Credit: FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth
November 1, 2023...a day Rangers' fans around the state of Texas and the nation as a whole won't forget. In Game 5 of the 2023 World Series, the Texas Rangers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-0, winning the series 4-1, and capturing their first World Series title in franchise history.
The team was originally founded as an expansion team named the Washington Senators in 1961, but would relocate and become the Texas Rangers in 1972. So, dating back to 1961, this is the franchise's first Championship title in 62 years since the inception of the team.
Just to preface, videos of the clutch and emotional moments I feel like recap the game and series better than words can, so there will be a frequent amount of videos in this article to view for your pleasure.
Here is the Gameday lineups, stats, and graphics related to World Series Game 5, Diamondbacks vs Rangers, for your further viewing.
Diamondbacks vs Rangers Game 5 Recap
Nathan Eovaldi was on the mound for the Rangers, and was up against Zac Gallen of the D-Backs. Both starting pitchers put forth tremendous efforts in this decisive game of the 2023 World Series. Eovaldi pitched six innings, allowing four hits, no runs, five walks, picking up five strikeouts, and was named the winning pitcher, which improved his line to an absurd 5-0 win-loss record this postseason with a 2.95 ERA.
Meanwhile, Gallen wasn't going to let his Arizona squad behind him go down without a fight in this elimination game. Zac put together six masterful innings of no-hit baseball, allowing just one walk in that span. However, in going back out for the seventh inning to continue his no-hitter, to continue pitching the game of his life, the Rangers rallied for three hits with Mitch Garver producing a run-scoring single in the top of the seventh inning. This gave Texas a 1-0 lead, and the first run of the game coming over six innings in during Game 5.
Credit: MLB
Arizona's breakout reliever, Kevin Ginkel, would come in for Gallen after Texas scored the run and threw a very important 1 2/3 innings between the seventh and eighth innings. This krpt his team in the game with a chance still to win, with them just losing 1-0. Lefty Aroldis Chapman of the Rangers bullpen would come in after Eovaldi and pick two outs allowing one walk, but then Josh Sborz came in for Chapman, and boy Sborz had ice in his veins during this outing, just like he has shown all postseason.
Massively important insurance runs would be added in top of the ninth for Texas against Arizona's closer Paul Sewald, who was in hoping to preserve the score at 1-0 and give his team a chance in the bottom of the ninth. Instead, the Rangers tagged him for four runs, effectively putting the game out of reach for Arizona to come back and win. A Jonah Heim two run single paired with a Marcus Semien two-run home run three batters later, scoring Heim, made the score 5-0, putting an exclamation mark on how well the Rangers managed and played the game effectively, and the World Series in general.
Credit: MLB
Sborz would stay in for the bottom of the ninth, and garnered a strikeout, pop out, and then finally a strikeout of Ketel Marte on a high curveball called for strike three. With this out that Rangers' players and fans alike will remember for the rest of their lives and of the franchise's history, they can say, fianlly, they have done it: the Texas Rangers clinch the World Series four games to one and win their first WS title!
Credit: MLB
Corey Seager would be crowned with the honors of World Series MVP, which is the second time he has won the award, the first being with the Los Angeles Dodgers when they defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series. But, for the 2023 World Series against the Diamondbacks, Seager went 6-for-21 with one double, three home runs, six runs batted in, and drew three walks. Corey did not make a single error on defense in all five games of the series, and his game-tying home run in Game 1 was one his most noteworthy contributions to steer the sight of the Championship in favor of the Rangers.
With all the postseason experience Seager racked up with the Dodgers and then coming over to the Rangers for the start of the 2022 season, Seager showcased why he is worth every penny of what the Rangers paid to sign him.
Emotions are always high at this time of year for baseball fans everywhere, but here's a glimpse into an on field look of Rangers' players celebrating their WS title win:
Credit: MLB
And finally...one more time... the TEXAS RANGERS have won the 2023 World Series!
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