Rangers to win the 2023 World Series

For the first time in franchise history, the Texas Rangers are World Series Champions. The Rangers won their first title with a thrilling 5-0 victory (box score) over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 5 of the 2023 World Series on Wednesday night. Texas went an impressive 11-0 this postseason. It is the longest road winning streak in franchise history, regular season or postseason.

Righty Josh Sporz, who had a 5.50 ERA in the regular season and a 0.75 ERA in the postseason, recorded his 27th and final outing against Ketel Marte with a strikeout.

D-backs ace Zac Gallen pitched a no-hitter in the seventh inning of Game 5 — he was fantastic — but, in the end, the Rangers found a way to scratch a run against Gallen, while Arizona stranded runner after runner against Nathan Eovaldi. . Arizona went 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position through five innings with nine men on base. There were opportunities. The D-backs couldn’t make money. Texas eventually broke the game open with a four-run ninth inning and Marcus Siemian’s two-run home run served as the exclamation point.

With the win, Rangers captain Bruce Bochy became the sixth manager to win four World Series championships, joining Casey Stengel (seven), Joe McCarthy (seven), Connie Mack (five), Walter Alston (four), and Joe Torre (four). . All five of those guys are in the Hall of Fame. Bochy will one day join them in Cooperstown. His teams have won four of the last 14 World Series.

Here are the highlights from Game 5 of the 2023 World Series.

Got the gallon through the order for the third time

The D-backs needed ace Zach Gallen to pitch, well, like an ace, and he was amazing through six innings in Game 5. Galen retired the first 14 batters he faced — he was the first pitcher. Greg Maddux started the fifth inning of the first World Series in 1995 — and he didn’t allow a hit through six innings. He was dominant and efficient. Only six to 72 bits.

Alas and woe, the pitchers were dealing until suddenly they weren’t, and the Rangers were outmatched when they changed the lineup for the third time. No. 2 hitter and World Series MVP Corey Seager He broke up the no-hitter with a single through the empty left side to start the seventh. No. 3 hitter Evan Carter doubled to right, then 4th hitter Mitch Carver singled back up the middle to score the game’s first run.

After allowing zero hits and one walk to 18 batters the first two times through the lineup, Galen faced just five hitters in the third and had three base hits. Third time through the order penalty isn’t fun — there are few things less exciting in this game than seeing a competent starter come out of the game — but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true. Here are the gallons in 2023:

The end result was unfortunate, but Gallen gave the D-backs a chance, and then some in Game 5, which he did by changing the scouting report. He threw 25 curveballs or 30% of his 83 pitches. He hasn’t thrown 30% curveballs in a start since August 6th, and he’s done it just five times all year. Through six innings, all those extra innings kept the Rangers off balance.

The T-backs had Ewald on the ropes

But failed to deliver the knockout blow. Or push across a run. Arizona put the leadoff man on base in each of the first three innings of Game 5 and had a runner on base in each of the first five innings, but they went 0 for 9 with runners against Nathan Eovaldi and scored zero runs. Check out these wasted prime scoring opportunities:

• First Innings: Runner on third with one out.
• 2nd Innings: Runner on second with one out.
• 3rd Innings: Runners on first and second with no outs.
• 5th Innings: Two outs with the bases loaded.

Corbin Carroll singled and Ketel Marte led off that third inning, then No. 3 hitter Gabriel Moreno singled to second. Zach became the first No. 3 hitter to bunt in the World Series since Kirby Puckett in 1991. Evaldi followed with a strikeout and a groundout, however, and Arizona was scoreless in the inning.

Through the sixth inning, his final inning, Ewald posted a 1-2-3 frame. He is the opposite of Galen. Gallen pitched with essentially zero high-pressure pitches in his six innings. Ewaldi was in trouble all night — nine baserunners in his six innings — and took plenty of swings but struck out zero. Galen and Ewald had two very different beginnings, each impressive in its own way.

That fifth inning was the last time the T-backs had a runner in scoring position this season. Three Rangers pitchers — Ewaldi, Aroldis Chapman, Josh Spores — held Arizona to a walk and a single over the final four innings. The T-backs had plenty of chances against Ewald and couldn’t get The Big Hit. The game was early.

The Rangers broke it open late

Game 5 was 0-0 through six innings and 1-0 until the ninth, when the Rangers put the game away with four insurance runs. Alec Thomas made a back-breaking error on Jonah Heim’s RBI single that allowed it to get under his glove so Nathaniel Lowe could go home from first base. Marcus Siemian provided the exclamation point with a two-run homer.

Texas was hitless in six innings against Galen and still managed to score five runs on nine hits in Game 5. First team to win a World Series game without a win through six innings. Their lineup is really good, deep and varied. Galen had this great game in the 5th, and the Rangers won by five runs. Significant.

Smith made history

Veteran lefty Will Smith is 1 of 1. He is He is the first player in the history of the four major North American sports leagues to win three championships in three years with three different teams. Smith won World Series titles with the 2021 Atlanta Braves, 2022 Houston Astros and now the 2023 Rangers. Granted, Smith didn’t pitch well in the World Series (two runs in 1 1/3 innings), but he’s been on the roster all season and was the closer of the first half. A good luck charm, he is.

The Rangers are World Series Champions

How cool is that? The franchise began as the Washington Senators in 1961, moved to Texas and became the Rangers in 1972, and it wasn’t until this year, in the franchise’s 63rd season, that they won a championship. Now the Rangers have a title, The Brewers, Mariners, Padres, Rays and Rockies are the five remaining franchises without a World Series title.. The D-backs can be proud of their season — the team recently lost 110 games in 2021 — but there’s no doubt, this loss hurts.

Championship gear

Texas hasn’t even had a winning season since 2016, making the 2023 World Series title sweeter. You can already get Rangers World Series Championship hoodies, t-shirts, hats, autographed baseballs and more. Get your history here before you take it.