The Texas Rangers are World Series champions for the first time in franchise history after an epic pitching duel and late offensive outburst led to a 5-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 5 on Wednesday night.
In a tense, scoreless game through seven innings, Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi matched zeros with Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen before Texas finally broke through with the game’s first run in the seventh. Mitch Garver delivered the go-ahead RBI single to score Corey Seager, and the Rangers tacked on four insurance runs in the ninth to seal the championship.
It completed an incredible 11-0 road record this postseason for the Rangers, who won the final three games in Arizona after taking a commanding 3-1 series lead. A team notorious for postseason heartbreak finally got to celebrate a World Series title after losses in 2010 and 2011.
For the Rangers franchise, which dates back to 1961 as the expansion Washington Senators, it ends a 63-year championship drought. After moves to Arlington and five different stadiums, countless roster changes, and nearly 11,000 total games, the Texas Rangers are finally World Series winners.
The championship caps a season in which the Rangers overcame injuries and a late division title loss to rival Houston. After losing the AL West on the final day, Texas had to play a rugged path through the playoffs as the #5 seed.
A first-round upset of the Rays, intense seven-game ALCS victory over the Astros, and defeat of three high-quality NL playoff teams cemented this as one of the most impressive World Series runs in recent memory, led by their ace Eovaldi.
Eovaldi Battles Gallen Through Six Scoreless
In one of the most anticipated Game 5 pitching matchups in World Series history, neither Eovaldi nor Gallen disappointed over the first six innings.
Eovaldi relied on guts and guile, pitching in and out of trouble all night but escaping every jam with the scoreboard still full of zeros. He walked five Diamondbacks, his most since 2013, but repeatedly got clutch outs when he needed them.
Gallen, a breakout star and All-Star Game starter for Arizona this season, was virtually unhittable through six innings. He retired the first 14 Rangers batters in order before finally allowing a walk. The Diamondbacks defense aided Gallen with several excellent plays.
The combined dominance of both starting pitchers kept the game scoreless and tension mounting as the later innings approached. Eovaldi threw 97 gritty pitches over six innings, while Gallen was pulled after seven scoreless with only 66 pitches thrown.
Rangers Break Through in Seventh
After six hitless innings, Gallen lost his no-hit bid in the seventh when Corey Seager looped a weak grounder that found a hole into right field. Rookie phenom Ezequiel Duran followed with a double into the right-center gap, bringing up veteran Mitch Garver.
Garver delivered the clutch go-ahead RBI single, slapping a hard-hit grounder up the middle to plate Seager and give Texas a pivotal 1-0 lead. It was Garver’s first hit in 17 World Series at-bats after struggling most of the series.
The slim 1-0 advantage held into the ninth, when the Rangers offense finally busted loose for some insurance. Josh Jung singled off new Diamondbacks pitcher Ian Kennedy before Marcus Semien launched a massive two-run homer to extend the lead to 3-0.
Texas continued to pour it on, with RBI singles from Seager and Adolis Garcia making it a 5-0 game. The eruption of offense after six frustrating innings against Gallen provided plenty of breathing room.
Rangers Shut Down D-Backs to Clinch Title
With Eovaldi out after 97 pitches, the Rangers relied on their stellar bullpen to close out the final three innings. Aroldis Chapman got the final out of the seventh, including a strikeout of Christian Walker with runners on the corners to end the threat.
Josh Sborz then handled the final two innings, allowing just one single over his two scoreless frames. Pinch-hitter Emmanuel Rivera hit a deep fly ball to the warning track in the ninth, but Garcia caught it in right field to seal the historic championship.
The 5-0 victory completed an improbable World Series run for the Rangers, who were considered underdogs in each of their three playoff matchups. Countless key hits and shutdown bullpen work allowed Texas to go a perfect 11-0 on the road this postseason.
For manager Bruce Bochy, it cements his legacy with a fourth World Series ring across three franchises. The Rangers players and fans finally have the elusive championship they’ve sought for over six decades. After years of playoff disappointment, 2022 will forever be remembered in Texas as the year the Rangers reached the mountaintop.
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