FOX'S Derek Jeter, David Ortiz & Alex Rodriguez react
FOX'S Derek Jeter, David Ortiz & Alex Rodriguez react
Nathaniel Lowe catches a beer, chugs it and takes off his shirt at championship parade
Bruce Bochy spoke on stage at the Texas Rangers 2023 World Series parade
Corey Seager hits Alex Bregman with 'I guess we'll never know' at championship parade
Nathaniel Lowe
Championship parades are an outlet for athletes to express themselves after all of the emotion and pain they have endured on their trek to the mountaintop. Many players overindulge in alcoholic beverages, some wear shirts with pointed messages and others don’t wear a shirt at all.
Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager kept his celebration habits simple, opting for a good ole’ fashioned troll job.
The two-time World Series MVP completely fed into the energy of the rabid Arlington crowd. Fans would have gone berserk over anything Seager said, but he knew how to rile them up even more.
“Everyone was wondering what would happen if the Rangers didn’t win the World Series,” he cleverly said, per Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News. “I guess we’ll never know.”
Seager is mimicking the words exclaimed by Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman after the team snatched the American League West title from the Rangers on the final day of the regular season. It looked as if the Astros were going to best their in-state rival again in the ALCS,
but the eventual 2023 champions ignited in Games 6 and 7
After an emotionally-charged battle, Corey Seager evidentially deemed it necessary to deliver one more parting shot to the former champs, as Texas officially takes its place at the pinnacle of baseball. Bregman has dabbled in trash-talking in the past and knows all too well the
comeuppance aspect that can come along with it.
But neither he nor the Astros will forget this jab. The Rangers just have to make sure it doesn’t come back to bite them in 2024. One of sports’ newest and most compelling rivalries just keeps getting better.
“He called him out, and I wanted to celebrate with Sborz and forgot the ball was in my glove,” Heim said. “But I recovered, made the play, and we got it.”
They sure did.
The resilient Rangers roared to life after being no-hit for six innings of Game 5, securing their first World Series title in franchise history by going undefeated on the road all postseason.
The Rangers go perfect on the road in the postseason on their way to their first ever World Series victory.
Texas Rangers' World Series Trophy Ceremony, Corey Seager Wins MVP | MLB on FOX
The Texas Rangers WIN THE WORLD SERIES!
Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
‘Oh, my God’: Mavs’ Luka Doncic reacts to extremely intense Rangers vs Diamondbacks Game 5 during Bulls game
Rangers vs. D-backs World Series Game 5 Highlights (11/1/23) | MLB Highlights
Texas Rangers, Bruce Bochy Celebrate in Locker Room after World Series Win | MLB on FOX
Texas Rangers Fans Celebrate after World Series Win
PHOENIX -- — Corey Seager took a mighty swing and barely connected, sending a squibber through an open area on the left side of the infield for his team's first hit in the seventh inning.
The Texas Rangers shortstop and World Series MVP provided plenty of power throughout a stellar October run. But it was a little good fortune that finally sparked the offense Wednesday night and sent the Rangers to their first title.
Considering the heartache this club endured 12 years ago in one of the all-time Fall Classic gut punches, Texas was certainly due.
Nathan Eovaldi pitched six gritty innings, Mitch Garver broke a scoreless tie with an RBI single in the seventh and the Rangers won the first World Series championship in their 63-season franchise history by beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-0 in Game 5.
“It’s just awesome. This is the vision, right?” Seager said. “It's a really special moment.”
Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
Marcus Semien hits a MASSIVE Late Homer in World Series Game 5!
Marcus Semien homered in a four-run ninth and the Rangers, held hitless for six innings by Zac Gallen, finished a record 11-0 on the road this postseason after capping the Fall Classic with three straight wins in the desert.
“Everything I’ve ever worked for is for this moment,” Semien said. “Gallen was unbelievable tonight. But we came through. Once Corey got the first hit, everybody kind of woke up. Pitching was unbelievable.”
In his first season with Texas, manager Bruce Bochy won his fourth World Series title 13 years to the day after his first, which came in 2010 when the Giants beat the Rangers. He also won rings with San Francisco in 2012 and 2014.
The 68-year-old Bochy helped exorcise some painful memories for Texas fans, who watched as their team came agonizingly close to the 2011 crown, needing just one strike on two occasions before losing to the St. Louis Cardinals.
“I was sitting in a recliner there in Nashville, just enjoying myself,” said Bochy, who came out of retirement to take over in Texas.
“I was along for the ride, trust me. I was very fortunate and blessed to be able to get back into baseball in this type of a situation.”
One night after the Rangers built a 10-run lead by the third inning in Game 4, they finished off baseball's third all-wild card World Series by outlasting Arizona in a white-knuckle pitchers' duel.
Gallen carried a no-hitter into the seventh before giving up an opposite-field single to Seager, whose weak grounder found a hole. Rangers rookie Evan Carter — all of 21 years old — followed with a double. Garver then delivered the first run, pumping his fist as a hard grounder up the
middle scored Seager.
The Rangers get Three Straight Hits to TAKE THE LEAD in World Series Game 5!
Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
Garver was 1 for 17 at the plate in the Series before his huge hit.
With the Rangers clinging to that 1-0 lead, Josh Jung and Nathaniel Lowe singled off Paul Sewald to start the ninth. Jung scored on Jonah Heim's single, and Lowe came all the way around from first base when center fielder Alek Thomas let the ball get past him for an error.
Young rookie Evan Carter, who made his MLB debut on Sept. 8, joins this list of in-season callups who exceeded expectations and helped their teams to World Series titles.
Two outs later, Semien’s two-run homer made it 5-0. It was the 13th time Texas scored at least three runs in an inning this postseason.
Meanwhile on the mound, Eovaldi wriggled out of trouble all night before Aroldis Chapman and Josh Sborz closed the door, as the Rangers became the first team to win a World Series game despite having no hits or runs through six innings.
“I kind of joked around: I don’t know how many rabbits I have in my hat,” said Eovaldi, who improved to 5-0 with a 2.95 ERA this postseason. “I didn’t really do a great job tonight in attacking the zone. But our defense, incredible again.”
Sborz struck out four in 2 1/3 innings of one-hit relief for his first postseason save. He threw a called third strike past Ketel Marte for the final out, and jubilant Texas players rushed toward the mound to celebrate.
It’s the first title for the Rangers, whose history dates back to 1961 when they were the expansion Washington Senators. They moved to Texas for the 1972 season.
Now, after five stadiums, roughly two dozen managers and 10,033 games, the Rangers are finally champions.
It didn't come easy — at all.
FULL FINAL INNING: The Rangers Win their First-Ever World Series!
Texas led the AL West for most of the year, but coughed up the division crown on the final day of the regular season to rival Houston. The Rangers weathered an early season-ending injury to new ace Jacob deGrom and a significant one to Seager in April as well before red-hot slugger
Adolis García and three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer went down in Game 3 of the World Series.
Yet still, players like trade-deadline acquisition Jordan Montgomery, replacement closer José Leclerc and backup outfielder Travis Jankowski picked up the slack throughout for these resilient Rangers, capping a quick and impressive turnaround under general manager Chris Young after
Texas lost 102 games in 2021 and went 68-94 last year for its sixth consecutive losing season.
A disheartening 1-0 defeat in the regular-season finale at Seattle left the Rangers with the No. 5 seed in the American League playoffs and sent them across the country to open the postseason at Tampa Bay, part of a two-week trip that took them to four cities — two on each coast. But
after sweeping the Rays and AL East champion Orioles, the AL's two winningest teams, Texas got its revenge against 2022 World Series champion Houston, winning a hard-fought AL Championship Series in which the road team won all seven games.
That propelled the Rangers to their first Fall Classic in 12 years. Once there, they became the first team to win the World Series without committing an error since the 1966 Baltimore Orioles.
Texas will celebrate with a parade in the Arlington entertainment district near its stadium on Friday.
Nathan Eovaldi and Zac Gallen both brought their A-game in World Series Game 5!
“We’ve just got a group of winners,” Lowe said. “When the bus driver’s driving slow, we tell him, `Hey man, you know you’re driving a group of winners,' so we believed it through and through. Maybe we struggled at home, but we got it done on the road, and we’ve got a special group.”
In the end, Texas had to get past the young and surprising Diamondbacks, who won just 84 games during the regular season but beat the Brewers, Dodgers and Phillies in a remarkable postseason run that finally fizzled.
“I’m sorry I didn’t do my job to get us there,” manager Torey Lovullo said, pausing as his voice cracked with emotion. “But I will. We all will.”
With some help from his defense, the bespectacled Gallen mowed down his first 14 hitters before walking Lowe.
Eovaldi wasn’t as sharp, but still matched Gallen’s zeros on the scoreboard despite walking five, his most in an outing since 2013.
Arizona had some juicy opportunities to score in the first five innings, but couldn’t convert, going 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position.
Eovaldi made it through six, giving up four hits and striking out five on 97 pitches.
“He was a traffic cop tonight,” Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux said.
World Series Final Out RAW ON-FIELD VIDEO! (Rangers Win First Championship!)
Corey Seager talks World Series Win
Evan Carter talks Road to World Series Champ!
Marcus Semien talks Home Run in Game 5 Win
Seager & Semien on being a part of Rangers' First World Series Title
Max Scherzer Wins another Ring!
VALUABLE COMPANY
Seager, who also led the Los Angeles Dodgers to a championship in 2020, joined Hall of Famers Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson and Reggie Jackson as the only players to win two World Series MVP awards.
CONNECT FOUR
Bochy is the sixth manager to win four titles, joining Casey Stengel (seven), Joe McCarthy (seven), Connie Mack (five), Walter Alston (four) and Joe Torre (four). All of them are in the Hall of Fame and when Bochy’s career is over, it seems a given he'll be enshrined in Cooperstown as well.
MONEY WELL SPENT
The Rangers have been eyeing this moment since Dec. 1, 2021, when they committed more than a half-billion dollars to sign Seager, Semien and pitcher Jon Gray, who delivered a crucial three-inning relief performance in Game 3. Big spending doesn’t always lead to titles — just ask the
Mets, Yankees and Padres this year — but for the Rangers, it worked.
STREAK STOPPED
Marte went 0 for 2, ending his postseason-record hitting streak at 20 games. He walked three times, though, and has reached base safely in all 21 career postseason games.
LONG AND WINDING ROAD
After baseball expanded its playoffs to 12 teams in 2022, the Rangers became the first team to win 13 postseason games. Texas also became the first club in any of the four major professional sports in North America to win 11 road games in a single postseason, according to OptaSTATS.
BOUND FOR COOPERSTOWN
Bochy's cap, Seager's helmet, Carter's batting gloves, Semien's jersey and Eovaldi's spikes are among the World Series memorabilia items being donated to the Hall of Fame.
THEN THERE WERE FIVE
Colorado, Milwaukee, San Diego, Seattle and Tampa Bay are the franchises that remain without a World Series championship. The Diamondbacks won their only title in 2001.
Bruce Bochy Reacts to Texas Ranger Winning First World Series in Franchise History & 4th WS Win
Corey Seager Reacts to Texas Rangers Winning First World Series & Winning 2nd World Series MVP
World Series postgame interviews with Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Bruce Bochy, & more | MLB on Fox
Nathan Eovaldi Reacts to Texas Rangers Winning First Ever World Series & Representing State of Texas
Torey Lovullo EMOTIONAL Reaction to Diamondbacks Losing World Series: "This Is Just Plain Painful!"
The Rangers take a 3-1 World Series lead after beating the Diamondbacks 11-7 in Arizona.
Rangers vs. D-backs World Series Game 4 Highlights (10/31/23) | MLB Highlights
Rangers’ Jon Gray embraces ‘villain’ role
"After Max Scherzer was forced to leave Game 3 with a back injury, Jon Gray stepped in and shut out the D-backs' lineup for three innings. @DaniWex credits Gray for the @Rangers' big win to take a 3-1 #WorldSeries lead.
PHOENIX -- — Adolis García gathered Texas Rangers hitters in a clubhouse side room Tuesday afternoon and told them his World Series was over.
Max Scherzer was finished, too, injuries costing the American League champions their top slugger and potential Game 7 starting pitcher.
“Pull together guys. Let’s finish it!” Travis Jankowski recalled García saying.
Rangers batters not only bonded, they whipped through the Arizona Diamondbacks like a desert storm.
The Rangers and Semien have been searching for that moment all October. It finally came when they needed it most.
Marcus Semien’s two-run triple and three-run homer powered Texas to a 10-run lead by the third inning, Corey Seager hit another long home run and the Rangers won 11-7 to move ahead three games to one in the World Series.
“That took a lot of guts for him to come out there and speak," Seager said of García. “He was vulnerable. He wants to be out there. He told us he loved us.”
Corey Seager hits his THIRD home run of the World Series!
Rangers accomplish rare World Series feat not seen since 1991
Marcus Semien CRUSHES a 3-run home run for the Texas Rangers!
Texas improved to a record 10-0 on the road this postseason and closed within one win of the first title in the 63-season history of a franchise that started as the expansion Washington Senators in 1961.
Nathan Eovaldi tries to clinch the third all-wild card Series on Wednesday night against Zac Gallen in a rematch of Game 1 starters.
“We’ve got our top guy on the mound now,” Semien said. “He’s a guy who’s been waiting for this moment the entire year.”
Forty-two of 49 previous teams to take 3-1 leads have gone on to win the World Series. The most recent club to overcome a 3-1 deficit was the Chicago Cubs against Cleveland in 2016.
Rangers batters built a 10-0 cushion by becoming the first team in Series history with consecutive five-run innings. Seager’s third two-run homer of the Series capped the second, Semien’s drive punctuated the third and Jonah Heim added an eighth-inning shot.
Texas scored its first 10 runs with two outs, battering an Arizona staff that needed four pitchers to get its first eight outs. Miguel Castro's wild pitch brought home the first run, and an error by Gold Glove first baseman Christian Walker — the first by either team in the Series — led to five
unearned runs in the third.
The Texas Rangers put TEN RUNS on the board in two innings in Game 4 of the World Series!
The Rangers committed $500 million to signing Seager and Semien (center) in 2021.
“This was nothing that we saw coming," Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “It all came unraveled on us there in a matter of two innings.”
Seager and Semien, All-Star middle infielders signed as free agents for $500 million combined before the 2022 season, have six RBI each in the Series. Seager, the first shortstop with three Series homers, has four long balls in his last five games dating to the AL Championship Series.
After leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to the 2020 title, he could join Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson and Reggie Jackson as the only two-time World Series MVPs.
Jankowski, replacing García in right field, singled in the second and hit a two-run double in the third in his first Series at-bats.
“I was locked in last night waiting, preparing to start. I didn’t get the official news until 2 o’clock today,” Jankowski said. “Shoot, I’ve been ready to go 15 years ago.”
Andrew Heaney, a 32-year-old lefty with his fifth big league team, earned the win by allowing four hits in five innings. Six relievers followed, with closer José Leclerc getting the final out.
“We had a 10-run lead. It’s a lot easier to go out there, attack the strike zone and not feel so confined to having to make perfect pitches,” Heaney said.
There was a festive mood at Chase Field, where the roof was open for the second straight night and some fans arrived in Halloween costumes.
Josh Jung doubled off opener Joe Mantiply leading off the second and in came Castro, who gave up García’s winning homer in the 11th inning of Game 1. Jung advanced on a groundout and put Texas ahead when Castro bounced a changeup off the plate for a wild pitch.
Semien hooked a slider that landed about 18 inches fair and bounced into the left-field corner for a two-run triple and a 3-0 lead.
“Looking for the outside corner. It didn't do what I want to do. It just kind of stayed in the zone there,” Castro said through a translator.
Seager hit Kyle Nelson's slider 431 feet off a video board above the right-center wall for his sixth postseason homer.
“Made a mistake to the wrong hitter,” Nelson said. “The plan was to carefully pitch around him.”
In the first World Series to open with three errorless games, Arizona’s defense cracked at an inopportune time. After singles by Jung and Nathaniel Lowe with one out in the third, Luis Frías relieved and Heim hit a sharp grounder to Walker, who had a chance for a double play but dropped
the ball on the transfer as he looked to throw to second.
Jankowski doubled and Semien sent a fastball at the letters over the left-field wall for his first homer since Sept. 27.
“I hadn’t jogged around the bases in a while,” Semien said.
Heim had been 0 for 12 before his homer against Ryne Nelson.
Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte brings house down with eye-popping milestone no one reached before
Ketel Marte’s amazing streak is still alive. In fact, he just extended his playoffs hitting streak to 20 games with a hit right in the very first inning of Tuesday night’s Game 4 of the 2023 World Series between the Texas Rangers and the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Marte’s hitting streak in the MLB playoffs dates back to 2017 which was the last time the Diamondbacks reached the postseason prior to this year. As for this postseason, Ketel Marte is on his 16th-straight game with a hit, as pointed out by Sarah Langs of MLB.com.
“Ketel Marte has a 20-game hitting streak, extending the longest in postseason history. He’s at 16 this year, passing 2015 Alcides Escobar at 15 for the longest single-postseason hitting streak.”
The Diamondbacks’ second baseman is easily one of the biggest driving forces behind Arizona’s Cinderella run in the 2023 MLB playoffs. Marte entered Game 4 of the World Series batting .333 with a .362 OBP and .545 slugging percentage along with two home runs and 11 RBIs in the playoffs.
Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte still on fire
Arizona, which last appeared in the World Series in 2001 before this year, finished the regular season with just an 84-78 record but got in the playoffs via the Wild-Card route. They eliminated the Milwaukee Brewers in the Wild-Card round, shocked the Los Angeles Dodgers in the
National League Division Series, and eliminated the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Championship Series.
Arizona needs Marte to keep going at the plate, as they find itself in a tough series against the favored Rangers, who recaptured the series lead following a 3-1 win in Game 3 Monday night.
TEAM HALLOWEEN
Rangers players gathered with their families at the team hotel at 10 a.m. About two dozen children were in costume, with Jankowski’s two sons and daughter dressed as a falcon, Spider-Man and Bingo from “Bluey.”
“I’m sure they’re all sugared up now, which is great,” Jankowski said after the game, breaking into a wide smile.
LATE SURGE
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth for Arizona and a three-run homer in the eighth against Chris Stratton. Tommy Pham had a sacrifice fly in the eighth, and Gabriel Moreno delivered a two-run single in the ninth.
STREAKING
Arizona’s Ketel Marte had two hits, extending his record postseason hitting streak to 20 games.
TRAINER’S ROOM
García (left oblique) and Scherzer (back spasm) were removed from the Texas roster a day after getting hurt. INF/OF Ezequiel Durán and LHP Brock Burke were added, and Burke was charged with three runs in the eighth. ... Seager appeared to twist one or both ankles on his home run
swing. He was removed for for a pinch runner after doubling in the ninth and said he was fine. ... Rangers rookie Evan Carter was hit on the right pinkie by a pitch in the ninth.
UP NEXT
Eovaldi is 4-0 with a 3.53 ERA in five starts this postseason. He left with a 5-3 deficit in Friday’s opener, allowing five runs and six hits over 4 2/3 innings.
Gallen gave up three runs and four hits over five innings in the opener and is 2-2 with a 5.27 ERA in five postseason starts, yielding six homers in 27 1/3 innings.
Marcus Semien Discusses HUGE Game 4 Performance
Marcus Semien, Andrew Heaney & Bruce Bochy React to Texas Being 1 Win Away From a World Series Win
Torey Lovullo Reacts to Arizona Being 1 Loss Away From Losing World Series & Texas 11 Runs in GM4
With Mad Max aching, Jon Gray came through
Corey Seager and the Rangers defeat the Diamondbacks 3-1 in Game 3 to take a 2-1 World Series lead.
One pitch later, it was 3-0 because Corey Seager exists and the World Series is his playground.
Rangers vs. D-backs World Series Game 3 Highlights (10/30/23) | MLB Highlights
Pregame introductions and Jordin Sparks sings the 'National Anthem' ahead of Game 3 of World Series
When then-Arizona Diamondbacks Randy Johnson hit a bird with a fastball during Spring Training in 2001, it was instantly going to be one of the most replayed sports bloopers of all-time. And, one creative couple decided to turn it into one of the best Halloween costumes of the year this weekend.
Take a look at the incredible costume that’s gone viral on Twitter.
I’m sure that someone has done the costume before, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen it, and it’s executed incredibly well.
If you don’t know the backstory, here it goes. Months before the Diamondbacks won the World Series, they were preparing for their season in Spring Training. And, Hall of Famer Randy Johnson was pitching in the 7th inning of a contest against the Giants on March 24, 2001. Then, the
impossible happened. Johnson, one of the hardest throwers of his era, hit a bird with a pitch in one of the most unlikely sports plays in history. Take a look.
It’s a one-in-a-million play, and that’s a one-in-a-million costume. If there was a best costume prize at their Halloween party, hopefully they won.
In the meantime, the actual Diamondbacks are looking for their first World Series title since that year. They’re currently tied one game apiece with the Texas Rangers in the World Series, with game 3 Monday night back in Arizona.
PHOENIX -- — Corey Seager smashed a homer that rocketed off his bat at a speed few other mortals can match. Then he made a sliding stop and started a double play in the eighth inning that might have saved the game.
The star shortstop is once again playing at a different level in October.
That's good for the Texas Rangers, who may need more of those individual heroics after a costly victory put them ahead in this World Series.
Seager clubbed a two-run homer and turned in a terrific defensive play, Max Scherzer combined with four relievers for a gem on the mound and Texas beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-1 on Monday night to take a 2-1 lead in the Fall Classic.
“This is what you play for. This is where you want to be at this moment,” said Seager, the NLCS and World Series MVP for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020. “Fortunately for me, having experience with this, it's always driven me. I've been fortunate enough to be part of some good teams
and experience these things.”
Then came Jose Leclerc for the 9th. A spotless frame meant Texas has reclaimed the lead in this series.
Then came Jose Leclerc for the 9th.
Texas overcame injuries to Scherzer and slugger Adolis García in improving to 9-0 on the road this postseason, this time in front of more than 48,000 fans at Chase Field.
The 29-year-old Seager — in the second year of a $325 million contract — once again showed he was worth every penny on the game’s biggest stage.
He smoked a two-run homer into the right-field seats as part of a three-run third after Diamondbacks rookie starter Brandon Pfaadt left a first-pitch changeup high in the zone. The ball left Seager’s bat at 114.5 mph, which made it the hardest-hit World Series homer in the Statcast era,
dating back to 2015.
García cut down Christian Walker at the plate with a stellar throw from right field in the second, stifling some early Arizona momentum. García exited in the eighth with tightness on his left side after appearing to get hurt on a swing. He went to a hospital for an MRI to determine the
severity of the injury.
Game 3: Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker doubles off Max Scherzer in the second inning.
Scherzer threw three scoreless innings before leaving with back tightness. Jon Gray, Josh Sborz, Aroldis Chapman and José Leclerc combined to keep Arizona's offense quiet most of the evening.
Scherzer said he was having back spasms and would know more about his availability for a potential Game 7 over the next 48 hours.
“It’s tough. We’re a deep group. We’ll see what happens with both of those guys,” Texas second baseman Marcus Semien said about the injuries. “Adolis has been the heart and soul of our team. Hopefully it’s nothing too bad. But we’re a deep group. We have some guys that haven’t been
playing that are pretty good players, too.”
Gray replaced Scherzer and fired three shutout innings of one-hit ball for the win. Leclerc struck out two in a perfect ninth for his fourth save this postseason.
“Just staying ready ... and just waiting on that call. I knew it was going to happen eventually,” said Gray, a veteran starter who recently returned from injury. “To be able to come in now and do a really good job, it feels amazing.”
Game 4 in the best-of-seven Series is Tuesday at Chase Field.
Max Scherzer and Jon Gray combine for 6 shutout innings in Game 3 of the World Series!
Geraldo Perdomo followed with an RBI single
The D-backs rallied in the eighth when pinch-hitter Emmanuel Rivera led off with a double against Chapman. Geraldo Perdomo followed with an RBI single, making it 3-1. But then Chapman worked out of the jam — striking out Corbin Carroll before Seager started a clutch double play,
sliding on his knees to field a hot smash from Ketel Marte before flipping to Semien, who relayed to first.
“Just trying to make the play,” Seager said. “I think Marcus did a better job than me with the turn and the transfer. Props to him, props to Chapman for making a good pitch and we got out of the inning.”
After García threw out Walker, the Rangers grabbed the lead in the third. Nathaniel Lowe hit a leadoff double and scored on a two-out single by Semien, his first RBI in 10 games. Seager then launched his no-doubt homer deep into the right-field seats to make it 3-0.
Texas is 9-0 this postseason when scoring first, and the Rangers are the first team in major league history to win their first nine road games in one postseason.
SEAGER SMASH! Corey Seager clobbers his 18th CAREER postseason home run! (2nd of World Series)
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy vocal on Adolis Garcia, Max Scherzer’s injury statuses after Game 3 win
Diamondbacks leaning on Morgan Wallen superstition in World Series
It was Seager's fifth homer this postseason. The four-time All-Star also was one of the heroes in Game 1 of this Fall Classic, belting a tying homer in the ninth that helped rally the Rangers to a 6-5 victory in 11 innings on García's home run.
The 25-year-old Pfaadt had been a revelation in the postseason with a 2.70 ERA through four October starts, despite a 5.72 ERA during the regular season. He wasn't quite as good on Monday — giving up three runs on four hits and two walks over 5 1/3 innings, striking out four.
The teams combined for no errors over the first two games of the series and the Rangers produced more defensive highlights that helped them take control of Game 3.
Walker led off the second with a double and Tommy Pham followed with a single, but Walker was thrown out at home. Diamondbacks third-base coach Tony Perezchica put up a stop sign, but Walker either didn't see it or didn't care, never hesitating as he rounded third.
García — a Gold Glove finalist who has one of the best arms in the big leagues — threw a 94.6 mph rocket to the plate to cut down Walker.
“I feel like that was a huge momentum swing,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. “That was a big moment. We got flat there for a couple innings.”
Two batters later, Alek Thomas hit a grounder that deflected off Scherzer's right elbow toward the third-base line. Josh Jung was there to barehand the ball and fling a strong throw across the diamond to beat the speedy Thomas.
Scherzer gave up two hits and two walks while striking out one.
An Iowa fan hilariously protested the controversial Minnesota call behind home plate at the World Series
"Honest mistake. I think I got a late read from an angle, it was hard to tell how hard the ball was hit... I think I got sped up trying to make up for that shovel and had head my down trying to make tight turn like really trying to get to the plate. The last time I looked at him [Perezchica]
he was waving and I never saw the stop sign," Walker said.
World Series Game 3 Highlights: Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Texas Rangers | MLB on ESPN
GREAT GLOVES
This is the first World Series in which neither team has made an error through the first three games.
YOUNG AND CLEAN(UP)
Texas rookie Evan Carter became the fourth-youngest player to hit cleanup in a World Series game at 21 years, 62 days. The outfielder batted third in the first two games, but manager Bruce Bochy said he flipped Carter and García in the lineup on Monday to break up the left-handed bats.
The three youngest players to hit cleanup in the World Series were Miguel Cabrera (2003), Ty Cobb (1907) and Juan Soto (2019), who were all 20.
BEEN A WHILE
This was the first World Series game played at Chase Field since Nov. 4, 2001, when the Diamondbacks beat the Yankees 3-2 in Game 7 after Luis Gonzalez's walk-off hit against Mariano Rivera clinched the series.
The D-backs lost Monday for the first time in the World Series at Chase Field. They were 4-0 at home during the 2001 Series, which is the only other time they've been to the sport's biggest showcase.
BIG SWING
There have been 62 previous instances when the World Series was tied 1-1 after Game 2. The Game 3 winner went on to win 41 times.
Player of the Game:
While Seager is aiming for a second World Series MVP after his laser beam home run, it was Gray that saved Texas’ bacon tonight. With three scoreless innings that came in virtually an emergency situation, after pitching just twice, and just 2 2⁄3 innings, since he
was injured at the end of September.
UP NEXT
The Diamondbacks will piece together Game 4 on the mound with multiple relievers, starting with lefty Joe Mantiply. Lovullo showed his Southern California roots by mentioning a former Los Angeles Dodgers ace when asked about his team's pitching plans.
“Don Drysdale is not going to fall out of the sky," Lovullo said. “It’s definitely going to be somebody in our bullpen that’s going to start the day tomorrow.”
Drysdale teamed with fellow Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax in the pitching rotation to help the Dodgers win the World Series in 1959, 1963 and 1965.
The Rangers will counter with lefty Andrew Heaney. Bochy said before Monday's game that Gray was an option, but he threw 30 pitches Monday.
Rangers' Jon Gray joins David Ortiz, Derek Jeter and the 'MLB on FOX' crew to discuss Game 3 WS win
Evan Carter & Bruce Bochy React to Texas 2-1 World Series Lead, Injuries to Adolis Gracia, Scherzer
Corey Seager Reacts to Texas Being 2 Wins Away from World Series Win: "This Is What We Envisioned"
Torey Lovullo Reacts to Texas Taking 2-1 World Series Lead, Questionable Strikes & Brandon Pfaadt
"I know what type of player I am," Marte said. "When I'm healthy, I can do very well.
"I never imagined doing something like this," he continued. "But ... I believe in my talent."
The Arizona Diamondbacks answered back Saturday night with a commanding 9-1 win to even the series.
Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
D-backs vs. Rangers World Series Game 2 Highlights (10/28/23) | MLB Highlights
D-backs defeat Rangers in Game 2 of World Series
ARLINGTON, Texas -- — Merrill Kelly called his four-season detour to South Korea a “Lost in Translation” experience. When he made his World Series debut, it was Texas Rangers batters who were disoriented.
The 35-year-old right-hander pitched three-hit ball over seven innings, Ketel Marte extended his postseason hitting streak to a record 18 games and the Arizona Diamondbacks routed Texas 9-1 on Saturday night to even the World Series at one game apiece.
“At this point in my career, nothing is going to shock me,” Kelly said. “I think going over to Korea as a 26-year-old is way scarier than pitching in the big leagues or even in the World Series.”
D-backs' Ketel Marte hits in record 18th straight postseason game
Kelly struck out nine, walked none and allowed his only run on Mitch Garver’s leadoff homer in the fifth on a sinker at the bottom of the strike zone. His 22 called strikes were the most for a Series pitcher since Stephen Strasburg in Game 6 for the 2019 Washington Nationals.
“I thought he might go nine innings today at one point,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said, contemplating what would have been the first complete game in the World Series since 2015. “But for that to happen, 89 pitches, you’ve got to jump him up probably another 35. I wasn’t
going to let him throw 120 pitches.”
Merrill Kelly (left) celebrates in the dugout after completing his seven-inning gem during the Diamondbacks’ Game 2 victory.
Gabriel Moreno hit a go-ahead homer in a two-run fourth against Jordan Montgomery, and Tommy Pham went 4 for 4 with a pair of doubles. Arizona batters broke it open late as the young Diamondbacks rebounded quickly from an agonizing defeat the night before.
Marte had a two-run single in a three-run eighth, snapping a tie for the longest postseason hitting streak with Derek Jeter, Manny Ramírez and Hank Bauer. Marte has a hit in every postseason game he’s ever played.
A night after wasting a two-run, ninth-inning lead in a 6-5, 11-inning loss, the Diamondbacks outhit Texas 16-4 — the most hits for one team in a Series game in nine years.
Emmanuel Rivera also had a two-run single, and rookie Corbin Carroll had a pair of RBI singles. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and 38-year-old Evan Longoria each singled in a run for Arizona, which got its first World Series road win after four losses dating to 2001.
The best-of-seven Series, just the third between wild-card teams, shifts to Arizona for Game 3 on Monday in the first Series game at Phoenix since 2001.
Texas has won all eight of its road games this postseason, equaling a major league record.
“We’d be naive to think that we’re going to run away with four in a row against a team that really fights hard like the same way we did," Rangers first baseman Nathanial Lowe said.
Kelly was drafted by Tampa Bay in 2010 and had spent six seasons in the minors when he was told by pitcher Doug Mathis he had been spotted by a South Korean scout while pitching in Rochester, New York. Kelly's agents at Apex Baseball arranged a contract and Kelly spent 2015-18
with SK Wyverns in Incheon.
“I definitely had visions and images about me sitting on this podium,” Kelly said in the postgame interview room, recounting how he got up each morning, made coffee and checked MLB games. “It felt literally and figuratively miles away.”
In an on-field interview with MLB Network, he called it “Lost in Translation" type stuff, referring to the 2003 Sofia Coppola movie of cultural displacement, saying "as far as how they view pitching, for four years I pretty much had to figure it out myself.”
“The coaches that I had, the translation factor, obviously, is a bit of a hindrance,” he said later in the interview room. “At the end of the day, I think what helped over there the most is almost being my own voice and my own pitching coach.”
Kelly made his big league debut with Arizona in 2019 and is 48-43. He went 12-8 with a 3.29 ERA in 30 starts this season and is 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA in four postseason starts.
He went to only one three-ball count Saturday.
“Just great command. He hit his spots all night, four pitches. He was on,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said.
Kelly's grandmother June was at the game and he looked forward to seeing her for the first time since a 2011 visit when he was driving to spring training with his wife.
Kelly’s brother Reed also was in the stands. Last year, Merrill took Reed to Game 3 of the World Series in Philadelphia.
“His birthday is Halloween,” Merrill Kelly said. “He texted me the other day saying that obviously this is probably the best birthday present I could give him.”
PHAM-TASTIC
Pham, a trade-deadline acquisition from the New York Mets, entered in a 3-for-29 skid that included a Game 1 homer. He singled in the second, hit opposite-field doubles to right in the fourth and sixth, and singled in the eighth. He also was picked off second base by Montgomery.
Pham was inspired by Kurt Reece’s self-help book “Good Is The Enemy Of Great.”
“One of my mentors, who the St. Louis Cardinals hired, he gave it to a group of us to read that were hand-chosen from the Cardinals to work with him,” Pham said. “Highly recommend it.”
SLOW DOWN
Montgomery, coming off his second big league relief appearance, a win in Game 7 of the ALCS at Houston on Monday, had a velocity dip of about 1.5 mph from his season average. Diamondbacks batters failed to make contact on just two of the 37 pitches they swung at.
"Sometimes you’ve just got to grit,” he said.
FAST PACE
At 2 hours, 59 minutes, it was the quickest World Series game since 2017.
WEB GEMS
Rangers rookie third baseman Josh Jung dove into foul territory to snag Christian Walker’s fourth-inning grounder, then popped to his feet to throw out Walker at first. ... Walker leaped to make a barehand grab of Jonah Heim’s fifth-inning grounder that hit first base and flipped to Kelly
covering for the out.
