The MLB postseason is one of the best times on the sports calendar, where you get exciting and electrifying games. But today, I will discuss the MLB season finale, the World Series.
The two teams featured are the Texas Rangers of the American League and the Arizona Diamondbacks of the National League. Both teams have had impressive seasons, with the Rangers winning 90 games in the regular season and ending up placing 2nd place in their division. The Astros barely beat them in the tight race for the AL West, but the Rangers played fantastic, securing a playoff spot. The road for the Rangers was a roller coaster. The Wild Card games for them were a breeze, sweeping the Rays in 2 games, with both results being blowouts for Texas. However, when they faced the Astros, it was a tug-of-war type of series. The first two games went to the Rangers, and the series was looking like it was going to be a Rangers sweep when all of a sudden the Astros got a surge of energy and won 3 straight. This forced a game 6 which the Rangers won, sending it to a game 7 which was a Ranger’s blowout win, in which they destroyed the ‘Stros 11-4.
Now we see the National League champions, the Diamondbacks. Their Wild Card series looked identical to the Rangers, sweeping their opponent, the Milwaukee Brewers, in 2 games. Later on in the Divisional series, they swept the Dodgers, a juggernaut of a team who won 100 games this season. Despite this, things got to a rough start for the Diamondbacks against the Phillies in the Championship series, losing two games in a row but getting their act together in games 3-4. They lost again in game five but tied it in game 6, leading to a close game in game 7, where they punched in their ticket for the World Series.
The World Series has been a good one, with both teams having good and bad games. The first game was a great back-and-forth, but the Rangers came up on top, winning 6-5. Game 2 was a dominant pitching performance by the Diamondbacks. Ace Merrill Kelly recorded nine strikeouts and pitched seven innings, which led the D-Backs to a 9-1 victory. Game 3 was a pitching game with great pitchers on each side and the Rangers edging out the D-Backs 3-1. Game 4 was the Halloween matchup; this game was supposed to be a fun game, but it ended up being a blowout; the start by the Rangers gave Diamondbacks fans false hopes in the final two innings, recording six runs in the 8th and the 9th but couldn’t climb their way back from their hole losing 11-7. Game 5 saw the Texas Rangers win a shutout 5-0, giving them their fourth win of the series and therefore the championship.
The Rangers garnered their first title, having fallen short as runner-ups in 2010 and 2011. In the latter year, Texas was one strikeout away three times in Game 6 of the World Series, yet lost to the heroics of the St. Louis Cardinals and their star player David Freese.
However, this 2023 squad has redeemed their past. It took them 63 years, 51 of those being in Texas, but they finally did it. The Texas Rangers are your World Series Champions and now sit at the pinnacle of baseball, our great game.
To next year, and congratulations to fans of the winners, and amazing job from the Diamondbacks getting that far. We can barely wait for next season.
