they will play in the Fall Classic since 2001. Here’s a look at how the Rangers and the Diamondbacks found themselves winning a pennant and making it to the World Series.
The Rangers
The Rangers controlled the AL West for most of the season with their high-powered offense, but were lacking another arm next to starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi after Jacob Degrom was only able to make six starts for the team before going down with season-ending Tommy John Surgery. Fast forward to July and the Rangers picked up pitchers including Jordan Montgomery from the Cardinals, seven-time All-star reliever Aroldis Chapman and three-time Cy Young winner, Max Scherzer. The Rangers were in an intense battle for first place in the AL West with the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners, but ultimately came up short on the last day of the season, settling for 90 wins and a wild card spot against the 99-win Tampa Bay Rays.
Things were looking down for the Rangers after losing out on home field advantage and having to win two of three in St. Petersburg to move onto the Divisional Series. As it turned out, the Rangers are in the postseason for a reason, they’re a really good baseball team. They were able to sweep the Rays, and then do the same to the 101-win Baltimore Orioles.
The Rangers went up against their in-state rivals, the Astros, for a chance to go to the World Series. The Rangers took the first two games of the series in Houston, but lost three straight at home. With their backs against the wall, Texas won Game 6 and then dominated the Astros in Game 7, 11-4, to clinch a spot in the World Series.
ALCS MVP Adolis Garcia, Corey Seager, Jordan Montgomery and Nathan Eovaldi have a lot to do with the Rangers making it this far. Montgomery and Eovaldi are an unreal 7-0 in the postseason, only allowing a combined 13 earned runs in 51 innings pitched, and a combined 2.29 ERA. Eovaldi has been able to go at least six innings in every start he’s made in the postseason, giving the Rangers bullpen plenty of rest.
The Rangers high-powered offense was led by Garcia and Seager. Garcia is coming off an unbelievable series versus the Astros, hitting five home runs against them, including two in Game 7. With his dominance, Garcia was the easy pick for ALCS MVP. Corey Seager has also added on three home runs himself this postseason. The dominant duo aren’t the only ones slugging the ball well for Texas this fall. Rookie’s Josh Jung and Evan Carter are also hitting over .300 this postseason. The Rangers as a whole have a combined 22 home runs and a combined OPS over .825.
The most impressive part of the Rangers postseason run however is their dominant road record. The Rangers are 8-0 on the road this postseason, tied for the longest road winning streak in playoff history with the 1996 World Series-Winning New York Yankees. Manager Bruce Bochy was also able to move to 6-0 in winner-take-all games, an extremely impressive feat as no other manager has reached this number.
The Diamondbacks
Not many people saw the Diamondbacks getting to where they are now. The Diamondbacks were the very last team to clinch a spot in the postseason, ending their season at 84-78. According to Baseball Reference, the Diamondbacks were given a 29.1% chance to reach the Wild Card and a 1.5% chance to win the National League after their first game of the season. After opening the month of August with a nine-game losing streak, the Diamondbacks found themselves two games under .500. The odds they made the playoffs on Aug. 11 sat at 8.1%.
Led by soon-to-be National League Rookie of the Year, Corbin Carroll, Arizona put together a late-season push, and on the last day of the season, they were able to clinch a spot in the postseason.
Smart and cheap free agent signings, trades, and draft selections got the Diamondbacks to their current spot. The Diamondbacks are built a lot differently than their World Series matchup. Ketel Marte, the NLCS MVP, is the Diamondbacks highest paid player making over $11 million, in comparison to the Rangers, who have four players making over $20 million, including one over $40 million. The Diamondbacks have the ninth-lowest team payroll in the sport, the Rangers have the fourth-highest.
In the NLCS, Arizona had to go through the red-hot Philadelphia Phillies. The National League winners in 2022 and a team that just made the 104-win Braves look like they didn’t belong in the postseason. After losing Game 2 of the NLCS to the Phillies 10-0, it looked like the season may have been over for the Diamondbacks.
Down 0-2 The Diamondbacks needed to take care of business at home. Chase Field, home of the Diamondbacks, is infamous for its pool in right field, which is open to fans. After the Diamondbacks defeated the Dodgers at home, they held their post-game celebrations in the pool. Phillies catcher Garrett Stubbs took note of this and made a comment about the Phillies celebrating in the pool if they were able to finish the series in Arizona.
Clearly, the Diamondbacks took this to heart, winning two of three at home, and allowing two or less runs in three of the remaining five games. The Phillies were dominant at home in the two previous postseasons, but it didn’t matter to Arizona. Sending the Philly fans home defeated in Games 6 and 7, making it just the second time in 26 years as a franchise that the Diamondbacks will play in the World Series.
Game 1 of the World Series will take place Friday, Oct. 27, 8:03 p.m. at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen and Rangers ace Nathan Eovaldi will take the mound Friday night. This is an exciting and unpredictable matchup that features two teams that many fans didn’t expect to be the last two standing.