UP NEXT
Texas RHP Max Scherzer, who is 0-1 with a 9.45 ERA in a pair of postseason starts this year, appears for his third different World Series team in Game 3 after pitching for Detroit and Washington. Rookie RHP Brandon Pfaadt has a 2.70 ERA without a decision in four postseason games for
Arizona.
World Series Game 2: Diamondbacks defeat Rangers — Derek Jeter, David Ortiz & Alex Rodriguez react
MLB Network | Mark Derosa impressed Merrill Kelly 9 K's helps D-backs beat Rangers 9 -1 in Game 2
Torey Lovullo Reacts to Merrill Kelly Greatness "Evolution" & Diamondbacks GM2 World Series Win
Merrill Kelly & Tommy Pham React to Dominant World Series GM2 Outing, Dreams of Making World Series
Bruce Bochy Reacts to Merrill Kelly Dominating Performance in World Series & GM2 Loss vs. D-Backs
World Series: H.E.R. sings a beautiful rendition of the 'National Anthem' | MLB on FOX
Bruce Bochy & Nathan Eovaldi React to Texas Rangers EPIC GM1 World Series Walk-Off Win vs. Arizona
Adolis Garcia Reacts to LEGENDARY World Series Walk-Off Homer for Texas Rangers vs. Arizona D-Backs
Corey Seager Reacts to CLUTCH Game Tying World Series Homer & Adolis Garcia GM1 Walk-Off Homer
Torey Lovullo Reacts to Corey Seager & Adolis Garcia World Series Shock Wave Homers vs. Arizona
D-backs ask Merrill Kelly to deliver bounce-back effort in Game 2
PHILADELPHIA -- Corbin Carroll was searching for the words, and he couldn't find them. The Arizona Diamondbacks -- the 84-win, negative-run-differential, underdog-at-all-turns Diamondbacks -- were going to the World Series. Minutes earlier, they had vanquished the Phillies, a 4-
2 undressing that exposed the flaws of Philadelphia and highlighted the brilliance of Arizona. And Carroll, the D-backs' indomitable 23-year-old rookie, the sun around which their world turns, was considering how they'd done it.
"I don't even know if there is an explanation," Carroll said. "It's just magic."
Doubted and dismissed when baseball's postseason began and throughout the month of October -- not the standard-level doubts and dismissals but real ones that reflected who they had been -- the Diamondbacks have transformed into something different altogether. And after winning
Game 7 of the National League Championship Series on Tuesday, their second victory in two days at the hellscape for visiting teams that is Citizens Bank Park, they set up perhaps the most improbable World Series in baseball history, a showdown with the similarly surprising Rangers that
begins Friday night in Arlington, Texas.
You never know what you’ll see in a Game 7.
The Phillies were not the team celebrating at the end of game seven Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
More than 400 fans celebrate Diamondbacks win at Phoenix watch party
Ketel Marte wins NLCS MVP!! (D-backs star WENT OFF!)
The Arizona Diamondbacks are GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES!
Arizona entered the season with 125-1 odds to make the World Series, with Texas at 50-1. Both teams barely snuck into the postseason as wild cards. And both needed to win Game 7s to get to Game 1, though Arizona's was far more stomach-churning than the Rangers' 11-4 blowout of
the Houston Astros. Carroll delivered a tour de force performance: 3-for-4 with a pair of runs, RBIs and stolen bases. Following a solid four-inning start from rookie Brandon Pfaadt, the Diamondbacks' bullpen, long ineffective and maligned, cobbled together five shutout innings from Joe
Mantiply, Ryan Thompson, Andrew Saalfrank, Kevin Ginkel and closer Paul Sewald, who retired Jake Cave to send the sellout crowd of 45,397 home lamenting what could've been.
The Phillies thought they were the ones with the magic. They hadn't lost at home this October, until the Diamondbacks strode into the Bank and robbed Philadelphia's opportunity at a second consecutive World Series appearance. Loaded with stars, replete with swag, the Phillies looked
the part. The Diamondbacks just played it.
Paul Sewald sends the Diamondbacks to the World Series
"Watching them prior to this series, I don't think anything scared that team," Philadelphia first baseman Bryce Harper said. "I don't think they had any doubts in their minds of coming back here and playing in Philadelphia. I don't think that team is scared of any situation or any spot."
That much is true. The Diamondbacks, who finished 16 games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West, allowed 15 more runs than they scored during the regular season, the second-worst mark ever for an eventual World Series participant, behind the 1987 Minnesota Twins,
whose run differential was minus-20. Arizona's 84 wins are tied with the 1973 New York Mets for the second fewest for a World Series participant, just ahead of the 83-win St. Louis Cardinals in 2006. Losers of their final four games of the regular season, the Diamondbacks backed into
the second NL wild-card spot after the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds faltered even worse down the stretch.
In the wild-card round, though, Arizona swept the NL Central champion Milwaukee Brewers. In the division series, the Diamondbacks ambushed the Dodgers and swept them too. Arizona still entered the NLCS as distinct underdogs to the Phillies, though it eventually proved itself more
than worthy competition.
Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images
"When we faced teams like Philly, the Dodgers, Milwaukee, who's going to believe in the Diamondbacks? No one," Arizona shortstop Geraldo Perdomo said. "We were silent, and we made damage. Be happy and enjoy what you do. That's all. That was the message."
It took some time to take. Over the first two games, the NLCS looked one-sided. The Phillies won the opener 5-3 and filleted Arizona in Game 2 10-0. As the series headed to Phoenix, the Diamondbacks grappled with a troubling reality: lose Game 3 and the series was almost certainly
over. Arizona got to Phillies closer Craig Kimbrel to eke out a 2-1 win in Game 3 and chased that with a 6-5 comeback victory that Kimbrel blew spectacularly in the eighth inning. Following a Game 5 win, the Phillies found themselves in an ideal position: headed home, where they hadn't
lost all postseason, with a pair of chances to win one game. Philadelphia faltered in its first try, with the Diamondbacks finally starting to look like themselves.
Arizona, which prides itself on creating chaos on the basepaths, stole just one base in the series' first five games. They ripped four bags during a 5-1 victory in Game 6 and came back in Game 7 ready to do the same.
Little changed before the deciding game. Perdomo and Alek Thomas danced. Carroll maintained his meticulous pregame routine. And Pfaadt, a 25-year-old rookie, simply sat in the chair in front of his locker, preparing for the biggest game of his life.
"We were coming here to play our best baseball, and that's been the messaging, and it's been very consistent throughout the course of the year," Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. "Today is going to be our finest hour, and I just wanted to make sure that they knew that's how I felt."
No excuse for the fans not to bring their A game tonight Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images
His magic Bohm-ent! Alec Bohm BLASTS a home run in NLCS Game 7!
The offense got started early, a point the Diamondbacks made a priority to quiet the raucous Citizens Bank Park crowd. Carroll, who entered the game with just three hits in 26 at-bats during the series, slapped an infield single off Phillies starter Ranger Suarez and moved to third base on
a single from Gabriel Moreno, who, like Carroll, is a 23-year-old in his first full season. A Christian Walker fielder's choice scored Carroll, and Pfaadt followed with a scoreless first.
Diamondbacks players knew that over the first six games, the Phillies had won the three in which they scored in the first inning and lost the three when they didn't. Even with that zero in the first, Philadelphia didn't panic. Alec Bohm, the cleanup hitter whose rough series prompted fans
to call for manager Rob Thomson to drop him in the lineup, took Pfaadt into the left-field stands in the second inning to knot the game at 1. Two innings later, Bohm walked and scored on a Bryson Stott double. It looked like the rest of October had here: the Phillies leading, the Bank rocking.
For the first time ever, the Phanatic will be witness to a game seven Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
Everything changed in the fifth. Emmanuel Rivera led off with a single against Suarez and advanced to second on a Perdomo sacrifice. Suarez struck out Ketel Marte, the NLCS MVP, bringing up Carroll, who after going hitless in 10 at-bats against left-handed pitchers in the series got his
third single of the day off Suarez, scoring Rivera. Thomson removed Suarez, inserted Jeff Hoffman and watched Carroll steal second -- one of four Diamondbacks stolen bases for the second consecutive night -- and score on a Rivera single, giving Arizona a 3-2 advantage.
"Six games ago, you would've said I was the hottest center on the planet, so just realizing that it's always that way in baseball helps," Carroll said. "You can get caught up in the minute. You can get caught up in all these little things, and that's what makes baseball so hard."
"Watching them prior to this series, I don't think anything scared that team. I don't think they had any doubts in their minds of coming back here and playing in Philadelphia. I don't think that team is scared of any situation or any spot."
The Diamondbacks added another run in the seventh when Perdomo singled, went to third on a Marte double and scored on a Carroll sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 4-2. Philadelphia had its chances. Saalfrank, a rookie, walked Cristian Pache and Kyle Schwarber with one out in the
seventh, prompting Lovullo to call on Ginkel. He induced flyouts from Trea Turner and Harper -- who were a combined 0-for-8 -- before striking out Bohm, Stott and J.T. Realmuto in a brilliant eighth inning.
"Harper lives for those moments," Ginkel said. "Every single guy in that lineup is so good. And so with Harper, I had to mix a lot, and I'm like, I don't want to leave anything in the zone to give him an opportunity to get a run in or worse. Even if it's bad contact, he still hits it hard. And
he's a generational great, honestly. So I got the better of him, and it was great. And I think that eighth inning, going out and executing my game plan, put us in the spot for Sewald."
As Sewald added, "This guy makes my life easy. I get 7, 8, 9 with a two-run lead because this guy gets everybody out."
Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Acquired at the trade deadline, Sewald helped stabilize Arizona's bullpen. Three weeks later, the team signed Thompson, who had been released by the Tampa Bay Rays. Soon thereafter, it called up Saalfrank, a lefty who didn't allow a run in 10 regular-season appearances. The bullpen's
ascent has been a microcosm of the rest of the Diamondbacks, and when Sewald came on to face the bottom of the Phillies' order, he induced three flyouts, including the final one that Carroll squeezed to clinch the pennant.
The celebration started quickly and didn't stop. While the Phillies were bemoaning their fortunes -- "It's a disgusting feeling, honestly," said Nick Castellanos, who went 0 for his last 24 in the series -- the Diamondbacks reveled deep into the night.
Around 2 a.m., after lots of beer had been consumed and empties littered the floor, a group of staffers started cleaning the mess. In the middle of it was Mike Hazen, the Diamondbacks' general manager who traded for Sewald and drafted Carroll and constructed this team of snakes that
slays dragons. He grabbed metal bottles and chucked them into waste receptacles, never above doing the hard work, a tenet that his team has embraced all October.
Effort. Talent. A little bit of magic. And now, once again, the Arizona Diamondbacks in the World Series.
Chris 'mad dog' Russo's co-host Alanna Rizzo takes a shot at Radio Hall of Famer: "I'm expecting to have to host the show tomorrow by myself"
"If they win the next two games and win this series in 7 games, I will retire on the spot." I guess it's time for Chris Russo to retire
"I'm expecting to have to host the show tomorrow by myself." - Alanna Rizzo, who co-hosts "High Heat" with Chris Russo
Look. I can’t choose. There are 800+ comments. There are A TON of excellent ones. Click the link. Go read them if you weren’t there. It was a blast. We will remember where we were tonight.
Texas Rangers in Arlington on Friday at 5pm Arizona Time baby! Pitchers TBD.
Astros manager Dusty Baker comments on his future after Houston's Game 7 elimination in the ALCS.
HOUSTON -- — Adolis García and these road-happy Rangers are not only tops in Texas, they're best in the American League.
García homered twice and drove in five runs as the Texas Rangers reached their first World Series in 12 years with an 11-4 blowout of the Houston Astros in Game 7 of the AL Championship Series on Monday night.
Corey Seager got the Rangers started with a long homer in a three-run first inning. Nathaniel Lowe also went deep to give Texas — one of six major league teams without a World Series title — its first berth in the Fall Classic since consecutive trips in 2010 and 2011.
García homered for the fourth straight game and set a record for RBI in a postseason series with 15. He had four hits, scored three times and was the obvious choice for ALCS MVP in a series that saw the road team win every game.
“He’s a bad man, isn’t he?” Seager said. “To be able to come into this atmosphere and get booed every at-bat and do what he did was really special. It was really fun to watch.”
After winning their Lone Star State showdown with rival Houston, the resilient Rangers open an all-wild card World Series at home Friday night against Arizona or Philadelphia, who play the decisive Game 7 of their NLCS on Tuesday night.
Bruce Bochy, who came out of retirement this season to manage the Rangers, became the first skipper to win a League Championship Series with three different teams, after leading San Diego and San Francisco to NL pennants.
He and general manager Chris Young have spearheaded a swift turnaround with Texas, making its first playoff appearance since 2016 after losing 102 games in 2021 and going 68-94 last year.
“I didn’t know if I’d get back in it. And here I am. I know how blessed I am,” Bochy said. “We’ve had our streaks. We’ve had our injuries. They keep getting up. To come in here and beat such a great team like Houston — and congrats on their year. But it’s great to be wearing the horns in
Texas.”
All 11 runs from the Rangers DOMINANT performance in ALCS Game 7. 😤
Meanwhile, the defending World Series champion Astros were finally dethroned.
Fittingly, it came at home, where they went 40-47 this year and 0-4 in this series. They won all three games at Texas and returned to Minute Maid Park a win shy of their third straight pennant, but Houston's pitching staff got pounded for 20 runs in the final two games of the team's
seventh consecutive ALCS.
“That finished our season — not being able to win at home,” said outfielder Chas McCormick, who sat stone-faced in the dugout long after the last out. “That came and bit us.”
No club has repeated as World Series champion since the New York Yankees won three straight from 1998-2000.
“I don’t like tipping my cap to anybody,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said. “But when someone beats the hell out of you, what are you going to do?
“We have been spoiled around here as far as winning and winning and winning. And heck, I’ve been here four years, and we’ve been to two World Series and two Championship Series. We have nothing to be ashamed of or nothing to hold our head down about. We’re down, but we’re not
out. And every team in baseball would trade to have had the last four years that we’ve had.”
Texas led the AL West for most of the year, only to squander the division crown to Houston with a loss at Seattle on the final day of the regular season that sent the streaky Rangers on the road to begin the playoffs.
Turns out, that was no problem.
They have gone 8-0 away from home in these playoffs, joining the 1996 Yankees as the only teams to win their first eight road games in one postseason.
García, part of those clubs that lost nearly 200 games over the past two seasons, is savoring October success.
“More than anything, it’s not even about beating the Astros or that particular opponent,” he said through a translator. “It’s how proud I feel about the journey we’ve been on and how we’ve been able to improve to get to this point right now where we’re celebrating this victory.”
Jordan Montgomery, normally a starter, came out of the bullpen on two days' rest and pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings for the win. The big left-hander, acquired from St. Louis at the trade deadline, improved to 3-0 with a 2.16 ERA this postseason.
Texas starter Max Scherzer, acquired from the Mets in July, allowed four hits and two runs with two walks in 2 2/3 innings. But the Rangers took advantage of an early flop by Cristian Javier.
Texas jumped on Javier immediately and tagged him for three runs, highlighted by Seager’s second-deck shot, before he was lifted with just one out in the first. The right-hander entered 4-0 with a 0.82 ERA in four career postseason starts.
Seager, in his second season with Texas after signing a $325 million, 10-year contract, had three hits after starting the series 5 for 26.
García slugged his sixth home run this postseason to make it 4-1 in the third before the Astros cut it to two on a solo homer by Alex Bregman in the bottom of the inning.
Texas broke things open with a four-run fourth that featured a two-run double by rookie Evan Carter and a two-run single by García.
Corey Seager blasts a Game 7 HOMER in the 1st inning!
After hitting a grand slam to punctuate a 9-2 win in Game 6, García led the charge Monday. He had 15 RBI in the series to break the record set by Nelson Cruz with 13 for Texas in the 2011 ALCS.
The slugger was booed throughout the game for a second straight night after being at the center of a bench-clearing scuffle in Game 5 after being hit by a pitch from Astros reliever Bryan Abreu.
García seemed to delight in playing the road villain. When he opened the third inning with his shot to right field, he watched as the ball sailed over the fence before slowly taking a few steps toward first base. He then dropped his bat, turned around and skipped backward for a few feet
while smiling broadly at his cheering dugout before trotting around the bases.
“When there’s a lot of emotions, the fans out there, they are rallying for their team, it fuels me,” García said. “It’s motivation that helps me out when I’m playing.”
The Cuban outfielder added a solo shot in the eighth to give him seven homers and 20 RBI this postseason, passing Houston slugger Yordan Alvarez (six) for the most home runs in the playoffs this year.
García's home run streak is tied for fourth-longest in postseason history.
It was only the second time the road team won every game in a best-of-seven postseason series. The Astros were also on the wrong end of the other one, dropping four home games in a loss to Washington in the 2019 World Series, when Scherzer also pitched Game 7 in Houston for the
Nationals.
Texas and Houston had identical regular-season records (90-72), with the AL West title going to the Astros on a head-to-head tiebreaker. Tied once again entering this game, the Rangers came out on top when it mattered most.
Texas’ win guaranteed a third all-wild card World Series, the first since Bochy’s Giants beat Kansas City in 2014.
Jose Altuve hit his 27th career postseason homer in the ninth for Houston, two behind Manny Ramirez for most all-time.
