Texas, where I cried 102 times two years ago...this time I laughed all the way to the bank
Two years ago, they lost 102 games (60 wins). Last year, they lost 94 games (68 wins). This year, however, it was a "win" that marked the final game of the 2023 season in Major League Baseball. The Texas Rangers are back at the top of the World Series after 62 years in existence.
Texas defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-0 in Game 5 of the best-of-seven Major League Baseball 2023 World Series at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, on Sunday (Oct. 2). The Rangers won a franchise-record 11 straight visiting games to improve to 4-1 in the all-time series and clinch their first World Series since the organization was founded in 1961. Texas reached the World Series in 2010 and 2011, but were swept in back-to-back series by the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals.
Returning to the field after a four-year absence, Texas manager Bruce Bochy frustrated Texas in 2010 as manager of San Francisco, but in 2023, he delivered the franchise's first championship and earned his fourth ring (2010-2012-2014-2023).
"It's amazing what they've done," Bochy said after the game, "and it's been an honor to be a part of their 11-game winning streak. They inspired me and made history for Texas as world champions." As soon as Bochy finished, the players popped champagne and celebrated.
Texas finished second in the American League wild card (90-72) and entered fall ball as the No. 5 seed. They swept the fourth-seeded Tampa Bay Rays in two games in the wild-card decider, and in the Division Series (best-of-three), they knocked off the 101-win Eastern Division-leading Baltimore Orioles in three games. In the Championship Series (best-of-seven), their first in 12 years, they punched their ticket to the World Series with a seven-game thriller against the defending champion Houston Astros. They swept the visiting team. 카지노사이트가이드
Their World Series opponent was the National League champion Arizona (84-78). Like Texas, Arizona, which entered the fall as the No. 6 seed, had won five straight games in the wild-card game and division series, and then defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in seven games in the championship series. But they couldn't get past Texas, who had a home run arsenal to work with. In the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 1 (Oct. 28), with a 5-3 lead, Cory Seager hit a tying two-run shot. Arizona then lost on a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning.
Seager hit .318 with six home runs and 12 RBIs in this year's postseason. He hit three home runs (and six RBIs) in the World Series alone, the most by a shortstop in a single-season World Series. He has 19 career postseason home runs, one less than Derek Jeter (20). Seager, who has also been stellar defensively, was named Mr. Oktober for the second time in three years after winning the award in 2020 while with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He is only the fourth player in Major League Baseball history to be named World Series Most Valuable Player (MVP) more than once.
Texas' inaugural championship was a huge investment. Twenty-one of Texas' 26-man World Series roster was acquired through free agency (nine), trade (12), or by claiming players off waivers from other teams. Only five were selected through the rookie draft. With 102 losses, Texas has spent more than $800 million ($1.733 billion) on free agents over the past two years. Most notably, they signed Seager for $325 million ($435.8 million) after the 2021 season and Marcus Simeon, who played in Games 4 and 5, for $175 million ($23.45 billion). That's why the veteran Bochy was grateful for the club's aggressive investment after the title was secured.