The Texas Rangers know what it's like to nearly win the World Series. As for actually clinching a championship, that would be a new experience for the franchise.
Texas downed the Arizona Diamondbacks, 11-7, in Game 4 of the 2023 World Series on Tuesday night, making Wednesday's Game 5 a potential series-clincher. But Rangers fans know better than to get ahead of things—the last time the team reached the World Series, in 2011 against the St. Louis Cardinals, Texas was within one strike of winning their first championship.
But the Rangers still lost in seven games.
This time around, Texas is in prime position to do something they haven't done since the Washington Senators moved to Arlington and rebranded to the Rangers in 1972—win the World Series.
The Rangers jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the third inning on Tuesday, without injured All-Star Adolis Garcia, and won their unprecedented 10th-straight postseason road game to take a 3-1 series advantage.
"I couldn't be more proud of these guys," said Rangers skipper Bruce Bochy, who previously won three rings with the San Francisco Giants. "How they bounce back, how resilient they are, how they've dealt with things, whether it's losing streaks, whether it's injuries."
The Rangers will have three chances to clinch a championship—though they may only need one. And that first opportunity comes on Wednesday night.
Here's what fans need to know ahead of what could be the final game of the 2023 World Series.
Rangers, D-backs Starting Pitchers for Game 5
Right-hander Nathan Eovaldi will be back on the mound for the Rangers in Game 5 after having his worst performance of the postseason in Game 1. The All-Star allowed five runs over 4 2/3 innings of work. The Rangers ended up winning the opener of this year's Fall Classic anyway, thanks to an extra-innings walk-off home run from shortstop Corey Seager.
Eovaldi went 4-0 with a 2.42 ERA over his first four postseason starts. The 33-year-old was Texas' starter in its series-clinching wins over the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles in the Wild Card and Divisional rounds, respectively. Eovaldi allowed only one run in both starts.
Zac Gallen also earned All-Star honors this year, though he hasn't exactly lived up to that title during the Fall Classic. The right-hander allowed three runs on four hits and walked four batters over five innings pitched in Game 1. Gallen allowed nine runs over 11 innings of work against the Philadelphia Phillies in the Championship Series.
Gallen has the tough task of pitching to a red-hot Rangers lineup. Texas became the first team in World Series history to post consecutive five-run frames in its Game 4 win. Seager's two-run home run contributed to the Rangers' eventual 10-0 lead. The All-Star, who was met with "MVP" chants on Tuesday and is the early favorite for World Series MVP, is the first shortstop with three homers in a single Fall Classic.
But Arizona is hoping its 28-year-old ace, who posted a 3.47 ERA and struck out 220 batters during the regular season, returns to form with the season on the line.
"It's an all-in mentality," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. "And this team has done it every time I can remember. They've never let one another down. And I expect that to be the same [Wednesday]."
Can Diamondbacks Come Back From 3-1?
The Diamondbacks overcame a 3-2 deficit in the National League Championship Series to reach the World Series. Arizona has the third-worst wins, by winning percentage, of any team to participate in the Fall Classic. And before Opening Day, the D-backs had longshot 180-1 odds that they would even be in this position.
Arizona is going to need to overcome a little more adversity to win the franchise's second-ever World Series title.
In all best-of-seven postseason series, teams that have dropped three of the first four contests have come back to win only 14 of 92 times (15 percent), according to MLB. And just six of 47 teams (13 percent) trailing 3-1 in a best-of-seven World Series have rallied to win. The last time a team came back from being down 3-1 in the World Series to win it all was the 2016 Chicago Cubs.
Not that the Rangers are ready to celebrate just yet.
"You can't take anything for granted," Seager said. "They're gonna scrap, they're gonna fight, they're gonna claw, and they're never gonna give up."
How to Watch Game 5 of the World Series
The first pitch for Wednesday's contest is scheduled for 8:03 p.m. ET at Arizona's Chase Field. Joe Davis (play-by-play) and John Smoltz (analyst) will call the game for Fox, while Tom Verducci and Ken Rosenthall offer updates throughout the broadcast.
If the Diamondbacks win, the World Series heads back to Arlington for Game 6 on Friday. But if the Rangers close things out, a lengthy celebration—with plenty of champagne—will be in order for the Rangers in the visiting clubhouse.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Robert Read is a Sports Reporter at Newsweek based in Florida. He previously spent four years working at The Daily ... Read more