Bruce Bochy Reacts to Texas Rangers Advancing to World Series & THRILLING ALCS Win vs. Houston
Adolis Garcia Reacts to Texas Rangers Advancing to World Series, Silencing Houston Fans & ALCS MVP
Dusty Baker Reacts to Houston Astros Losing ALCS vs. Texas Rangers in 7 & Houston Astros Future
Mad Max to all of us. Dada to them. ❤️
Corey Seager is Heading Back to the WORLD SERIES! 🐐
The Diamondbacks beat the Phillies 5-1, forcing Game 7 after jumping all over Aaron Nola early in Game 6.
Phillies vs. D-backs NLCS Game 6 Highlights (10/23/23) | MLB Highlights
Stealing on pitchers and striking out batters Flashing the leather and crushing long dingers Chaos created to force a Game 7 These are a few of our favorite things.
PHILADELPHIA -- — Merrill Kelly retired Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner and Bryce Harper in order in the fifth inning, striking out Schwarber and Harper — October's biggest home run threats.
When the pitcher reached the dugout, manager Torey Lovullo offered a handshake to signal the start was over after 90 pitches. Kelly appeared agitated and gestured with his glove as if to point out he struck out Schwarber and Harper and had much more in the tank.
“It kind of just, I think, took me by shock more than anything,” Kelly said.
Here might be the real shock — especially in Philly. After losing the first two games of the NL Championship Series, the Arizona Diamondbacks are one win from their first World Series since 2001.
Tommy Pham and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit back-to-back homers and Kelly struck out eight before his early hook to help Arizona force Game 7 with a 5-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday.
The winner of Tuesday night's game advances to the World Series against Texas, which beat Houston on Monday night for the AL pennant.
Kelly and four relievers combined to shut down the Phillies and stifle their rousing run of success at Citizens Bank Park. Arizona's bullpen didn't allow a runner to reach second.
“I’m expecting some fun,” Kelly said. “Game 7, obviously, they talk about, it’s the best words in sports. I think the fact that we’re here, I don’t think anybody thought we were going to take them to Game 6. I don’t think anybody thought we were even going to make it to Game 1. I don’t
think anybody thought we were going to make it past Milwaukee, to be honest with you.”
Arizona backed up the bold pregame words from Lovullo and tamed Phillies bats and the hostile home crowd of 45.473.
“Getting there is really important, so we have that all-in mentality,” Lovullo said ahead of Game 6. “We didn’t come cross-country to get our asses kicked. We came here to play our best baseball game, and our guys will be ready to go.”
Kelly allowed one run and three hits and three walks.
"He was making statements to me that told me that he was capable of going back out there," Lovullo said. “But I’ve got to be the parent in the room and make a tough decision and hand it over to the bullpen that’s been very, very efficient.”
Sure enough, Arizona's bullpen allowed three hits over four scoreless innings.
Schwarber, Turner and Harper, the top three hitters in Philadelphia's batting order, went 0 for 9 with four strikeouts. Nick Castellanos was 0 for 4, dropping to 1 for 20 in the series.
Philadelphia lost at home for the first time in seven home postseason games. The Phillies dropped Games 4 and 5 to Houston in the World Series but had won 11 straight postseason home games against NL opposition.
Pham said Arizona gave notice the team is as resilient as any that played this postseason.
“We always felt like if we got some good pitching, played great defense, and we played our game, that we could win this,” he said.
[I was informed in the GDT this would “come back to bite us”. Narrator voice: it did not.]
The Phillies sent Aaron Nola to the mound -- a year to the day after they beat San Diego to win the NL pennant -- in hopes of making it two straight trips to the World Series.
Nola was lights out in every postseason start, pitching against the backdrop that the pending free agent could be down to his final games with the Phillies. He was 3-0 with a 0.96 ERA in October.
Make it 3-1.
Merrill Kelly had given up just one run and three hits when he was taken out of Game 6 by Diamondbacks skipper Torey Lovullo.
But the D-Backs starter was mad as a rattlesnake when he got to the dugout with his manager’s decision to pull him after just five innings and 90 pitches.
Kelly shook Lovullo’s hand and appeared to get informed that he wouldn’t go back out for the sixth.
Kelly’s body language changed instantaneously and seemed to argue the decision before another coach came up and tried to elicit a high five out of him.
Kelly begrudgingly slapped the hand with his glove and walked down the dugout without acknowledging teammates who were trying to congratulate him.
It’s easy to understand the Diamondbacks starter’s confusion about being pulled from the game after coming out of an inning in which he struck out Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper.
Kelly had been able to get Harper to swing at a pitch that was low to end the inning as the Diamondbacks took a 4-1 lead into the sixth inning.
“As a competitor, I want to be outta there, and getting through Schawrber, Harper and [Trea] Turner right there in that fifth,” Kelly told the TBS broadcast after the win. “I figured I’d be going out for the sixth. It caught me off guard a bit. That’s Torey’s job. My job is to pitch, his job is to
make the decisions. At the end of the days, I’ve gotta live with those decisions… if we get the win, that’s what matters.”
The righty had struck out eight batters during the course of his start — his third of the postseason and second of the series — and started by ringing up Alec Bohm on 1-2 fastball in the first inning for the second out.
Nola allowed homers to Pham and Gurriel in almost the same spots in the left field seats, the first ones the longest-tenured Phillies player allowed all postseason.
A sign this wouldn’t be Nola’s night? Pham was benched for Game 5 because of a 1-for-13 effort in the NLCS.
Nola walked light-hitting Alek Thomas, who hit a tying, two-run homer in Game 4, and Evan Longoria doubled for a 3-0 lead. Longoria, who played for Tampa Bay against the Phillies in the 2008 World Series, had been 1 for 12 in the series.
“They didn't miss too many balls over the plate,” Nola said.
Philadelphia had never trailed by more than two runs in the postseason until the second.
Kelly, who allowed three solo homers in a Game 2 loss, pitched his way out of trouble in this one.
He put two runners on in the first inning before striking out slumping Alec Bohm and retiring Bryson Stott on a shallow flyout. Kelly gave up an RBI single to Brandon Marsh in the second and put two on with two outs. Kelly then got Turner to swing at three pitches out of the zone to end
the threat.
Ketel Marte stretched his postseason hitting streak to 15 games with a run-scoring triple in the fifth that built a 4-1 lead and chased Nola. He added an RBI single in the seventh off Orion Kerkering.
“We deserve this moment,” Lovullo said.
UP NEXT
RHP Brandon Pfaadt starts for Arizona and LHP Ranger Suárez for Philadelphia. Pfaadt has a 2.13 ERA in three postseason outings, striking out 15 and walking one in 12 2/3 innings. Suárez is 1-0 with a 0.64 ERA, striking out 13 and walking two in 14 innings.
Merrill Kelly & Torey Lovullo React to Arizona Forcing Game 7 in NLCS vs. Phillies, Taking Out Kelly
Tommy Pham Reacts to Arizona D-Backs Forcing a Game 7 in NLCS vs. Phillies & Arizona Being Doubted
Rob Thomson Reacts to Arizona Diamondbacks Forcing a Game 7 in NLCS vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Rangers vs. Astros Game Highlights (10/22/23) | MLB Highlights
The Rangers force Game 7 of the American League Championship Series behind a dominant nine-run display vs. the Astros.
HOUSTON -- — One more Texas-sized matchup to finally settle this Lone Star State showdown.
Nathan Eovaldi remained perfect this postseason, and Mitch Garver and Jonah Heim homered early before a ninth-inning grand slam by Adolis García helped the Texas Rangers avoid elimination with a 9-2 win over the Houston Astros in Game 6 of the AL Championship Series on Sunday
night.
ADOLIS GAR-CÍ-A LATER! GRAND SLAM for the Rangers SUPERSTAR in GAME 6 of the ALCS!
Road teams are unbeaten in this series going into the decisive Game 7 on Monday night in Houston. Cristian Javier pitches for the Astros against three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer. Javier beat Scherzer in Game 3 at Texas.
“I’m just proud of how these guys keep bouncing back,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. “They’re amazing. They really are. They just don’t let adversity get to them.”
Texas and Houston had identical regular-season records (90-72), with the AL West title going to the Astros on a head-to-head tiebreaker. Now the heated rivals are tied once again, and this time the stakes are much higher — with a World Series trip on the line.
Eovaldi, who also won Game 2, yielded five hits and two runs in 6 1/3 innings to improve to 4-0 with a 2.42 ERA in the playoffs this year. The wild-card Rangers, one of six major league teams without a World Series title, are trying to return to the Fall Classic for the first time since back-
to-back trips in 2010-11.
“Of course, Nate set the tone out there. How many times has he done that?” Bochy said. “And we just had great at-bats throughout the lineup.”
The defending World Series champion Astros were again felled by a subpar start from Framber Valdez and lackluster play at home. Valdez was charged with five hits and three runs while striking out six in five innings to fall to 0-3 with a 9.00 ERA this postseason.
The Rangers led by two before breaking open the game with a five-run ninth, punctuated by the slam from García — who struck out his previous four times up. The slugger was booed throughout the game after being at the center of a bench-clearing scuffle in Game 5 after being hit by a
pitch from Bryan Abreu.
Mitch Garver & Jonah Heim with HUGE homers in ALCS Game 6!
When García knocked a pitch from Ryne Stanek into the Crawford Boxes in left field with one out, many of those fans began streaming for the exits after yet another poor showing at home by Houston.
The Astros, who are 5-0 on the road this postseason, won three in a row in Arlington wearing their orange jerseys to move within a win of reaching their third consecutive World Series. But those orange tops didn’t help them carry their road magic home as they fell to 1-4 in Houston this
postseason after posting a 39-42 mark at Minute Maid Park in the regular season.
“That doesn’t matter. It’s in the past," left fielder Michael Brantley said. "We need to turn the page and be ready for tomorrow.”
No team with a losing record at home has ever reached the World Series.
This series joins the 2019 World Series, which Houston lost to Washington in seven games, as the only best-of-seven series in postseason history in which the road team won the first six games.
“Seems a little odd nobody is winning at home,” Garver said. “And I would like for it to stay that way.”
Bochy was at a loss when asked to explain why home has been anything but sweet during this series.
“Wow, I wish I could answer that one,” he said. “That’s the million-dollar question.”
The Texas Rangers score 5 RUNS in the top of the 9th inning of ALCS Game 6!
Houston led by one after a first-inning RBI single by Yordan Alvarez. Garver tied it on his solo shot to start the second.
Heim connected off Valdez for the second time this series with a two-run shot with two outs in the fourth that put Texas on top 3-1.
“I think seven out of their nine runs scored were on homers. So you’ve really got to keep them in the ballpark,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said.
Houston got within 3-2 on a sacrifice fly by Mauricio Dubón in the sixth. But the Rangers got some insurance thanks to an RBI double by Garver in the eighth off Abreu.
It was the first time the Rangers won an elimination game in the postseason since Game 5 of the 2010 AL Division Series at Tampa Bay when Cliff Lee pitched a complete game in a 5-1 Texas victory. They’d lost five straight such games, and Sunday’s win was just their second in eight
tries.
You gotta see this fan catch. 👀
The Astros had a shot to cut into the lead late before García's big swing, but Texas reliever José Leclerc came through after giving up the decisive three-run homer to Jose Altuve in the ninth inning of Game 5.
Josh Sborz walked Alex Bregman to start the Houston eighth and struck out Alvarez before José Abreu singled with one out.
Leclerc took over and walked Kyle Tucker to load the bases before Dubón lined out softly to shortstop. Pinch-hitter Jon Singleton, who entered with one career postseason at-bat, batted for Jeremy Peña and struck out against Leclerc to end the threat.
Houston went 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position.
“The name of the game is opportunities, and then after that you hope that you come through," Baker said. “Some days you just don’t get it done.”
Alvarez got Houston’s first hit since the first inning with a one-out single in the sixth. Dubón's sacrifice fly cut the lead to one.
The Astros looked good early against Eovaldi. Altuve hit a leadoff single and stole second before Brantley walked. There was one out when Alvarez lined a single to make it 1-0. Eovaldi limited the damage when José Abreu lined out before Tucker struck out.
“I felt like I was trying to do a little too much out there,” Eovaldi said of his shaky start. “One run ended up scoring and it’s like, I’ve got to make sure I leave them there, and at that point of time, try to make sure I execute my pitches.”
Garver sent the first pitch of the second inning into the seats in right field to tie it. The ball was caught barehanded by a man in the second row.
Garver, who had three hits, singled with two outs in the fourth, and Heim followed with his opposite-field shot to right field to make it 3-1. The ball sailed just past the glove of a leaping Tucker and into the first row. Heim, who had a career-high 18 home runs in the regular season, also
homered off Valdez in Game 2.
Adolis Garcia clobbers GRAND SLAM to send ALCS to Game 7 | MLB on ESPN
Bryan Abreu pitched the eighth for Houston after appealing the two-game suspension he was given by Major League Baseball for intentionally throwing at García.
The reliever's hearing is Monday before John McHale Jr., special assistant to Commissioner Rob Manfred.
“That could be a huge blow,” Baker said. “You wish you had some final decision about his status. So we took a shot there. Hopefully some of this will be postponed and we’ll have him tomorrow, as well.”
Bryan Abreu struck out García in the eighth before an RBI double by Garver extended Texas' lead to 4-2.
Corey Seager was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the ninth before García's slam gave him five homers and 15 RBI in 11 games this postseason. He has gone deep in each of the past three games.
Mavs legend Dirk Nowitzki, Mark Cuban’s hyped reactions to Rangers forcing ALCS Game 7 vs. Astros
Zack Wheeler delivered for the Phillies on Saturday Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images
Phillies vs. D-backs NLCS Game 5 Highlights (10/21/23) | MLB Highlights
The Phillies got back to their winning ways in NLCS Game 5, taking a 3-2 series lead over the Diamondbacks with some big hitting.
PHOENIX -- — Kyle Schwarber got a hanging breaking ball at the top of the strike zone in the sixth inning and did what he does so well in the postseason, obliterate a baseball deep into the seats for another home run.
The formidable Philadelphia Phillies looked mortal for a couple days during a pair of frustrating one-run losses. Their response on Saturday night proved that they're far from finished.
Zack Wheeler delivered another postseason gem with seven shutdown innings, Schwarber, Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmulto all homered and the Phillies beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-1 to take a 3-2 NL Championship Series lead.
“Everything was fantastic,” Schwarber said. “It was a great response. Obviously, didn’t work out the way we wanted last night, but it was great that we were able to turn the page and really put our focus and effort into this one.”
Philadelphia moved one win from its second straight World Series appearance, regaining control after wasting late leads in consecutive losses at Chase Field.
Bryson Stott hit an RBI single and Harper slid home in a collision with catcher Gabriel Moreno as part of a double steal that built a 2-0 lead in the first off Zac Gallen. It was part of a big game for the 30-year-old Harper, who had two hits, three runs, a diving defensive play and his long
homer.
Kyle Schwarber now has the record for MOST NLCS HOMERS EVER!
Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
Bryce, Bryce baby! Bryce Harper hits ANOTHER Postseason Homer!
“He's as good as they get,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “He might be the best I've been around, just watching him on a daily basis.”
Harper, who returned in May from Tommy John surgery, is batting .343 with five homers, eight RBI and 12 walks in 11 postseason games.
“I just want to win. That's it. Whatever that takes, whatever that's going to be, whatever that's going to look like," he said. "That was a big game for us. Coming in here and getting one is huge. That's a good team over there. We took advantage of everything we could.”
Schwarber’s homer was his fifth in the NLCS and 20th of his postseason career as the Philadelphia lineup roughed up Gallen for a second time this series. Schwarber’s sixth-inning drive traveled 461 feet over the swimming pool beyond the right-center fence, quieting a crowd of 47,897.
Two batters later, Harper hit a 444-foot homer into the right-field seats.
Realmuto added a two-run homer in the eighth against Luis Frías for 6-1 lead.
The series resumes Monday in Philadelphia, where the Phillies are 6-0 this postseason with 17 homers.
Wheeler, a 33-year-old right-hander, gave up one run and five hits with a walk while striking out eight. He is 3-0 with a 2.08 ERA in four postseason starts this year, striking out 34 and walking two in 26 innings.
“He gave us exactly what we needed,” Thomson said.
The J.T. System: J.T. Realmuto BLASTS one in NLCS Game 5!
Philadelphia's starting pitchers have a 1.48 ERA in this postseason with 67 strikeouts and just seven walks in 61 innings.
Gallen gave up four runs and six hits six innings, dropping to 2-2 with a 5.24 in four playoff outings. He allowed five runs over five innings in taking the Game 1 loss to Wheeler.
Alek Thomas homered in the seventh for the Diamondbacks, a day after his tying home run in the eighth sparked Arizona to a series-evening win. Thomas has a team record four homers this postseason.
Schwarber, batting .412 with five solo homers in the series, reached on an infield single starting the game and scored on Stott’s two-out single. Stott’s dash for second on a steal drew a throw from Moreno to second baseman Ketel Marte, who stepped in front of the base and made an
errant return throw that bounced past Moreno.
Harper collided with Moreno at home plate, dazing the catcher, but who remained in the game. Umpires ruled Harper couldn’t have avoided the collision because Marte’s throw drew Moreno down the third-base line.
“We made some mistakes today,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. “We didn’t capitalize in some key situations and that was the difference in the game.”
MASTER OF SLUG
Schwarber reached 20 postseason homers in 63 games, a record low. The prior mark was held by Houston's Jose Altuve at 68 games.
