Patrick J. Walsh III ’24

by Patrick J. Walsh III ’24 on November 10, 2023

There is no way that anyone expected this one. The Texas Rangers will take on the Arizona Diamondbacks in the World Series. Both of these teams were expected to be first round exits as they both had to fight in the Wild Card round. They both dominated in the first round, sweeping their respective opponents. The Rangers then outplayed the Orioles which seemed like an easy series for them as they still had not suffered a loss. The American League East, one of the best divisions in baseball if not the best, always has high expectations when in the playoffs and the Rangers just went on the road to Tampa and Baltimore and put them to bed. Another trip across the country, but much closer to home for the Rangers being in Houston, the Astros were playing in the American League Championship Series for the seventh straight time. In seven games the Rangers were victorious and this could have finished in less if it were not for the game five heroics by Jose Altuve and the Astros. The Rangers did all of America a favor by taking out Houston at Minute Maid Park in another dominant performance. Their bats have been absolutely electric from Aroldis Garcia to rookie Evan Carter. There is not a sore spot in this lineup and it is the best Rangers team we have seen in several seasons. For the Rangers, the concern going into the playoffs was if they were going to have enough solid arms to go the distance and if their bullpen was going to hold up. Scherzer getting injured right before the playoffs was a big blow to a team that already lost deGrom. This team has rode Nathan Eovaldi all through the playoffs and it has paid off significantly. Don’t get me wrong, the bats have been phenomenal and they are extremely deserving of this opportunity, but if they did not have Eovaldi in this rotation, I do not believe they would be in this position. Eovaldi’s stats throughout this postseason include a 4–0 perfect record with just a 2.24 era and 28 punchouts; he has been a wagon. If you didn’t watch game seven, google Aroldis Garcia and you will understand what happened on Monday night. This is an example of a true athlete who is completely locked in: he has put on a show throughout all of playoffs and the only thing he is looking for now is some jewelry for his ring finger. The Arizona Diamondbacks have waited 22 years but they are finally back in the last dance. After embarrassing the Los Angeles Dodgers and shutting out the tumultuous Philadelphia crowd, they have complete confidence in some players that the league did not know about a season ago. They have had some remarkable pitching from Brandon Pfaadt and their lockdown bullpen with Kevin Ginkle and Paul Sewald. Pfaadt, a rookie, went 3–9 in the regular season with 5.72 era. This postseason he has a 4–0 record with a 2.70 era and 22 strikeouts. He pitched the game of his life Tuesday night in game seven all thanks to his bible. This kid went out there and silenced one of the most hostile crowds in all of sports with ease. Christian Walker and Corbin Carroll led the charge on offense and this Arizona team has just found ways to come out on top and shock the nation. Both squads have faced the music in game seven and rolled over opponents all playoffs. I expect this series to be very interesting and have several games. They have shown that they are both cold blooded and that having their backs up against the wall has not been a problem. This series is an absolute toss up and either team that comes out victorious will be deserving, yet the loss will be devastating for the other side. Will it be the veterans or the rookies making more of an impact? The Rangers have been putting up plenty of runs while the bats have cooled off as of late for the Dbacks, but the pitching has been inspiring and given the team complete confidence. Although Zach Gallen and Merill Kelly have not been at their best they are both weapons on this staff. I think the Rangers bats will outweigh the Diamondbacks pitching and the Rangers will be triumphant in six games. This will be another back and forth series, but everything is bigger in Texas and the Rangers are unstoppable. Though the Diamondbacks are fearless, will they have enough gas in the tank to shock the world one more time?