Rangers win first World Series title, top Diamondbacks in Game 5

PHOENIX — The Texas Rangers won their first World Series championship on Wednesday, defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-0.

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The Rangers won the best-of-seven series 4-1 and notched their 11th consecutive road victory in the 2023 postseason, an MLB record.

Mitch Garver’s RBI single in the seventh inning and a four-run rally in the ninth was the difference for the Rangers. Texas prevailed despite a gritty performance by Zac Gallen. The Diamondbacks starter kept the Rangers hitless through six innings at Chase Field.

Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi was equal to the task, tossing six shutout innings while allowing just four hits. The Texas bullpen took it from there, with Aroldis Chapman and Josh Sborz finishing off the shutout victory by allowing one hit over the final three innings.

Corey Seager became the fourth player to win a World Series MVP award two times, adding to his 2020 award when he was with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Seager went 6-for-19 during the World Series with three walks, three home runs and six RBIs. He joins Reggie Jackson (1973 and 1977) as the only position players to win the MVP two times.

The other two winners were Hall of Fame pitchers Sandy Koufax (1963 and 1965) and Bob Gibson (1964 and 1967).

The Rangers, who began as the expansion Washington Senators in 1961 when the original Senators shifted to Minneapolis to become the Twins, moved to Texas after the 1971 season.

The Rangers won the World Series in a dramatic turnaround, going 90-72 this season after six consecutive losing seasons that included a 60-102 record just two years ago. Then they swept the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles during the first two rounds of the playoffs and defeated the defending World Series champion Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series in seven games.

In the franchise’s 62-year history, the Rangers had been to two other World Series -- back-to-back appearances in 2010 and 2011 -- but were unable to secure a title.

The Rangers came tantalizingly close in 2011, coming within one strike two times in Game 6, according to Bleacher Report. But the St. Louis Cardinals prevailed thanks to David Freese’s triple in the ninth inning and a leadoff home run in the 11th inning, and the Rangers lost Game 7 the following night.

This year’s squad would not be denied.

Arizona starter Gallen retired the first 14 batters he faced before issuing a two-out walk in the fifth inning.

The Rangers finally broke through with a hit and a run in the seventh. Corey Seager led off with a single and Evan Carter doubled.

Garver then delivered an RBI single to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead.

Kevin Ginkel came on in relief for the Diamondbacks and got Arizona out of the jam.

Nathaniel Lowe grounded into a fielder’s choice, with the Diamondbacks retiring Carter in a rundown. Jonah Heim then fouled out to end the threat.

The Rangers loaded the bases in the top of the eighth inning with one out, but Ginkel struck out Carter and got Garver to ground out to shortstop.

The Rangers broke the game open in the top of the ninth inning. Josh Jung and Nathaniel Lowe opened with singles. Jonah Heim followed with an RBI single to score Jung. Lowe scored on center field Alek Thomas’ error when the ball went under his glove. Marcus Semien hit a two-run homer to give the Rangers a 5-0 lead and the cushion they needed.

With the World Series victory, Bruce Bochy became the third manager in World Series history to win a title with a National League team and an American League squad. He joins Sparky Anderson, who won titles with the Cincinnati Reds (1975-76) and Detroit Tigers (1984); and Tony La Russa, who earned World Series rings with the Oakland Athletics (1989) and St. Louis Cardinals (2006).

With his fourth World Series title overall, Bochy is tied for third overall with Walter Alston (Dodgers) and Joe Torre (Yankees). He only trails Joe McCarthy, who won seven titles with the New York Yankees; and Connie Mack, who took five World Series while managing the Philadelphia Athletics.

Now, there are five teams without a World Series victory, according to The Sporting News. They are the San Diego Padres, the Milwaukee Brewers, the Seattle Mariners, the Colorado Rockies and the Rays. All but the Mariners have been to at least one World Series.

The Padres and Brewers (originally the Seattle Mariners) now own the longest drought without a World Series title -- 54 years. Both franchises were founded in 1969.

The Rangers won it all on Wednesday despite losing American League Championship Series MVP Adolis Garcia late in Game 3 when he hurt an oblique while swinging, CBS Sports reported. García hit eight home runs in the playoffs and had a postseason-record 22 RBI, according to The Athletic.

They also lost pitcher Max Scherzer three innings into Game 3 when the three-time Cy Young Award winner suffered back spasms, according to ESPN.

Both players were dropped from the postseason roster. It did not matter.

The Diamondbacks were attempting to become the seventh team in World Series history to come back from a 3-1 series deficit. The last team to achieve that feat was the 2016 Chicago Cubs, CBS Sports reported.

In Game 4, the Rangers became the first team in MLB postseason history to score five or more runs with two outs in consecutive innings, ESPN reported. They also became the first team in the postseason to score 10 or more runs in a division series, league championship and the World Series.

The Rangers also became the first team to score at least three runs over the first three innings of a World Series.

The 1968 Detroit Tigers scored 10 runs in the third inning of Game 6 to take a 12-0 lead, according to Baseball-Reference.com. The Tigers went on to win that game 13-1.

The other team was the Diamondbacks, during their only other World Series appearance in 2001. Arizona led 12-0 in Game 6 against the New York Yankees en route to a 15-2 victory, according to Baseball-Reference.com.

The Rangers also hit for the cycle in the second inning of Game 4, the first team to achieve the feat since the 1991 Atlanta Braves, ESPN reported.

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