RARE THEFT
Harper’s steal of home was the first in Phillies’ postseason history and just the 22nd in MLB postseason history. It was the ninth steal of home in since playoffs started in 1969 and the first since Tampa Bay's Randy Arozarena in 2021.
LINEUP CHANGES
Pavin Smith went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in his first start of the postseason, batting him fifth as the designated hitter. Tommy Pham was benched after hitting 1 of 13 in the first four games of the NLCS. Smith entered 3 of 4 this postseason.
ROOF CLOSED
Temperatures hovered around 100 in Phoenix, so Chase Field’s retractable roof was closed for the third straight game. ... 28-time Olympic swimming medalist Michael Phelps threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
UP NEXT
RHP Aaron Nola (3-0, 0.96 ERA postseason) starts Monday for the Phillies and RHP Merrill Kelly (1-1, 3.00 ERA) for the Diamondbacks.
Bryce Harper Reacts to Stealing Home in NLCS, D-Backs "Supposed To Be Here" & Zack Wheeler "Top 3
Kyle Schwarber Reacts to Passing Reggie Jackson Stat, Belief in Phillies & Respect for Diamondbacks
Aaron Nola Details Mindset of "Control What You Can Control" & Crazy Momentum Swings in NLCS
Zack Wheeler & Rob Thomson on Phillies Taking a 3-2 NLCS Lead vs. Arizona, Bryce Harper Greatness
Torey Lovullo on D-Backs Falling Down 3-2 in NLCS vs. Phillies: "I Don't Want to Think About GM7"
Hoo boy. Once again, we had to work for it. But the bullpen, and some late bats, got it done in the end!
Phillies vs. D-backs NLCS Game 4 Highlights (10/20/23) | MLB Highlights
Kyle Schwarber hits ANOTHER NLCS Home Run!
Kyle Schwarber amped-up after Solo Home Run
Kyle Schwarber gets the Phillies on the board with a solo home run to right field in the fourth inning.
PHOENIX -- — The crack of the bat was a stunner, jolting the sellout crowd at Chase Field into a frenzy.
Light-hitting Alek Thomas, who had lost his spot in the starting lineup because of consistently weak at-bats, had just provided the most important swing of the Arizona Diamondbacks' storybook season.
Alek Thomas TIES NLCS GAME 4 in the bottom of the 8th!
“I was just screaming as loud as I could," D-backs outfielder Pavin Smith said. “I think everyone was in the whole stadium.”
Thomas hit a tying, two-run homer in a three-run eighth inning, Gabriel Moreno followed with a go-ahead single and the D-backs stunned the Philadelphia Phillies with a 6-5 victory on Friday night that tied the NL Championship Series at two games apiece.
Arizona trailed 5-2 before Orion Kerkering's bases-loaded walk to Christian Walker with two outs in the seventh.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. doubled leading off the eighth against Craig Kimbrel, who also gave up Ketel Marte's game-ending single in Game 3. Thomas, pinch hitting for Emmanuel Rivera with one out, sent a full-count fastball splashing into the right-center field swimming pool to tie the score 5-
5 as 47,806 fans roared.
“That play is definitely something you see in your dreams,” the 23-year-old Thomas said. “So for it to come in real life, for it to happen to me, it's awesome. Just so grateful to have that moment.”
Marte singled with two outs, Corbin Carroll was hit by a pitch and José Alvarado relieved. Moreno laced a single to left-center to drive in the go-ahead run.
Kyle Schwarber, whose fourth-inning homer had sparked Philadelphia's comeback from a 2-0 deficit, doubled with two outs in the ninth off Paul Sewald, Arizona's eighth pitcher. Sewald struck out Trea Turner for his fifth save of the postseason.
“Huge contributions from everyone,” Carroll said. “We knew we need it, being a bullpen game. Some huge hits today — almost too many to count. An unbelievable win.”
Game 5 of the best-of-seven series is Saturday night.
Houston earlier scored three times in the ninth to win 5-4 at Texas and take a 3-2 lead in the AL Championship Series. It was the first time in major league history two teams rallied to win postseason games on the same day after trailing by two runs or more in the eighth inning or later.
Philadelphia was let down by its usually reliable bullpen. The last four — Gregory Soto, Kerkering, Kimbrel and Alvarado — threw just 25 of 54 pitches for strikes.
“I saw a lot of pitchers who looked sped-up to me,” catcher J.T. Realmuto said. “That is what happens when you fall behind counts and let baserunners on. The place get loud. They start feeling the crowd.”
Philadelphia had some other miscues. Bohm was charged for an error after a misplayed grounder. Left-hander Cristopher Sánchez missed an opportunity to turn a double play in the first inning when he lost track of the outs, thinking their were already two and throwing to first base.
“We've got to play better baseball,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “That's all there is to it.”
TOO CLUTCH! Gabriel Moreno hits a go-ahead single for the D-backs in the 8th inning of NLCS Game 4!
Arizona, in the postseason for the first time since 2017, lost the first two games of the series at Citizens Bank Park. The Diamondbacks built a two-run lead against the defending NL champions on run-scoring singles by Rivera in the second and Moreno in the third.
Schwarber's homer was his fourth of this postseason and the 19th of his postseason career, passing Reggie Jackson for most among left-handed batters.
Brandon Marsh’s two-out RBI double tied the score in the fifth, and the Phillies opened a 4-2 lead in the sixth after three straight walks by rookie lefty Andrew Saalfrank.
Bohm followed with a chopper down the third-base line off Ryan Thompson. Rivera gloved the ball with a backhand grab that took him into foul territory and made an off-balance throw home from near the coach’s box. The ball short-hopped Moreno and bounced off the catcher as two
runs scored, one on the hit and one on the throwing error.
Turner added a seventh-inning sacrifice fly.
But it wasn't enough for the Phillies, who are suddenly scrambling for momentum after their power surge slowed.
“Never good to lose,” Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott said. “We've got to come back out tomorrow and play our game. I think we will be good.”
WEB GEM
Gurriel saved a potential extra-base hit in the second with a leaping catch at the left field wall after a drive by Realmuto.
ARIZONA ICONS
Former Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Three-time NBA All-Star Devin Booker was also in attendance, drawing a large cheer when he was pictured on the video board.
KEEPING IT COOL
The temperature inside Chase Field was 76 at game time. It was 102 outside the retractable-roof ballpark.
UP NEXT
Philadelphia RHP Zack Wheeler (2-0, 2.37 ERA postseason) starts Saturday night against RHP Zac Gallen (2-1, 4.96 ERA).
Torey Lovullo SOUNDS OFF After D-Backs Tie Phillies 2-2 & Tired of "Lucky To Be Here" NLCS Narrative
Alek Thomas Reacts to "Dream" NLCS Game Tying Home Run & D-Backs Tying NLCS With Phillies at 2-2
Gabriel Moreno Reacts to Arizona Diamondbacks Tying NLCS 2-2 With Phillies & D-Backs Clutch Hitting
Rob Thomson Reacts to Arizona Diamondbacks Tying NLCS With Phillies 2-2 & Phillies Bullpen Concerns
Altuve hits go-ahead homer in 9th, Astros take 3-2 lead over Rangers in ALCS after Benches Clear
Adolis García was nearly the hero for the Rangers. But after the benches cleared, Jose Altuve bashed a go-ahead 3-run HR in the 9th to put the Astros 1 win away from a World Series return.
Astros' Martin Maldonado and manager Dusty Baker and Rangers' Adolis Garcia share their thoughts after the Astros defeated the Rangers 5-4.
Astros vs. Rangers ALCS Game 5 Highlights (10/20/23) | MLB Highlights
Fan at Astros watch party react to Jose Altuve's 3-run Home Run
ARLINGTON, Texas -- — Jose Altuve thrives under pressure for the Houston Astros, able to stay calm in the biggest October moments even after another bench-clearing fracas against the Texas Rangers.
The defending World Series champions are one win from a third consecutive pennant after Altuve’s three-run homer in the ninth inning of a wild and testy 5-4 victory over their instate division rival Friday gave the Astros a 3-2 lead in the AL Championship Series.
“He’s got a high concentration level, because that’s what it takes in big moments like that, is concentration, desire, and relaxation all encompassed into one. And everybody can't do all three of those things,” Houston manager Dusty Baker said. “This dude is one of the baddest dudes I’ve
ever seen, and I’ve seen some greats.”
Benches clear in Game 5 with multiple ejections after Adolis Garcia is hit by a pitch | MLB on ESPN
Jose Altuve hits a 9th-inning ALCS homer FOR THE LEAD!!
EXTENDED CUT: Jose Altuve hits a 3-run homer in the 9th to win ALCS Game 5!
Baker wasn't in the dugout when Altuve hit his 26th career postseason homer, second in major league history behind Manny Ramirez (29). The skipper was ejected an inning earlier after the benches and bullpens cleared.
Rangers slugger Adolis García, who punctuated a go-ahead homer in the sixth with an empathic bat spike and a slow trot, became irate when Bryan Abreu hit him on the left arm with a 98 mph fastball. García immediately turned around and got in the face of catcher Martín Maldonado —
the two also jawed nose-to-nose when García touched home plate after his grand slam in Houston on July 26.
“I just reacted to the ball that came towards me,” García said. “He could have hurt me, he could have injured me. I just let him know that shouldn’t happen there.”
While it didn’t appear any punches were thrown as the teams grabbed hold of each other near home plate, the game was delayed almost 12 minutes. García, Abreu and Baker were all ejected.
After the game, umpire crew chief James Hoye told a pool reporter Abreu was ejected for throwing with intent, and García was tossed for being the aggressor.
“The guy hits a three-run homer; the next time up he gets smoked,” Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. “I’d be upset, too, if I was Doli. But like I said, it just took too long to get things back in order, that’s what was frustrating me.”
Rangers closer José Leclerc gave up a single to pinch-hitter Yainer Diaz to open the Houston ninth and walked pinch-hitter Jon Singleton at the bottom of the lineup. The 5-foot-6 Altuve, playing in his 101st postseason game for Houston, then pulled an 0-1 changeup over the left-field
fence, just beyond the glove of a leaping Evan Carter.
“Emotions are high in the postseason. You’ve got two of the best teams in the world competing against each other. Everybody’s trying to win. I feel like that’s just him,” said Alex Bregman, who also homered for the Astros. “He has a slow heartbeat. He’s calm under pressure. He’s
confident in his ability. He always is just focused.”
Alex Bregman hits a HUGE home run to begin Game 5 of the ALCS!
The visiting team has won every game in the first postseason matchup between the Lone Star State rivals after the Astros won three in a row in Arlington. Game 6 in the best-of-seven series is Sunday night in Houston.
“We've done it so many times. We never give up until the last out,” Altuve said.
García connected off three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander, who took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth before Corey Seager doubled, Carter singled and García homered in a span of three pitches to make it 4-2.
Nathaniel Lowe also went deep for the wild-card Rangers, tying it 1-all in the fifth.
Nathaniel Lowe TIES UP ALCS Game 5 with a clutch homer!
Ryan Pressly pitched two scoreless innings for the win after replacing Abreu following his ejection. Pressly gave up consecutive singles to start the bottom of the ninth before retiring the top three batters in Texas' lineup. Marcus Semien lined out to shortstop, Seager flied out to deep
center and Carter struck out to end it.
Houston is in its seventh straight ALCS and is trying to get to its fifth World Series during that span.
The AL West champion Astros are 40-45 this year at Minute Maid Park, including 1/3 in the postseason. But they are 5-0 on the road and have won 19 of their past 22 games away from home overall.
Houston went 9-1 at Globe Life Field this season, winning its last eight while outscoring Texas 79-36.
García, the Cuban slugger known as El Bombi, took a couple of slow steps out of the batter’s box after connecting off Verlander and was about halfway down the baseline when the ball landed in the first row of seats a few feet beyond the left-center wall. It was his fourth homer this
postseason.
That go-ahead shot in the 42nd inning of this series was the first time the home team took the lead at any point through the first five games.
Houston took a 2-1 lead in the sixth when José Abreu reached out to hit a 79 mph curveball from starter Jordan Montgomery and the sharply hit ball took a tough hop off Seager at shortstop for an RBI single.
Josh Sborz entered with the bases loaded and one out but prevented further damage with the help of a diving play by Semien at second base.
Verlander retired 13 of his first 15 batters in his 21st postseason start for Houston until Lowe went the opposite way for a 380-foot homer to left field. The 40-year-old right-hander allowed four runs and six hits over 5 2/3 innings.
ROOF CLOSED
A day after the retractable roof at Globe Life Park was open during a game for the first time since May 21, it was closed again on a sunny afternoon. The temperature outside at first pitch was 91 degrees. It was 74 inside.
UP NEXT
All-Star pitchers Nathan Eovaldi and Framber Valdez will start Game 6, the same matchup as Game 2 when the Rangers won 5-4. Eovaldi struck out nine and allowed three runs in six innings to win Monday. Valdez had six strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings, but allowed five runs (four earned).
Dusty Baker Reacts to Astros & Rangers Benches Clearing, Jose Altuve Clutch Game Winning ALCS Homer
Justin Verlander Reacts to Astros & Rangers Benches Clearing, Adolis Garcia & Jose Altuve Clutch HR
Jose Altuve Reacts to Astros & Rangers Benches Clearing, Adolis Garcia Reaction & Clutch GM5 Homer
Ryan Pressly Reacts to Houston Astros ALCS Comeback & Adolis Garcia Hit "Completely Unintentional"
Bruce Bochy Reacts to "Bunch of Crap" Astros & Rangers Bench Clearing After Adolis Garcia Beaning
Adolis Garcia Reacts to Astros vs. Rangers Benches Clearing, Astros Beaming & Maldonado Exchange
Brandon Pfaadt was superb in his second straight start these playoffs, but the bats continued their struggles and needed Ketel Marte heroics in the 9th to secure their first victory in Game 3 of the NLCS.
D-backs vs. Phillies NLCS Game 3 Highlights (10/19/23) | MLB Highlights
For a team that had their backs against the wall after getting trounced in Philadelphia, the D-backs surely looked like it facing Ranger Suarez Thursday afternoon at Chase Field. For a team that’s struggled to hit but got timely home runs to carry the offense, it was more of the same for
the offense for most of the game.
Diamondbacks win Game 3 with Ketel Marte walk-off hit | MLB on ESPN
Ketel Marte did most of the damage for the Diamondbacks, doubling twice in the 3rd and 6th innings to start the offense, but the team largely failed to capitalize on the opportunities when given. The first two-out double was squandered there, as Carroll grounded out to leave him
stranded. The second double led off the 6th inning, and a Carroll grounder almost made it through the infield to score their first run, but Stott made a fabulous diving stop and Suarez beat Corbin to the bag for the first out. But Jeff Hoffman came on in relief and struck out Moreno badly
on 4 pitches, and Walker grounded out to short to end the limited threats they’d have.
Fortunately for the offense, Brandon Pfaadt was electric and pitched like a rotation ace. Mixing all of his pitches well and never making any real mistakes, Pfaadt stymied the explosive Phillies offense all game. His only real mistake was a Brandon Marsh double to right that Pham either
misjudged or struggled to go after with the weakened foot. But no matter, Pfaadt would lean on the strikeout to end the inning.
Through 5 innings, Pfaadt was just about perfect with 8 K’s and only 1 batter above the minimum. He cruised through Brandon Marsh with a strikeout, and Johan Rojas flew out to center for the first two outs of the inning. But out came Torey Lovullo with the quick hook. Unlike his outing
against the Dodgers when he was in trouble after giving up a double, Pfaadt was dealing, retiring the last 10 batters he’d face and only needing 70 pitches to get to that point. But, the call was made, and Saalfrank came on to face Kyle Schwarber.
He’d walk on 5 pitches.
The D-backs WALK OFF in NLCS Game 3!
Turner up next, and it looked like disaster was incoming with a first-pitch ball but a hard ground out to Rivera got them out of the jam and erased the “early-hook” questions Torey would face if a run would’ve scored (He’ll probably still hear those).
The run dam finally broke in the 7th, albeit not in the conventional means. With Saalfrank still on to face Harper, he’d walk to lead off the inning and Ryan Thompson came on to try and induce a double play. Bohm hit a perfect weak grounder up the 3rd baseline for a single but got the
much-needed grounder from Stott for a double play. But his command left him as he yanked a slider into the left-hander batter’s box, allowing Harper to score and breaking the zero-zero tie.
The D-backs finally responded. Pham woke up from his long struggle with a single to right-center and after Alek Thomas replaced him as a pinch-runner, Gurriel doubled to left and Thomas was on his horse to score all the way from 1st to tie things at 1-1.
But with a chance to be a hero, Emmanuel Rivera failed, grounding into a double play with some questionable baserunning from Gurriel to clinch the double play. He had an opportunity to force the throw to home if he went on contact, but stayed close to 3rd, allowing Turner to flip to 2nd
for the double play. Perdomo grounded out to Alvarado to end the threat.
Ginkel worked a clean 8th and a two-out double from Moreno gave another shot at a run, but an intentional walk to Walker brought up Alek Thomas, who’d ground out.
Sewald came on for the 9th and was his normal self, pitching around an unintentional-intentional walk to Harper, but Alec Bohm watched strike three to end the inning.
