The 119th World Series
The Texas Rangers clinched the 119th World Series beating the National League Champion Arizona Diamondbacks four games to one. Texas became the 27th team in World Series history to clinch its World Championship in Game 5 of the Series. They are the first World Series team to win in five games since the 2018 Boston Red Sox defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers. Mitch Garver broke the scoreless tie with an RBI single in the seventh inning. The Rangers struck for four more runs in the ninth inning, scoring two runs on an RBI single by Jonah Heim. Marcus Semien applied the exclamation point on the Rangers’ win with a two-run home run out to left field. Among the last 23 World Champions, the Rangers are MLB’s 16th different club to win the World Series – the best variety in American professional sports since 2001.
World Champions, At Last
The Texas Rangers won their first World Series title, defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-0 in Game 5. The Rangers, who were established in Texas in 1972, snapped a 51-year drought, winning a World Series in their 52nd year. The Rangers entered the Major League Baseball as an expansion team prior to the 1961 season, playing as the Washington Senators from 1961-1971. The Senators/Rangers franchise snapped a 62-year drought without winning a World Series. It was the third-longest drought for a franchise to win its first World Series behind a 77-year drought for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1903-1979 and a 63-year drought for the Baltimore Orioles from 1903-1965. Overall, the Senators’/Rangers’ 62-year drought was the sixth-longest in Major League history. The longer droughts include: 107 years by the Chicago Cubs from 1909-2015; 87 years by the Chicago White Sox from 1918-2004; 85 years by the Boston Red Sox from 1919-2003; 77 years by the Philadelphia Phillies from 1903-1979; and 75 years by the Cleveland Guardians franchise from 1949-2023.
MVP
Shortstop Corey Seager won the Willie Mays World Series Most Valuable Player of the 2023 World Series. During the World Series he batted .286 (6-for-21) with three home runs, six RBI, one double, three walks, a .375 on-base percentage, a .762 slugging percentage, and a 1.137 OPS.
It is the second time he won Willie Mays World Series MVP, after also winning in 2020 as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Seager is the fourth player to win multiple Willie Mays World Series MVP, joining: Sandy Koufax of the 1963 and 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers; Bob
Gibson of the 1964 and 1967 St. Louis Cardinals; and Reggie Jackson of the 1973 Oakland Athletics and 1977 New York Yankees. Seager is the first infielder of the group to win multiple World Series MVP awards. He is also the first of the four multiple time winners to win with a team in each league.
Seager is one of seven shortstops (eight occurrences) all-time to take home the award, joining: Bucky Dent of the 1978 New York Yankees; Alan Trammell of the 1984 Detroit Tigers; Derek Jeter of the 2000 Yankees; David Eckstein of the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals; Edgar Renteria of the 2010 San Francisco Giants; and Jeremy Peña of the 2022 Houston Astros.
Along with Peña’s win last season, this is first time a position group has won Willie Mays World Series MVP in back-to-back years since outfielders Ben Zobrist and George Springer won in 2016 and 2017. It is the first time an infield position group has won in back-to-back years since third basemen David Freese and Pablo Sandoval won in 2011 and 2012.
Top of the World
For the fourth time in his career, Bruce Bochy has managed a team to a World Championship. Bochy previously won with the San Francisco Giants in 2010, 2012 and 2014. His four World Series titles are tied for third most as a manager in MLB history with Walter Alston and Joe Torre of the New York Yankees. Connie Mack of the Philadelphia Athletics is second on the list with five World Series rings. Joe McCarthy and Casey Stengel both managed the Yankees to seven World Series wins, tied for the most-ever World Series titles by a manager.
Bochy is the third manager all-time to win a World Series at the helm of both an American League and National League team. He joins: HOF Tony La Russa, who won with the Oakland Athletics in 1989 and the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006 and 2011; and HOF Sparky Anderson, who won with the Detroit Tigers in 1984 and the Cincinnati Reds in 1975 and 1976.
Bochy also reached the World Series as the manager of the 1998 San Diego Padres, becoming the first manager ever to win a League Championship Series with three different organizations. Prior to when LCS play began in 1969, only Bill McKechnie (1925 Pittsburgh Pirates, 1928 St. Louis Cardinals and1939-40 Cincinnati Reds) and Dick Williams (1967 Boston Red Sox, 1972-73 Oakland Athletics and 1984 San Diego Padres) reached the World Series as the manager of three franchises.
Thrice is Nice
Left-handed pitcher Will Smith became the only player to win a World Series in three consecutive seasons with three different teams. He is only the third player ever to appear in three straight World Series for three different teams, joining Don Baylor (1986 Boston Red Sox; 1987 Minnesota Twins; 1988 Oakland Athletics) and Eric Hinske (2007 Boston Red Sox; 2008 Tampa Bay Rays; 2009 New York Yankees).
Additionally, Smith is the first player in the Major four sports (MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL) to appear in at least one game (regular or Postseason) with three different championship winning teams in three consecutive seasons.
