Let’s be honest here. As Dodgers fans, it’s hard to get fired up about the 2023 World Series between the Texas Rangers and the Arizona Diamondbacks. The same Arizona Diamondbacks that swept the Dodgers out of the postseason in three games.
Then again, it is impossible not to root for arguably the most popular (ugh) former Dodger to come along in the past decade – now Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager, or even former Dodgers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi, who was the Rangers Game-1 starter on Friday night.
It is also difficult not to root for the guy who has become the heart and soul of Rangers manager Bruce Bochy‘s team who was also the ALCS MVP – 30-year-old Ciego de Avila, Cuba native Adolis García, who has captured the hearts of every baseball fan on the planet over the past two weeks.
Well wouldn’t you know it. All three of these guys played a huge role it what ended up being one of the most exciting World Series games in recent memory.
Granted, the 33-year-old Eovaldi got roughed up a bit by Torey Lovullo‘s Dbacks, allowing five runs on six hits and one walk in his 4.2 innings of work. But he did strikeout eight snakes along the way.
However, it was Seager’s ridiculously dramatic one-out / two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth that turn what looked like was going to be a 5-3 Dbacks win into a 5-5 tie to send Game-1 of the 2023 Fall Classic into extras.
Dodgers regular-season and 2023 World Series broadcaster Joe Davis absolutely nailed it:
“(Seager) could tie it with one swing. Yeah, it’s tied!”
(Joe Davis – Fox Sports)
Just like they wrote it up.
And then, with one out in the bottom of the 11th, Adolis García did what every fan watching the game was hoping for (sorry Dbacks fans) – he crushed a 96.7-MPH sinker from Dbacks right-hander Miguel Castro, sending it 373 feet into the cool Arlington night for a ridiculously dramatic one-out / game-winning walk-off home run.
(Joe Davis – Fox Sports)
Just like they wrote it up.
Play Ball!
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