With Craig Kimbrel on for the 9th, the offense came alive. Lourdes Gurriel took a close walk to lead off the inning then stole 2nd on the slow to the plate Kimbrel. With the defense aligned to cover the 1st-2nd hole, Pavin hit it in the perfect spot, getting runners on 1st and 3rd with zero
outs. But Rivera came up empty again, grounding out to Turner with Gurriel went on contact and was gunned out easily on the play. Again, another baserunning blunder had Pavin stuck on 2nd with one out. Perdomo and his excellent eye worked a walk to load the bases for our hero
Ketel Marte. @ketel_marte4
We’ve got a series now guys, gals, and pals. Is the 9th inning a sign of things to come? Or will the bullpen game be too much of a hill to climb for the D-backs to overcome? First pitch is at a much normal time, 5:07pm first pitch.
Diamondbacks Win Game 3 of NLCS vs. Phillies on Walk-Off Hit | 2023 MLB Postseason
Saturday, 5:07 Arizona Time, TBA (perhaps Zack Wheeler) vs TBA
Zack Wheeler pitched in game one of this series. He pitched 6 innings and allowed 2 runs.
Whatever game Zack Gallen pitches, it’s good to know he has a much better ERA at home than away (2.27 vs 4.42 during regular season). Whatever game he pitches will be advantage Diamondbacks.
Torey Lovullo Reacts to D-Backs NLCS GM3 Win vs. Phillies & Explains Taking Out Brandon Pfaadt
Ketel Marte Reacts to Game Winning Walk-Off Hit for Arizona Diamondbacks in NLCS GM3 vs. Phillies
Brandon Pfaadt & Pavin Smith React to Dominant Outing, Lovullo's Decision, GM3 NLCS Win vs. Phillies
Rob Thomson Reacts to Philadelphia Phillies GM3 Walk-Off Loss vs. D-Backs & Brandon Pfaadt Outing
Ranger Suarez talks Phillies 2022 vs. 2023 Differences, Phillies vs. D-Backs NLCS & WS Loss Lessons
Craig Kimbrel talks First Season With Phillies, 2018 Red Sox Similarities & Becoming a "Mercenary"
And don’t forget Altuve, Alvarez, and stellar bullpen performance as Astros tie series 2-2
Astros vs. Rangers ALCS Game 4 Highlights (10/19/23) | MLB Highlights
Aren’t y’all glad Jeff Bagwell and Jim Crane decided to sign Jose Abreu?
It must have been the plan all along. Win the division with the fewest victories possible. Then, when the playoffs begin, unleash the secret weapon.
I don’t have to tell you how badly Abreu played most of this season. Or how frustrated the fans were about his performance. But in the playoffs, Abreu has four homers, 11 RBI, and a 1.020 OPS. His three-run shot was the decisive hit in this playoff game. He even stole a base. He has hit
three of the six longest home runs hit by any player this playoff season.
Jim Crane. You’re a genius.
It wasn’t a one-man show by any means. The Astros silenced the Rangers crowd almost immediately. Jose Altuve lined a double down the left-field line on the third pitch of the game. He advanced to third on a Mauricio Dubon single. They both scored on an Alex Bregman triple.
Of course, never to be left out of any scoring rally, Yordan Alvarez singled home Bregman on a liner to center. The Stros proceeded to load the bases, but the rally ended on a Martin Maldonado strikeout from relief pitcher Dane Dunning, who replaced starter Andrew Heaney after a walk
to Chas McCormick.
In the second inning, the Astros left runners in scoring position with one out, and in the bottom of the inning, Adolis Garcia made Jose Urquidy and the Astros pay, getting the Rangers back in the game with a lead-off solo home run.
But that was not all. Mitch Garver scored after a walk, a Nathaniel Lowe double, and a Josh Heim sacrifice fly.
In the third inning, Corey Seager tied the score 3-3, breaking his post-season slump with a solo homer to center. When Garcia’s single put runners on first and second, Manager Dusty Baker replaced Urquidy with Ryne Stanek, who got Garver to ground out on the first pitch.
In the fourth inning, the Astros loaded the bases with no outs, starting with #9 batter Maldonado walking after being down 0-2, another walk to Altuve, and a single by Dubon.
Dunning then struck out Bregman, and Manager Bruce Bochy brought in lefty Cody Bradford to pitch to Alvarez. Alvarez hit one over the fence yesterday against Bradford (for an out). This time, Alvarez hit a 3-2 pitch 401 feet but again missed the homer. However, it did score Maldonado
at third.
This time, the big hero wasn’t Alvarez but you-know-who. Jose Abreu finished the job that Alvarez started by clearing the bases with a massive 438-foot homer to left center.
The Astros keep crushing! Chas McCormick adds to their lead in ALCS Game 4!
This bringing in lefties thing just isn’t working.
Hunter Brown came in for the Astros in the bottom of the fourth and totally shut down the Rangers with two Ks. But Chris Stratton mowed down the bottom of the Astros order with equal alacrity.
Brown’s luck did not hold in the Rangers’ fifth. Or did it? Leody Taveras and Marcus Semien led off the inning with solid singles. The next two batters hit screamers.
But...
This play will go down in History as The Batting Glove Play. Cory Seager smashed a line drive, caught by Abreu at first. Abreu raced at Semien towards first to make a tag for the double play.
It was ruled that Abreu missed the tag. It seemed that it wasn’t even worth a review. It turns out that Abreu barely nicked the thumb of the batting glove sticking out of Semien’s back pocket. A Seager seeming double was miraculously turned into a double play. Evan Carter then
smashed a lineout that Dubon in center barely caught up to.
There was no scoring in the fifth and sixth innings, in part because of this play by Jose Altuve in the seventh.
The Astros padded their lead in the top of the seventh on this two-run Chas Chop.
The Astros weren’t through. Jose Altuve led off the eighth with a double, originally ruled a home run on a ball that hit the yellow line on the left-field fence.
Altuve had to return to second base. But no matter, Alvarez singled him home anyway.
Adolis García CRUSHES one to get the Rangers on the board in ALCS Game 4!
José Abreu hits a MASSIVE 3-run homer in ALCS Game 4!
By routing the Rangers tonight, the Astros were able to rest the meat of their bullpen and give everyone else some needed work. After Urquidy left the game in the third inning, Ryne Stanek, Hunter Brown, Phil Maton, and Rafael Montero tamed the potent Ranger offense like a purring
pussycat. The Rangers got only three hits after the third inning.
The road-field advantage continues for the Astros. This is their 18th road win out of 21 games. The Astros have scored 81 runs in nine games at Globe Life Park.
Today it was a team effort. Altuve had three hits and three runs. Alvarez had two hits and three RBI. Dubon had two hits and two runs after getting three hits yesterday. Another Chas Chomp and, of course, the monster Abreu smash.
The Astros are now favored to win the series tying the series 2-2. Can they handle that? No home team has had a lead in any of the four games.
Fun fact: Ryne Stanek is the winning pitcher after throwing one pitch.
Tomorrow is an afternoon game. Justin Verlander — Hell Yeah — is back on the playoff mound for the Stros. It’s a replay of Game One against Jordan Montgomery.
Here’s a video of the game’s highlights. Thanks to Zeeshan21.
Alex Bregman & Dusty Baker React to Houston Astros Tying ALCS 2-2 With Texas, Jose Altuve Greatness
Justin Verlander talks Astros vs. Rangers ALCS, Astros Experience Advantage & Playoff Approach
Jeremy Pena talks Houston Astros vs. Rangers ALCS, Mauricio Dubon Impact & Jose Altuve Greatness
Josh Jung talks Texas Rangers vs. Astros ALCS, First MLB Playoff Experience & Corey Seager Praise
Bruce Bochy Reacts to Houston Astros Tying ALCS at 2-2, Bullpen Decisions & Texas Pitching Struggles
Jordan Montgomery & Bruce Bochy talk Rangers vs. Astros ALCS, Jon Gray, Max Scherzer's Return
Despite setback, Texas still leads the ALCS 2-1
Astros vs. Rangers ALCS Game 3 Highlights (10/18/23) | MLB Highlights
GAME OVER!!
The Texas Rangers scored five runs while the Houston Astros scored eight runs.
Well, it seemed unlikely that the Rangers would just straight up sweep through the entire month of October. Finally, after starting their postseason run with seven consecutive wins, they are staring at some adversity.
Tonight’s starter Max Scherzer couldn’t make any assurances as to what his performance would be like after missing over a month of action. As it turns out, it, uh... wasn’t great. Scherzer’s stuff seemed fine, as he hit 95 MPH with his fastball and he sometimes had a decent looking
breaker, but the command wasn’t there as one might expect after such a layoff without in-game rehab action to shake off the rust.
Rangers ace Max Scherzer’s official roster status for ALCS clash with Astros, revealed
Max Scherzer's 4.34 career playoff ERA as a starter at home is the 2nd highest in MLB postseason history (min. 10 home starts)
In total, Scherzer lasted a generous four innings and allowed five runs on five hits with a walk, a run-scoring wild pitch, and four strikeouts in 63 pitches. It started out ok as he needed just eight adrenaline-fueled pitches for a spotless 1st but the Astros got to him for a three spot in the
top of the 2nd. The most regrettable part of that inning was the Astros did most of that damage from the bottom of their lineup, with barely-sentient-with-bat Martin Maldonado driving in a couple with a clutch two-out hit.
After another run in the 3rd — a solo home run by Jose Altuve — and the fifth run in his final frame in the 4th, Scherzer’s night was in the books and Texas was tasked with finding five runs of offense and getting five innings from the bullpen ahead of another tricky game tomorrow night.
They eventually did the former, but the latter was always going to be a problem.
Jose Altuve CRUSHES his 25th Career Postseason Homer!
That ‘pen held Houston at bay for a few innings but with the soft underbelly in the game, you knew it was just a matter of time. They got some help from Leody Taveras who made the catch of the postseason thus far to rob Yordan Alvarez of seemingly his 100th dinger of these playoffs.
They did not get Alvarez the next time up, however, as Will Smith walked the bases loaded to face the hottest hitter on the planet before Houston’s October legend predictably drove in two more runs to further put the game out of reach. The Astros added insurance in the 8th off Jon
Gray, who was making his relief and postseason debut.
Alas, with not much cookin’ at home by the lineup in innings not featuring Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Jung, Texas dropped their first game since the regular season finale and their first game of this series. Now it’s time to see if they can bounce back.
Player of the Game: The Rangers didn’t have a hit off Astros starter Cristian Javier until the bottom of the 5th, however, Jung followed Lowe’s hit column ice breaker with a two-run dong that momentarily provided some hope while helping Texas avoid the shutout.
The next time those two were up, Lowe singled and Jung homered again. If only they could have batted every inning.
Up Next: Game 4 of the ALCS with two TBDs for starting pitchers. The Rangers will likely opt for RHP Dane Dunning or LHP Andrew Heaney or a tandem of both while the Astros will likely turn to RHP Jose Urquidy as they did in Game 4 of the ALDS.
The Thursday evening first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 7:03 pm CT and will be aired on FS1.
Rangers’ Mitch Garver, Nathaniel Lowe get 100% real on facing Astros in ALCS
Dusty Baker talks Yordan Alvarez Playoff Greatness & Houston Astros Bizarre Home vs. Away W/L Record
Dusty Baker, Mauricio Dubon & Cristian Javier React to Series Saving ALCS Game 3 Win vs. Texas
Yordan Alvarez talks Epic Playoff Performances, Belief in Houston Astros & Kyle Tucker vs. Texas
Mauricio Dubon talks Becoming a Gold Glove Finalist & Houston Astros Career Altering Opportunity
Bruce Bochy Discusses Decision to Start Max Scherzer: "I'd Let Him Do It Again" & Astros GM3 Win
Corey Seager talks Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros ALCS, Josh Jung Gold Glove Snub & GG Nomination
He's a BEAST!! Kyle Schwarber blasts his 2nd homer of NLCS Game 2!
D-backs vs. Phillies NLCS Game 2 Highlights (10/17/23) | MLB Highlights
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kyle Schwarber is pounding postseason homers at such a rate that he fits right in with Mickey Mantle and Reggie Jackson.
The tattooed slugger is doing it all while powering the Philadelphia Phillies toward a chance for the franchise’s first World Series championship since 2008.
“If you want to get paid, win baseball games,” he said. “That goes a long way.”
Nola had been dominant up to that point, so the Phillies left him in to face the D-backs’ No. 3 and 4 hitters, Tommy Pham and Christian Walker. Nola got both out to complete six scoreless innings, with three hits allowed, no walks and seven strikeouts.
The Phillies have had only three pitchers start games this postseason: Nola,
The Phillies offense keeps GOING OFF! (All 10 runs from their huge NLCS Game 2 win!)
Schwarber hit two of Philadelphia’s three solo homers off Merrill Kelly, and the sweet-swinging Phillies pounded the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-0 on Tuesday night for a 2-0 lead in the NL Championship Series.
Trea Turner also connected and J.T. Realmuto had two hits and three RBIs as Philadelphia improved to 7-1 in the playoffs, moving closer to a second straight World Series appearance. Aaron Nola tossed three-hit ball and struck out seven in six innings.
Game 3 is Thursday at Chase Field. The Texas Rangers also hold a 2-0 lead over the Houston Astros in the ALCS headed into Wednesday’s game.
“I think this is kind of the lineup that we envisioned ourselves having all season long,” Realmuto said. “I just think that we’re clicking at the right time right now.”
It was another noisy night in Philly as Kelly was roasted after saying fans at Citizens Bank Park could not possibly be any louder than the ones he heard cheering for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.
Not just any Classic game. The one in May when Turner hit a grand slam for the United States that lifted them into the tournament’s semifinals.
“I haven’t obviously heard this place on the field,” Kelly said ahead of Game 1, “but I would be very surprised if it trumped that (WBC) game down in Miami.”
As the kids say, challenge accepted.
Trea Turner hit a 421-foot home run to give the Philadelphia Phillies a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Kyle Schwarber hit a 427-foot homer to make history. J.T. Realmuto hit an RBI double to push the game into rout status.
All big hits for the Phillies on Tuesday in Game 2 of the NLCS against the Arizona Diamondbacks. But not the biggest hits of the night.
That hit came courtesy of a Citizens Bank Park security guard immediately after the game, when a postgame idiot on the field entered a world of pain. As the Phillies bullpen emptied out to celebrate, the fan ran past them and into the guard's full-speed torso:
The one fan yelling "BOOOOOOOOOM" is what really makes the video. You also have to appreciate the guard's tackling form: no helmet-to-helmet, with a perfect wrap-up to keep the fan on the ground.
You can actually discern the moment of impact via the crowd reaction on the TBS broadcast, with some players turning to see what happened:
For every fan at the park (save for one), the hit was one more fun moment in a night full of them. The Phillies were up 1-0 after their second batter of the game, they were up 6-0 by the end of the sixth inning, and they cruised to a 10-0 win, giving them a 2-0 series lead as they head to Arizona.
Among the history the Phillies made over the course of the game: most homers in a four-game postseason span (14), tied for most players with multi-homer games in a postseason (four, in a span of four games), second team to score double-digit runs in multiple postseason
games, highest run differential in any eight-game span in a postseason (+33) and the Diamondbacks' first postseason shutout loss in franchise history.
The Phillies are currently on the kind of heater rarely seen in the MLB playoffs, and now even one of their security guards is performing like a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Kelly, a 12-game winner this season, was voraciously booed from pregame introductions to his walk to the mound, a sort of we’ll-show-you vibe from 45,412 Phillies diehards determined to shake the ballpark again in October.
How loud?
“AC/DC concert level,” loud, Turner said before Game 2.
The Schwarbarian! Kyle Schwarber blasts ANOTHER NLCS Home Run!
Phillies manager Rob Thomson said a rival coach told him last season that a playoff game in Philly was “four hours of hell,” and Turner sent a charge through the delirious crowd when he clocked a four-seam fastball to left-center field for a 1-0 lead in the first.
“It was definitely loud,” Turner said.
Kelly said his comments were taken out of context and “made into something more than it should have been.”
“I knew it from the start that the energy was going to be loud,” he said. “I knew these fans bring a ton of energy.”
Boisterous fans are great. So is the long ball. Schwarber’s homers in the third and sixth were Philadelphia’s 14th and 15th homers in the last four games as the Phillies continue to mash their way through October.
Pitching, though, remains the ultimate decider.
Nola, eligible for free agency after the World Series, has only fattened the numbers for his impending contract. The longest-tenured Phillie, Nola has won all three postseason starts and struck out 19. His ERA, 0.96.
Nola tossed seven shutout innings in the Wild Card Series against Miami and struck out nine against the Braves in the NLDS. Against Corbin Carroll, Christian Walker and the Diamondbacks, Nola again was spotless.
“He’s really just being unpredictable and getting ahead of guys and being able to put them away when he is ahead,” Realmuto said.
TV Turner! Trea Turner Blasts a 1st inning Homer!
The Phillies flashed their leather to keep Arizona in check. Bryce Harper made a diving stab at first to get Carroll in the third. Alec Bohm made a diving snag at third and one-hopped the throw to get Gabriel Moreno in the second.
Kelly was booed off the mound when he was lifted for Joe Mantiply in the sixth and left a runner on base. Bryson Stott singled and Realmuto followed with a two-run double. After a two-out walk, Brandon Marsh added an RBI double for a 6-0 lead.
At that point, there was no use stretching Nola, not when the Phillies could save him for a start later in the series — or possibly, his next one against a team from Texas.
“I feel like we like our chances, for sure,” Nola said.
The Phillies have four individual multihomer games this postseason, tying the 2009 Phillies and 2002 Angels for the most by a team in a postseason.
Schwarber, who hit six for the Phillies in last season’s playoffs, has 18 career in the postseason, tying him with Jackson and Mantle on the list. Only six players are ahead of him in MLB history.