Sweepless World Series
It is the 11th consecutive World Series that did not end in a sweep, with the last sweep coming by the San Francisco Giants in the 2012 World Series over the Detroit Tigers. 11 consecutive World Series without a sweep is the second-longest stretch in World Series history, behind a 12-year streak from 1977-1988 which saw no teams record a World Series sweep.
On the Road Again
The Rangers won their 11th consecutive road game this Postseason, marking the longest-ever road winning streak in a single Postseason. It is also the longest-ever road winning streak which spans multiple Postseasons. Previously, the New York Yankees won nine straight away games across the 1996-1997 and 1937-1942 Postseasons.
Texas is now 23-15 all-time in road Postseason games and 4-5 in World Series games on the road. The Rangers’ .605 winning percentage in road Postseason games is the highest in MLB history among teams with 25 such games. Including the 2023 Postseason and regular season, the Rangers went 51-41 away from Globe Life Field.
The Starters
Right-hander Zac Gallen allowed one run on three hits over 6.1 innings with one walk and six strikeouts. He retired each of the first 14 batters to begin the game. Per Elias, it was the most consecutive batters retired to begin a World Series game since Charlie Leibrant of the Kansas City Royals retired each of the first 15 St. Louis Cardinals batters in Game 6 of the World Series on October 26, 1985. Corey Seager broke up the no-hit bid with a leadoff single in the seventh inning.
Right-hander Nathan Eovaldi tossed 6.0 scoreless innings, allowing four hits with five walks and five strikeouts. He is the first pitcher ever to record five wins as a starter in a single Postseason.
In his Postseason career, Eovaldi is 4-0 with a 1.03 ERA (3 ER/26.1 IP)in potential Postsaeson clinching games. Among players with at least four career starts and a chance to clinch in the Postseason, Eovaldi’s 1.03 ERA is the lowest mark ever. The next closest is Madison Bumgarner, who recorded a 1.37 ERA (7 ER/46.0 IP) in seven games with a chance to clinch, making five such starts.
Clean Sheet
The Texas Rangers became the fifth team in World Series history to not record an error in the World Series. They join the 2020 Tampa Bay Rays; the; the 2007 Colorado Rockies; the 1966 World Champion Baltimore Orioles; and the 1937 World Champion New York Yankees. The Rangers are the first team to win the Fall Classic without any errors since the 1966 Orioles.
There was not an error committed through the first three games of this year’s World Series, marking the first time in World Series history that neither team committed an error in any of the first three games. There has never been a World Series played with zero errors at the end of the Series.
Agent Carter
Left fielder Evan Carter (1-for-5, 1 2B) hit his ninth double of the Postseason in the seventh inning. His nine doubles are the most in a single Postseason by any player. Players with eight doubles in a single Postseason include: Mookie Betts of the 2020 Los Angeles Dodgers; Ben Zobrist of the 2015 Kansas City Royals; and David Freese and Albert Pujols of the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals. The 20-year-old Carter is younger than each player among the group that registered eight doubles, trailing Mookie Betts by seven years. Betts was 27-years-old when he hit eight doubles in 2020.
Carter reached safely in each of his 18 Postseason games this year, marking the longest on-base streak in Rangers’ Postseason history. It passed the previous 15-game record held by Elvis Andrus during the 2010 Postseason.
Carter’s 18-game on-base streak to begin his Postseason career is the longest on-base streak within a player’s first Postseason surpassing a 16-game streak by Gary Sheffield of the 1997 Florida Marlins.
Marte Keeps Marching
Second baseman Ketel Marte walked three times tonight and has reached in each of his first 21 career Postseason games, tied the second-longest on-base streak to begin a Postseason career.
- Daniel Murphy of the New York Mets and Washington Nationals reached in each of his first 21 career Postseason games from 10/9/2015 through 10/7/2017.
- Boog Powell of the Baltimore Orioles each of his first 25 career Postseason games from 10/5/1966 through 10/11/1971.
Steal a Base, Steal a Record?
Christian Walker’s steal of second base in the fifth inning marked the 57th stolen base of this year’s Postseason. The 57 Postseason stolen bases are the second-most in Postseason history, surpassing the 56 steals during the 1999 Postseason. MLB set the record with 59 steals during the 1995 Postseason. .
The Arizona Diamondbacks swiped 22 bases this Postseason, the second-most of any team in a single Postseason. The 2008 Tampa Bay Rays stole an MLB-record 24 stolen bases throughout the 2008 Postseason. Per Sarah Langs, Arizona went 7-2 when stealing a base this Postseason and 3-5 when not stealing a base.
That Was Quick
Tonight’s game was played in two hours and 54 minutes (2:54), marking the third game in this year’s Fall Classic under three hours. Game 2 was played in 2:59 and Game 3 was played in 2:52. It is the first time since the 2006 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers that had three games which finished under three hours.
Thanks for Joining Us
The Diamondbacks drew an attendance of 48,511 to Chase Field for tonight’s game. In total, this year’s World Series drew 230,388 fans. On average, the 2023 Fall Classic drew 46,078 fans marking the highest average World Series attendance since 2018 when the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers averaged 47,796 fans.
