Semien and Seager take charge in the beginning with a strong performance, shortly after Texas receives some disappointing news about García and Scherzer.
Adolis García sported a hoodie instead of a jersey and tightly held onto the dugout rail, replacing his powerful bat. As his teammate Marcus Semien crossed home plate following a remarkable home run, García excitedly turned and gestured with his arm in a choo-choo motion.
Despite García being removed from their roster because of an unfortunate left oblique injury, the Rangers managed to keep their impressive road train moving forward on Tuesday night at Chase Field. In a remarkable fashion, despite their star right fielder being stranded on the platform, they convincingly defeated the D-backs with a groundbreaking offensive performance in Game 4, positioning themselves on the edge of securing their franchise’s inaugural World Series championship.
Texas fans may find comfort in hearing the following statement, even after 52 years since the Washington Senators relocated to Arlington and became the Rangers: Out of 92 best-of-seven postseason series, teams that have taken a 3-1 lead have emerged victorious in 78 instances, accounting for an impressive 85% success rate.
“The unfortunate six teams yet to taste victory’s sweet embrace.”
“Unquestionably, I am filled with immense pride for these individuals,” expressed Texas skipper Bruce Bochy, potentially edging closer to securing his fourth coveted World Series ring. The way they bounce back, their resilience, their ability to deal with various challenges like losing streaks or injuries.
Texas has now clinched their 10th consecutive victory, securing the record for the longest road win streak in #postseason history! Bravo! pic.twitter.com/W9gAmqhXAy
On November 1, 2023, MLB (@MLB) tweeted the following:
The Arizona Diamondbacks have shown remarkable resilience, but now they face their toughest test to date. They will be attempting to achieve what only six teams have done before, making an epic comeback from a 3-1 deficit on the Series stage. This remarkable feat has not been accomplished since the 2016 Cubs against Cleveland.
According to Arizona manager Torey Lovullo, it is a mindset that encompasses everything. And this team, without fail, has accomplished it each and every time that I am able to recall. They have always been there for each other, never failing. I anticipate Wednesday to remain consistent.
They secured the victory well in advance, by all accounts.
During the second and third innings, the Rangers displayed a remarkable offensive surge. They managed to score two runs with a triple and three runs with a homer, courtesy of Semien, who had been struggling before. Additionally, Corey Seager, the early favorite for World Series MVP, contributed a two-run homer.
“Are you a fan of offense? Well then, allow me to present you with some fascinating facts about Game 4!”
The entire tally of 10 runs was achieved with two outs.
Semien expressed that there have been challenging days for us when we encounter a bullpen day. However, the positive aspect of this situation is that there may be a possibility of coming across one or two individuals who are not performing at their optimum level. We surely seized that opportunity during the second and third inning.
The Snakes had terrifying innings. No, I assure you it is not a Halloween reference, but simply the truth.
At the start of the second inning, Arizona’s “starter” Joe Mantiply allowed a leadoff double to Josh Jung. Jung then moved to third base after a groundout and eventually scored a run due to a wild pitch thrown by reliever Miguel Castro. The walk that Castro gave to Leody Taveras with two outs became significant. Travis Jankowski stepped in for García in the starting lineup and smacked a single straight up the middle. Shortly after, Semien, who hadn’t been doing so well with a 13-for-67 record this postseason, came through with a triple along the left-field line, driving in two additional runs and bringing the score to 3-0.
Lovullo decided to bring in Nelson, a left-handed pitcher, with first base unoccupied. Their plan was to have him pitch to Seager. Little did they know, Seager would hit the ball with such force that it projected to travel a staggering 431 feet according to Statcast. This incredible hit resulted in a two-run blast, widening the score to 5-0, and leaving the home crowd in a state of shock.
“Marcus and Corey, and obviously Jankowski,” Bochy remarked. There were a good number of guys who truly showed their skills and talents tonight.
The Rangers were not finished as they continued their remarkable streak of homering in 15 consecutive postseason games, setting a new record.
In the following inning, Jung and Nathaniel Lowe achieved back-to-back singles with only one out remaining on the scoreboard, while Jonah Heim managed to reach base due to a pivotal fielding error committed by Christian Walker, the first baseman for the D-backs. As two outs were recorded, Jankowski once again made his presence felt by hitting a powerful double, earning two runs for his team. Right after, Semien added to the damage with a home run that landed in the first row of seats in the left-center-field, causing a significant blow to their opponents. This marked Semien’s first home run of the postseason.
It was clear from García’s dugout reaction to that homer that the Rangers were in for a tough night. Exactly 60 minutes, with precision, had passed when the Rangers made known their roster changes for García and Max Scherzer (due to a back injury), just moments before the commencement of Game 4. Despite not starting again until a potential Game 7 on Saturday night, Scherzer’s absence from the lineup could have been a game-changer, especially considering García’s impressive performance in the past month, with eight homers and a postseason-record 22 RBIs.
Nevertheless, on this particular night, no obstacles could hinder the unstoppable momentum of the Texas train.
Lovullo said that it seems like they have a few talented understudies who have really given it their all.
The D-backs had a tough time making a significant impact on Texas’ early lead until the last two innings, despite Rangers starter Andrew Heaney delivering five strong innings before the bullpen took over. Arizona not only utilized five of its pitchers, but also both of its Nelsons (Ryne and Kyle) by the conclusion of the fourth inning.
By pitching 5 1/3 innings, Ryne Nelson saved the D-backs from making history in the World Series. They were left with only their top-performing pitchers, whom they wanted to conserve for Game 5. His impressive performance kept them from resorting to using a position player as a pitcher.
The Snakes found some solace in saving the remainder of the pen. A different individual had compelled Bochy to deploy his closer in a game that, at some point, possessed an 11-1 score. Arizona orchestrated a magnificent moment by delivering four runs in the eighth inning, stealing the spotlight with Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s phenomenal three-run homer. Then, they managed to get two players on base against the formidable left-handed pitcher, Will Smith, in the ninth inning. The moment José Leclerc stepped onto the mound, he unfortunately yielded a two-run single to Gabriel Moreno, just before securing the final out.
It is possible that these developments may cause ripple effects in Game 5 on Wednesday night. Despite facing a challenging situation, the Rangers still have three opportunities to secure a victory. This is how they