Schwarber had the crowd standing in anticipation of a third homer in the seventh but he walked.
The Phillies beat the Braves 10-2 in Game 3 of the NLDS, marking the second time in franchise history (2009) they have scored 10 runs in multiple games in a single postseason.
The Diamondbacks are headed home all out of sorts. Stott popped one up 17 feet from the plate in the seventh that three fielders looked at and let drop for a single. He scored on a sacrifice fly for a 10-0 lead.
Arizona was limited to four hits for the second straight game while its top two starters combined to give up six homers.
“Look, we could be playing on the moon. Everybody is talking about coming into this environment, and I don’t care,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “We have to play better baseball. Everybody has to be better. You can start with the manager and then trickle all the way down through the entire team.”
The Diamondbacks will throw rookie right-hander Brandon Pfaadt (3-9, 5.72 ERA) in Game 3 while the Phillies start left-hander Ranger Suárez (4-6, 4.18 ERA; 1-0 postseason).
Phillies Go Up 2-0 on Diamondbacks in NLCS | 2023 MLB Postseason
Rob Thomson Reacts to Philadelphia Phillies Dominant 10-0 Win vs. D-Backs & Phillies 2-0 NLCS Lead
JT Realmuto & Kyle Schwarber talk Wheeler/Nola "Horses", 2-0 NLCS vs. D-Backs: "Series Not Over"
Torey Lovullo Reacts to D-Backs Falling Down 0-2 vs. Phillies in NLCS: "EVERYONE'S GOT TO BE BETTER"
Yordan Alvarez's first home run puts the Astros on the board in the second inning, and his second pulls them within one in the bottom of the eighth.
Rangers vs. Astros ALCS Game 2 Highlights (10/16/23) | MLB Highlights
He did it AGAIN! Yordan Alvarez blasts ANOTHER Postseason homer!
HOUSTON -- — No matter the place or the moment, the Texas Rangers are rolling right now.
Jonah Heim homered, Nathan Eovaldi pitched six effective innings and Texas beat Framber Valdez and the Houston Astros 5-4 on Monday for a 2-0 lead in the AL Championship Series.
The Rangers improved to 7-0 in the playoffs, including six wins on the road. They swept the Rays in the Wild Card Series and the Orioles in the Division Series, and then posted a 2-0 win at Houston in the ALCS opener.
“It’s just baseball to us,” Texas third baseman Josh Jung said. “We’re jumping on teams early, and that helps us settle in. Our pitching has been outstanding. You can’t ask for anything more than what they’ve given us.”
Adolis García, Mitch Garver and Nathaniel Lowe each hit an RBI single during Texas' four-run first inning against Valdez, and José Leclerc closed it out for the Rangers after Yordan Alvarez powered an Astros rally.
Eovaldi struck out nine, including two in a row after Houston loaded the bases with none out in the fifth. He was charged with three runs and five hits in his third win this postseason.
“You’re talking about one of the elite pitchers in the game,” Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. “They have that ability to turn up a notch when they had to. We made an error, bases loaded, and it’s about picking each other up, and he picked us up there and made great pitches.”
Game 3 of the best-of-seven series is Wednesday night in Arlington.
You can watch the full moment from Garcia.
Even FOX play-by-play announcer Joe Davis was impressed with Garcia’s move. Before realizing he was hit by the pitch, Daivs said “Woo look at that cartwheel.” You see something new every time you watch a baseball game.
Pitching Ninja was able to show you the differences between Garcia and four-time Olympic Gold Medalist Simone Biles.
RANGERS CAN'T LOSE! 🔥 6-game road win streak ties 2nd longest to begin MLB postseason | SC with SVP
The Rangers are the fifth team in MLB history and first since the Astros last season to win their first seven postseason games. Kansas City holds the record with an eight-game win streak to start the 2014 postseason.
The six straight road playoff wins by the Rangers is tied for the second-longest such streak in MLB history, behind an eight-game streak by the Yankees in 1996.
Alvarez hit two solo drives to become the sixth player in MLB history to have two multihomer games in one postseason. The second one was off Aroldis Chapman, trimming Houston's deficit to 5-4 with two out in the eighth.
Leclerc then came in and walked José Abreu and Michael Brantley, but Chas McCormick grounded out to end the threat.
Jeremy Peña flied out to deep right field for the first out in the Houston ninth. Yainer Diaz then grounded out and Jose Altuve flied to center, giving Leclerc his second save of the series.
The Astros, who went 39-42 at home in the regular season, continued to struggle at Minute Maid Park. The defending champions fell to 1/3 at home in the playoffs this year.
The Rangers jumped all over Valdez. Marcus Semien smacked the first pitch to center field for a single. Corey Seager singled to left on the second pitch before Valdez made two errors on one play.
Valdez bobbled a chopper hit by Robbie Grossman for an error that allowed him to reach first and Semien to score. His second error occurred when he badly overthrew first to move Grossman to second and Seager to third.
Valdez put his hands on his knees and shook his head at the end of the play.
García then hit a liner to right field to score Seager. Garver singled home another run before Valdez finally got his first out when he struck out Heim.
Yordan Alvarez hits ANOTHER homer! He now his 6 homers in 6 Postseason games! (2nd of the game!)
The Rangers weren’t done yet.
Lowe singled on a ground ball to left to make it 4-0. Valdez retired the next two batters to end the inning.
“I thought my pitches were good,” he said through a translator. “Maybe they got a little bit lucky. There were a couple of balls that weren't hit that well for base hits.”
Alex Bregman also homered for the Astros, who went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position. Alvarez, who is dealing with an illness, looked much better than he did in Game 1 when he went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts.
He said he was feeling good Monday and deflected questions about his health.
“It was just something personal,” he said through a translator. “I don’t know how that got out. It didn’t come from me or the team.”
Valdez (0-2) allowed seven hits and five runs — four earned — in 2 2/3 innings in his second loss this postseason. It was his shortest start of the season.
The Astros missed a huge opportunity in the fifth. Brantley and McCormick hit back-to-back singles to open the inning before Peña reached on an error by Jung.
But Eovaldi escaped by striking out pinch-hitter Diaz and Altuve before Bregman grounded out.
“When I was ahead 1-2 (on Altuve) and I went with a high fastball and followed it up with the splitter. You’re close but you’re not out of the woods yet because Bregman is equally as talented,” Eovaldi said. “I was able to make a good pitch and get us out of the jam, and I felt like that was one of the turning points of the game.”
Alvarez walked with one out in the sixth before scoring on a two-out double by Brantley. Alvarez also hit a leadoff homer in the second into the second deck in right field.
Heim homered high off the wall in left field to push the lead to 5-1 with no outs in the third.
UP NEXT
Max Scherzer will start for Texas in Game 3 after sitting out since Sept. 12 because of a muscle strain in his shoulder. It will be the fifth different team that the three-time Cy Young Award winner has pitched for in the postseason.
Cristian Javier starts for Houston after throwing five scoreless innings to get the win in Game 3 of the Division Series.
Bruce Bochy & Nathan Eovaldi React to Texas Rangers Taking a 2-0 ALCS Lead vs. Houston Astros
Marcus Semien Reacts to Texas Rangers Taking a 2-0 ALCS Lead vs. Houston & Nathan Eovladi Greatness
Jose Leclerc talks Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros ALCS, Texas Rebuild & Rangers Improved Bullpen
Jonah Heim & Bruce Bochy talk Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros ALCS, Max Scherzer's Comeback
D-backs vs. Phillies NLCS Game 1 Highlights (10/16/23) | MLB Highlights
Kyle Schwarber hits a FIRST-PITCH LEADOFF NLCS homer!
Postseason Bryce!! On his 31st birthday, Bryce Harper CRUSHES an NLCS home run!
HOUSTON -- — Jordan Montgomery outdueled Justin Verlander and the Texas Rangers received a big boost from their youngest player to open the AL Championship Series with a 2-0 win over the Houston Astros on Sunday night.
Montgomery pitched five-hit ball over 6 1/3 innings, Leody Taveras provided a two-run lead with his solo homer in the fifth and the Rangers remained perfect in the postseason at 6-0.
Evan Carter, a rookie who just turned 21 on Aug. 29, doubled and scored in the second and made two nifty defensive plays in left field. He's shined this postseason after not making his major league debut until Sept. 8.
“He just has so much confidence,” Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. “He’s got the youthful enthusiasm and he’s just excited to be here. He’s not in awe of anything, just no fear in this kid since he’s come up.”
In the ALCS for the first time since back-to-back appearances in 2010-11, the Rangers swept the Rays in the Wild Card Series and the Orioles in the Division Series. The winning streak followed loses in their previous six playoff games against Toronto in the ALDS in 2015 and 2016.
“We just found a way to get a couple of runs across the board,” Bochy said. “That was the difference in the game, obviously. But our guy was really good, Monty, terrific job he did. And he got in a couple of jams there and found a way to get out of it.”
Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Monday in Houston.
The defending champion Astros, in the ALCS for a seventh straight year, had a tough time getting anything going against Montgomery. The top four batters in Houston’s lineup were 2 for 12 with five strikeouts against the left-hander. Slugger Yordan Alvarez struck out against him three times.
“Overall, just didn’t do enough tonight, offensively,” Houston third baseman Alex Bregman said. “I thought J.V. threw the ball tremendously, but we need to string together some better at-bats.”
Houston's offensive woes came after it hit 16 homers and outscored the Rangers 39-10 in a three-game sweep in September. Things were much different in the first postseason meeting between these in-state rivals as they managed just five singles.
“Sometime you’ve got to say: ‘Hey, the guy threw a great game tonight against us, excellent game,’” manager Dusty Baker said. “And they say good pitching beats good hitting, but when you don’t hit, everybody wants to know what’s wrong. There’s not a whole bunch to say. He threw a real good game against us.”
Montgomery has been great in the last month, allowing just two earned runs over 27 innings in his last four starts of regular season, and posting a 2.08 ERA in three postseason starts.
"Death, taxes, verlander choking 3 guarantees in life - just like playoff kershaw."
Verlander allowed two runs and six hits in 6 2/3 innings to mark the first time this postseason where both starters pitched into the seventh. It was the 36th postseason start for Verlander and the MLB-record 14th time he’s started a playoff series opener.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner threw 47 fastballs, getting 27 swings without a single swing and miss.
Verlander said the defending champs aren't concerned after falling into an early hole in the series.
“We lost Game 1 in the World Series last year,” he said. “We’ve lost Game 1 of some playoff series before. And that’s the great thing about this team. Obviously nobody is sitting in the locker room right now happy. But it’s very matter of fact, okay. We just got punched, how do you answer?”
Alvarez stranded two in the third with an inning ending strikeout and Martín Maldonado left the bases loaded when he struck out in the fourth.
Josh Sborz walked Jose Altuve starting the eighth and was replaced by Aroldis Chapman. The Rangers turned a double play when Carter made a great grab on the track on a ball hit by Bregman and Altuve was called out for not retouching second base when he retreated to first after Carter’s catch.
Altuve initially called safe, but the Rangers challenged the ruling and it was overturned in a video review. Alvarez following with an inning-ending groundout.
Carter had robbed Bregman of a hit with one out in the first. He sprinted before leaping to make the catch and crashing into the scoreboard wall in left field and knocking out one of squares.
“Oh, my gosh. This is so much fun,” Carter said. “That’s just all I think about. Where else would I want to be. This is awesome. I’m just trying to keep my feet grounded and just keep rolling with this team . It’s been a lot of fun.”
Jose Leclerc struck out one in a perfect ninth for the save and the Rangers' second shutout of the playoff. Texas’ bullpen has a 1.86 ERA in the playoffs after ranking 24th at 4.77 during the regular season.
Carter got things going for Texas with a hustle double on a grounder with one out in the second before scoring on a single by Jonah Heim. John Jung singled with two outs, Taveras walked to load the bases and Verlander limited the damage by retiring Marcus Semien on a fly ball.
Verlander had retired eight in a row when Taveras drove a hanging slider 398 feet into the seats in right field with one out in the fifth.
“Every one of their guys has the opportunity to beat you,” Verlander said. “You’ve got to be on your game one through nine. And if you’re not, they’ll make you pay.”
UP NEXT
Houston LHP Framber Valdez (0-1, 10.38 ERA) opposes RHP Nathan Eovaldi (2-0, 1.32) in Game 2. Eovaldi grew up in suburban Houston and attended Alvin High School, which is also the alma mater of Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan.
“It’s awesome,” Eovaldi said. “I’m going to have a lot of friends and family here for the game. Anytime we’re in this stage in this moment right here, being this close to the World Series, it’s a big deal. Doesn’t matter where we’re playing at, it’s a big honor for us to be here.”
Jordan Montgomery escapes bases-loaded jam with a punchout
With the bases loaded and two outs, Jordan Montgomery strikes out Martin Maldonado to end the fourth inning for the Rangers.
ALCS Game 1 Recap: Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz recap Rangers' 2-0 win vs. Astros
Bruce Bochy Reacts to Evan Carter Fearlessness, Jordan Montgomery Dominance & Rangers ALCS GM1 Win
Jordan Montgomery Reacts to Shutout Outing vs. Houston Astros in Game 1 of ALCS & Texas Game 1 Win
Dusty Baker Reacts to Evan Carter Catches, Playing Martin Maldonado & Astros GM1 ALCS Loss vs. Texas
Justin Verlander Reacts to Houston Astros GM1 ALCS Loss vs. Texas & Challenges of Rangers Lineup
Evan Carter Reacts to INSANE Catch Robbing Alex Bregman in ALCS & Playing for Texas at 21 Years Old
‘He’s 101′: Trea Turner gets real on Nick Castellanos following historic game in Phillies’ NLCS clinch
Ken Rosenthal Exclusive
Castellanos hits 2 homers again, powers Phillies past Braves 3-1 and into 2nd straight NLCS
Who’s going to the NLCS? The Phillies are!
Braves vs. Phillies NLDS Game 4 Highlights (10/12/23) | MLB Highlights
PHILADELPHIA -- — Bryce Harper’s funny bone — the one he clutched on his right elbow before the Philadelphia Phillies clinched another berth in the NL Championship Series — gave the team, the franchise, even a city, a fleeting scare.
The most valuable of all the Phillies, Harper insisted he was fine. Honest.
The slugger soon stripped off his jersey and soaked in one more postseason bubbly bash inside the clubhouse, where his teammates had a T-shirt waiting he could wear for the ride home.
On the front, “ Atta Boy Harper.”
On the back, “He wasn’t supposed to hear it.”
José José José José
©Eric Hartline, USA TODAY Sports Game 4 at Philadelphia: Bryce Harper celebrates on the field after the win.
The Phillies are going back to the NLCS!
Arcia was part of the celebration — chanting “atta boy Harper!” amid the postgame champagne and even commemorating it on a shirt.
(In case you can’t quite make it out in the video above, the back reads “he wasn’t supposed to hear it,” a nod to Arcia’s response when media asked him about the incident after Game 3.)
First, the Phillies delivered a second straight KO of the Atlanta Braves in the Division Series. Then they hit 'em with a punchline on the way out of town.
Nick Castellanos became the first player to hit multiple homers in consecutive postseason games, leading Philadelphia to a 3-1 victory in Game 4 on Thursday night that ushered Atlanta out of the playoffs for the second straight year.
“I just think there are so many guys that have been in these situations, not just now, but their whole lives,” Harper said. “We’ve got some really good players. I think we just kind of vibe together. We vibe well here. It’s a lot of fun.”
THE FIRST PLAYER IN POSTSEASON HISTORY WITH BACK-TO-BACK MULTI-HR GAMES
Nick Castellanos: #NLDS Game 3: Two HR NLDS Game 4: Two HR #Postseason
Matt Strahm struck out pinch-hitter Vaughn Grissom with runners at the corners to clinch the series and send the Phillies rushing the field in wild celebration. Fireworks went off at a frenzied Citizens Bank Park and the reigning National League champions were set to sing “ Dancing On My Own ” and uncork the Broad
Harper grabbed his surgically repaired right elbow after a collision with Matt Olson in the eighth. Olson's left knee clipped Harper's elbow on a play at first base that ended the inning. The two-time NL MVP flexed his elbow after a quick examination and finished the game.
Trea Turner singled twice, doubled and hit a solo homer in the fifth for a 2-1 lead as the Phillies make another run at their first World Series title since 2008.
They head next week to an all-wild card NLCS and will play the Arizona Diamondbacks, making their first trip since 2007. Game 1 is Monday in Philadelphia.
The Phillies were thrilled to return home after a Game 2 collapse in Atlanta ended with Harper getting doubled up on the bases to end a 5-4 loss. In the jubilant Braves clubhouse after the win, shortstop Orlando Arcia cracked, “ attaboy, Harper,” a wisecrack he later acknowledged he never intended for the Phillies to hear.
Harper hit two homers in Game 3 and stared down Arcia each time as he trotted around second base.
After Game 4, the Phillies had their fun, spraying Harper with beer and gleefully yelling, “Attaboy, Harper! Attaboy!”
“Watching when they celebrated when they doubled off Harper, and seeing everybody jump around and dance on the field,” Castellanos said, “that was a good feeling to get coming back and playing baseball here.”
The Phillies withstood a pair of scares in once again closing out the NL East champion Braves, who had the best record in baseball this season at 104-58. Philadelphia went 90-72, finishing 14 games back of Atlanta for the second year in a row.
Before the collision involving Harper, rookie center fielder Johan Rojas made a huge defensive play with the bases loaded to end the seventh, running down a deep drive to left-center and denying Ronald Acuña Jr. an extra-base hit that could have put Atlanta ahead.
