The Rangers have had some historical players and never won! From Nolan Ryan to Ivan Rodriguez, Rafael Palmero, Juan Gonzalez, Jose Canseco in the 90's and not a single series win. They have always had a strong hitting ideology but it took a Miami Marlins ex pitcher in Nathan Evaldi and another player they signed who was a free agent in Corey Seagar that they are now winning it all. Also can't forget the great manager they got in Bruce Bochy who came out of retirement to win a ring with Texas on his first year there... Once more we can say. "Don't Mess with Texas!" This time it's them winning the World Series. So once again! Congrats to them, the franchise, and their fans.
For the first time in franchise history, the Texas @Rangers are #WorldSeries Champions! #CHAMPS pic.twitter.com/Ln8Md4VJV3
— MLB (@MLB) November 2, 2023
Twelve years ago, the Rangers famously fell one strike short of a championship -- twice. The Cardinals' David Freese kept their champagne on ice. But on this night, the bubbly burst, and the Rangers completed an incredible road show that saw them go an unprecedented 11-0 away from Arlington. "I think we took that to heart. We weren’t going to let up until the last out was made," said catcher Jonah Heim, who was behind the plate as right-hander Josh Sborz rather than closer José Leclerc struck out Ketel Marte to clinch the title.
"I’m so proud of this team. We fought through adversity, injuries, and we came out on top. I don’t know what else to say." Gallen and Eovaldi staged a World Series-worthy pitchers’ duel that was a welcomed tonic after the bullpen-palooza that had played out the previous night. They also proved that zeroes come in many forms.
For Gallen, it was efficient, almost effortless out after out after out. He became the first pitcher in World Series history to pitch six no-hit innings with his team facing elimination. Eovaldi, on the other hand, had to sweat his way to success. He had baserunners abound, allowing four hits and five walks in six innings. But the D-backs went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position against him to strand all nine of those runners. They had two aboard with none out in the third, when No. 3 hitter Gabriel Moreno questionably put down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners, and nothing came of it.
In short, the Snakes let Eovaldi off the hook and, in the process, left themselves vulnerable to anything short of perfection by their ace. "I kind of joked around that I didn’t know how many rabbits I had left in my hat," Eovaldi said. "I didn’t really help myself out in some of those situations. Other times, they put together quality at-bats and were able to find the whole. A lot of the credit goes to Jonah back there behind the plate. He called a great game. We were on the same page for the most part. We were able to come out on top. That was the main thing."
Gallen finally bent in the seventh, and it began in an ironic way. Seager broke up the no-no, but he didn’t do it in the style that suited him all series. Rather, it was a softly hit grounder to the opposite side a ball that would have been harmless if third baseman Evan Longoria hadn’t been shifted toward shortstop. The ball reached the outfield grass, and the Rangers had life.
Gallen finally bent in the seventh, and it began in an ironic way. Seager broke up the no-no, but he didn’t do it in the style that suited him all series. Rather, it was a softly hit grounder to the opposite side a ball that would have been harmless if third baseman Evan Longoria hadn’t been shifted toward shortstop. The ball reached the outfield grass, and the Rangers had life.
Reflecting a theme of this series, the Rangers seized the moment in a way the D-backs did not. Evan Carter ripped a double to put two runners in scoring position. And after a consultation on the mound with pitching coach Brent Strom, Gallen gave up a ground-ball single up the middle to Garver to bring Seager home with the game’s first run. "Gallen was unbelievable tonight, but we came through," Semien said. "Once Corey got the first hit, everybody kind of woke up." Though Gallen recovered to strike out Josh Jung and October relief hero Kevin Ginkel came on to record the last two outs and escape a bases-loaded jam of his own making in the eighth, the D-backs were made to pay for their early inability to cash in at the plate.
The Rangers came out swinging in the ninth against Arizona closer Paul Sewald with consecutive singles from Jung and Nathaniel Lowe. Heim ripped a single to center that Thomas misplayed. The ball scooted toward the wall, as Jung and Lowe hustled home and Heim streaked to third. Two outs later, Semien went deep for the second time in as many nights to make it 5-0, igniting a Texas-sized soiree, 52 years in the making. "This is the biggest moment, the World Series," Semien said. "Put up four runs in the ninth inning to be up 5-0 after being no-hit, it just felt so good. [I] just looked over to the bench and screamed. It’s just an unbelievable feeling."