“It takes a while to get over something like this after the year we had, the expectation we have here,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “We got beat by a really good club that has a penchant for this time of year.”
Wearing throwback powder blue jerseys and maroon hats as they do every Thursday at home, the Phillies took the same path as a year ago to reach another NLCS: first a Wild Card Series sweep; then they won Game 1 in Atlanta and lost Game 2. Like last season, the Phillies returned home and scored six runs in the
third inning of a Game 3 rout.
Then a repeat of a barrage of homers that signaled a knockout victory over their NL East rival, a year after the Braves won 101 regular-season games only to get handed an early playoff exit by Philadelphia.
“The only thing that I can say is that I’m learning that the season and the postseason are completely different,” Castellanos said.
Atlanta will surely find little consolation in not being the only regular-season heavyweight already out of these playoffs. The teams with the five best regular-season records — the Braves, Orioles (101 wins), Dodgers (100), Rays (99) and Brewers (92) — all failed to reach the LCS.
But this night belonged to Castellanos, the All-Star right fielder whose production tailed off in the second half only to rally with his son sitting in the front row for the postseason.
A night after he hit two homers in Game 3, Castellanos became the first Phillies slugger, heck, any slugger in baseball history, to drill multiple homers in consecutive playoff games.
His second one ended the night for Braves starter and 20-game winner Spencer Strider. Castellanos chased Strider in the sixth with a 415-foot moonshot to left that sent 45,831 fans at Citizens Bank Park into a towel-waving frenzy. Castellanos soaked in the cheers during the pitching change; he poked his head out of
the dugout and raised his arms as Phillies fans grew louder.
Castellanos continued to wave his arms toward the crowd as he headed to right field in the seventh with the Phillies up 3-1.
“Whenever you see that many people giving you an acknowledgment in a positive favor, I mean, there’s not really a lot of words that are going to be able to capture that feeling. But it’s special,” he said.
Manager Rob Thomson again turned to starter Ranger Suárez to keep the Phillies in the game until turning it over to a parade of hard-throwers in the bullpen. The plan worked once this series already. Suárez allowed just one hit through 3 2/3 innings in his Game 1 start before Thomson handed the ball to six relievers
in a 3-0 win. The plan in this one, get Suárez at least twice through the lineup — and the pitcher often overshadowed by Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola succeeded.
The hard-throwing lefty buzzed through three hitless innings — hitting 95.3 mph when he caught Sean Murphy looking to end the second — before Austin Riley homered in the fourth for a 1-0 Braves lead.
The early homer, the early deficit, rarely troubles these Phillies. They wait for their long-ball heavy lineup to deliver and — for the second straight game — it was Castellanos who tied it 1-all on a solo shot. Castellanos socked one inside the left-field foul pole, flipped his bat, and pointed to his young son, Liam, as he
crossed the plate.
PHANATIC PHUN
“I think when you’re hitting two homers every day, you can do whatever the hell you want,” Turner said.
Liam was a fixture at the ballpark for most of the summer and tagged along with Castellanos from the clubhouse to the All-Star Game. Liam had been absent from the ballpark once school resumed, but his dad has gushed about his presence this postseason.
Father, son — and all of Philadelphia — get at least one more round together.
Bryce Harper takes things personally. When the Atlanta Braves chirped about his Game 2-ending baserunning error, he responded by starting them down after blasting the first of his two home runs in a Game 3 win. It's a mindset that is shared by college football coach Deion Sanders.
"Coach Prime", as he is referred to, gets a lot of hate as well. He and Harper have that in common. The two are stars who are unabashed in what they do, and some fans don't like that. Sanders uses it as fuel for his team, and so does Harper.
It's fitting, then, that Harper wore a Coach Prime shirt before Game 4. With a chance to send the Philadelphia Phillies to the NLCS for the second straight year, Harper is taking things personally. Fans are loving it.
UP NEXT
The Phillies stay home and get three days off before the NLCS opener.
The Braves have lost 10 of their last 11 elimination games and will ponder what went wrong after another empty postseason.
Trea Turner Reacts to Philadelphia Phillies Series Win vs. Atlanta & Decision to Sign With Phillies
Nicholas Castellanos Reacts to Phillies Series Win vs. Braves, Phillies Fan Support & Johan Rojas
John Rojas Reacts to ROBBING Ronald Acuna Jr. & Philadelphia Phillies Series Win vs. Atlanta Braves
Rob Thomson Reacts to Philadelphia Phillies Series Win vs. Braves, NLCS Berth & Bryce Harper Injury
Brian Snitker Reacts to Atlanta Braves Being Eliminated by Phillies & "Phenomenal" Braves Season
Austin Riley Reacts to Atlanta Braves Facing Elimination from Phillies & Braves Roster Construction
Bryce Harper slugs 2 more homers as Phillies pound Braves 10-2 in Game 3 of NL Division Series
Braves vs. Phillies NLDS Game 3 Highlights (10/11/23) | MLB Highlights
Braves vs. Phillies Game 3 Highlights (10/11/23) | MLB Highlights
PHILADELPHIA -- — When gossip spread among the Phillies that Bryce Harper — of all the superstars to poke — had been laughed at inside the Braves clubhouse, his teammates dared the slugger to deliver.
“They looked at me,” Harper said, “and they were like, ‘What are you going to do?’”
Well, how about two homers, two staredowns, four RBI, and one more marvelous game to add to his growing October lore.
Harper answered Orlando Arcia’s mockery with a mammoth three-run homer and a solo shot, glaring at the shortstop on each trot around the bases, and Philadelphia beat Atlanta 10-2 in Game 3 of their NL Division Series on Wednesday night.
Message sent?
“Yeah, I mean, I stared right at him,” Harper said.
Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Aaron Nola (2-0) and four relievers combined to push the 104-win Braves to the brink of elimination. The Phillies can advance to the NL Championship Series for the second straight season with a win at home Thursday.
Nick Castellanos homered twice as Philadelphia rebounded from its disappointing loss at Atlanta on Monday night. With Trea Turner and Brandon Marsh also going deep, the Phillies set a franchise postseason record with six homers in all.
Nick Castellanos watches one FLY in NLDS Game 3!
Harper and Castellanos are the fourth pair of teammates in postseason history to each hit multiple home runs in a game, a list topped by Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in the 1932 World Series.
“(Harper's) one of the best in the world for a reason,” Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber said. “When we're in these moments, this is baseball at its best for him. When it's at his best for him, anything can happen.”
Harper continues to make teams pay for any perceived slight, and his eighth and ninth postseason homers in the last two seasons added to the Phillies' pursuit of the franchise's first World Series championship since 2008.
Not that he needs any incentive to go deep, but Harper tried to atone for a Game 2 baserunning blunder that capped an astonishing collapse. Harper had rounded second base on a deep flyout and was doubled up at first to end the game, the final moment in a series of late-inning plays that melted a 4-0 lead into a 5-4 loss.
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
In the jubilant Atlanta clubhouse after the win, Arcia cracked, “ha-ha, attaboy, Harper.” Faster than Harper rocked his shot off Game 3 starter Bryce Elder (0-1), the barb got back to the two-time NL MVP.
“He can look wherever he wants to look,” Arcia said through a translator. “When you're in the clubhouse, I was under the impression you could say whatever you wanted. He wasn't supposed to hear it. That's when we were talking in the clubhouse.”
Harper and Castellanos seemed to send a message about the wisecrack when they arrived at the ballpark wearing gear inspired by Colorado coach Deion Sanders. Harper wore a “ Coach Prime” T-shirt and Castellanos a “Prime” hoodie.
The brash Sanders retorted at criticism earlier this season from a rival coach by saying, “they done messed around and made it personal.”
Harper took it personal.
First, though, it was Castellanos — who said after Game 2 that the Phillies "thrive after we get punched in the face” — who delivered the first counterpunch with a homer in the third that tied it at 1.
Rep Deion, hit dingers. That's a Philly fact.
Harper's 10 career homers in the NLDS are now tops in baseball history.
BRYCE IN HIS VEINS! Bryce Harper goes yard for the 2nd time in NLDS Game 3!
The ongoing drama between Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper and Atlanta Braves' Orlando Arcia took a new turn after Game 3 of the NLDS, with Harper's powerful response on the field becoming a defining moment of the series.
The tension started brewing after Harper's baserunning mistake in Game 2, which led to the Braves mocking him in their clubhouse. Arcia reportedly repeated:
"Atta-boy Harper."
In reference to the crucial double play that ended the game.
In Game 3, Harper let his bat do the talking. The star outfielder smashed two massive home runs, including a game-changing three-run shot off Braves' pitcher Bryce Elder. As Harper rounded the bases, his gaze fixed on Arcia, delivering a powerful stare-down in response to the earlier mockery.
"He wasn't supposed to hear it. That's why we were saying it in the clubhouse." - Orlando Arcia on his comment.
The comments made from Orlando Arcia were made in the club house after the game, and he apparently wasn’t expecting Bryce Harper to hear them. Well, Harper heard them, and he had quite the response to it in Game 3.
“He’s a Hall of Famer,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He's one of those guys that loves that stage. He’s a special player. You put him in the spotlight, and he’s going to shine.”
Castellanos and Harper insisted it was coincidence that they both wore Sanders shirts to the game.
Castellanos said he was simply a fan and “today just felt like the perfect day to wear it.” Harper said he had second thoughts about wearing a shirt of the former Braves star on his drive to the ballpark.
“Oh no, he actually played for Atlanta,” Harper said, laughing. “Maybe I should turn around and go take this shirt off. But then I was just like, man, I’m a big fan of Prime and what he’s doing to Colorado.”
Once again, the Phillies pounded the Braves in the third inning of Game 3 of the NLDS for the second straight season.
The Phillies tied an MLB postseason record with SIX home runs!
The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Braves by a score of 10-2 to lead the series 2-1.
A year ago, the Phillies returned home from a 1-1 split in Atlanta and scored six runs in the third. The outburst was highlighted by Rhys Hoskins' bat spike on a three-run homer.
After Castellanos and Harper went deep off Elder in this one for a 4-1 lead, catcher J.T. Realmuto tacked on a two-run double against Michael Tonkin.
Harper added a solo shot to center in front of 45,798 frenzied Phillies fans in the fifth off Brad Hand — well out of reach for Michael Harris II, who saved the Game 2 win with a great leaping catch — and delivered one more death stare to Arcia as he rounded second base.
“Stare downs aren't an official stat (yet!) but we're all in awe of Harper over here,” the Elias Sports Bureau wrote on social media.
Nola, eligible for free agency after the World Series, tipped his cap in appreciation of a roaring standing ovation after 5 2/3 innings. He struck out nine and allowed Ozzie Albies' RBI single in the third.
PHANATIC PHUN
The Phillies have run a scoreboard ad this season for a technology and investment solutions company that said “Building brave futures.” For Game 3, brave was covered up by an image of the Phillie Phanatic's lengthy red tongue.
HOME FIELD
The Phillies are 3-0 at home in the playoffs this season and have a 25-11 career postseason record at Citizens Bank Park. The .694 winning percentage is the best among all teams with least 30 games in their home park in baseball history.
HOMER HAPPY
The Chicago Cubs (Game 3, 2015 NLDS) are the only other team to hit six homers in a postseason game.
Castellanos and Marsh also hit back-to-back homers, the fifth time the Phillies achieved that feat in postseason history.
UP NEXT
The Braves will start right-hander Spencer Strider in Game 4. The 20-game winner went seven innings in Game 1, allowing one earned run on five hits with eight strikeouts.
Ranger Suárez, who earned a no-decision in his Game 1 start, will start for the Phillies in Game 4.
Rob Thomson Reacts to Bryce Harper Greatness & If Bryce Was Motivated From Orlando Arcia Comments
Bryce Harper Responds to Orlando Arcia "Atta Boy" Comments & Staring "Right At" Arica After Homers
Nick Castellanos on Phillies Motivation & Wearing Deion Sanders Gear After Orlando Arcia Comment
Aaron Nola Reacts to Phillies Fan Chants, Bryce Harper Greatness & Phillies 2-1 Lead vs. Atlanta
Astros vs. Twins Game 4 Highlights (10/11/23) | MLB Highlights
MINNEAPOLIS -- — The Houston Astros gathered in the clubhouse with their bottles and goggles to toast another postseason victory, when manager Dusty Baker called Justin Verlander forward to lead the celebration.
“I'm doing the World Series!” Baker said. “You do this one!”
Verlander, after a profanity-punctuated speech that had teammates roaring with laughter, started the cork-popping countdown at seven — one for each consecutive AL Championship Series appearance.
José Abreu homered for the third time in two games, a two-run rocket in the fourth inning that launched the Astros to their seventh straight ALCS with a 3-2 win that eliminated the Minnesota Twins in Game 4 of their Division Series on Wednesday night.
“We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the bond that we have and the relationships that we have in this locker room, and we hold each other accountable in a good way,” said Verlander, who returned to the Astros in August via trade from the New York Mets. "Obviously, this team is built different. These guys are built
different. When it’s time to step up, we play our best baseball.”
Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Ump Cam
José Urquidy gave the defending World Series champion Astros another solid postseason start, withstanding home runs by Royce Lewis in the first and Edouard Julien in the sixth before handing the ball to the bullpen.
Hector Neris and Bryan Abreu combined for five strikeouts over 2 1/3 hitless innings. Ryan Pressly, who pitched five-plus years for the Twins before a trade to Houston in 2018, struck out the side in the ninth for the save. He froze Max Kepler with a full-count fastball to end it, leaving former Astros star Carlos Correa on deck.
José Abreu CRUSHES his THIRD home run in two games!
“Oh yeah, we knew, and I was trying not to have nightmares, because I remember when Carlos was with us he hit that ball up in the right-center field seats up there,” Baker said, referring to Correa's homer at Minnesota in a 2020 Wild Card Series. “But we never got to Carlos, so that was a great, great victory.”
Correa hit .409 with three doubles and four RBI in the series.
“I wanted that at-bat so bad. I know Pressly very well, and it would’ve been a fun matchup," Correa said. "It didn’t get there, but it’s the way it was supposed to be.”
Dusty Baker, Alex Bregman speak on Yordan Alvarez’s insane postseason heroics for Astros
Houston will host in-state rival Texas in Game 1 of the ALCS on Sunday, when Verlander is scheduled to make his 36th career postseason start.
“They know us, and we know them,” Baker said, "and it’s going to be a heck of a series.”
The Astros, who are 56-34 in the playoffs since 2017, hit 10 homers in the series. Abreu had eight RBI.
“They never give up, and they understand that this is the time where the greats need to be good,” Abreu said through an interpreter.
Urquidy, much like Game 3 starter Cristian Javier, had an October track record to rely on after a forgettable regular season. The right-hander, who has logged 42 postseason innings and made his seventh start in the playoffs, missed three months with shoulder trouble this year.
Michael Brantley got the Astros started with a solo shot in the second against Twins starter Joe Ryan, who was pulled after that inning in manager Rocco Baldelli's all-out attempt to extend the series.
Caleb Thielbar, the only left-hander on the roster, gave up a leadoff single in the fourth to Yordan Alvarez, a win for the Twins considering he had two doubles and four homers in the series. With one out, Abreu hit a 1-0 fastball to the opposite field for a 3-1 lead.
The rest of the relievers gave the Twins some energy back from the crowd, particularly when Chris Paddack pitched 2 1/3 hitless innings with four strikeouts. But the home team just didn't have enough hits to overcome all those swings and misses.
Lewis gave the Twins another big-moment home run, a smash to left field with a similar trajectory to the one he hit in his first postseason at-bat in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series sweep over Toronto.
Bad luck cost them a critical extra run. Julien led off the game with a double, but Jorge Polanco followed with a line drive straight at Jeremy Peña that was sharp enough to give the shortstop time to make a diving tag on Julien for the double play.
“We didn’t get it done in this series," Baldelli said. "We got beat, but I couldn’t be happier with what I saw from so many of our guys, and I told them that.”
GOING DEEP
The Astros hit four homers in their 9-1 win in Game 3, even taking Sonny Gray — the runaway major league leader in fewest home runs allowed per nine innings this year — deep twice.
Their patience, confidence and power made Ryan a vulnerable opponent, considering the right-hander was making his first career postseason start after allowing 24 homers over his last 14 turns. Hall of Fame member Bert Blyleven was the only other Twins pitcher to give up that many long balls in a 14-start span.
Twins batters set the all-time record with 1,654 strikeouts this year, a whopping 413 more whiffs than the Astros had with the third-fewest in baseball.
SERIES STREAKS
The only club with more consecutive league championship series appearances than Houston was Atlanta with eight NLCS trips from 1991-99. There were no playoffs in 1994 due to the players' strike.
POWER COMPANY
In just his sixth playoff game, Lewis tied Greg Gagne with four postseason home runs for the second-most in Twins history, one behind Hall of Fame member Kirby Puckett. Gagne and Puckett each played 24 postseason games on their way to winning World Series titles in 1987 and 1991.
UP NEXT
Houston went 9-4 against the wild-card Rangers this season, giving the Astros the tiebreaker for the AL West title after both teams finished 90-72. Texas led the division for most of the year, but the Astros beat Arizona on the final day of the regular season and the Rangers lost at Seattle.
Dusty Baker, Jose Abreu & Jose Urquidy React to Houston Advancing to ALCS, Matchup vs. Texas
Rocco Baldelli Reacts to Minnesota Being Eliminated by Houston & Feeling Twins Close to World Series