ARLINGTON, Texas — We got to witness an instant classic in Game 1 of the World Series.
The Texas Rangers never quit, even when their backs were against the wall. We knew the Arizona Diamondbacks, or “Answerbacks”, could come from behind. But it was the Rangers who did so Friday in front of an electric home crowd who rode an emotional roller coaster for 11 innings.
There were multiple opportunities for the D-backs to put this game away, but the Rangers’ bullpen held firm in relief of Nathan Eovaldi after Arizona became the first team this postseason to really rough up the Rangers’ big-game starter. Then, Texas’ superstars came through when they needed it most.
Corey Seager has hit some big home runs in his career, but his game-tying two-run home run in the ninth has to be up there. Then Adolis García hit maybe the most cathartic home run in Rangers history, not just because it won the game but it also meant he passed David Freese — perhaps the most villainous figure in Rangers history — for the most RBIs in a single postseason by any player in MLB history.
I have mentioned this before, but now I feel more confident than ever in saying it — this team is poised to end the World Series drought that has plagued them throughout their history.
It all starts with García, fresh off his ALCS MVP award, and his fifth straight game with a home run. His story is incredible and worth repeating. He played in Cuba until 2016, and then after defecting, went on to play with the Yomiuri Giants in Japan before signing with the St. Louis Cardinals, only to be now infamously designated for assignment by St. Louis in 2019.
García was then picked up by the Rangers, but Texas only gave him six MLB at-bats in 2020 and he was designated for assignment again in February 2021, only to clear waivers and end up in the Rangers’ minor leagues. He then improbably made the team’s roster in April of that year, and the rest is history, just like this postseason run he’s having for the Rangers will be now when it’s all said and done.
The legend of Adolis García just continues to grow.
“We were just waiting for the big boom, man.,” Rangers pitcher Jon Gray told me after the game. “I mean, we knew it was gonna happen. He’s such a threat and such a big player in such a big part of the game. We were just ready for it.”
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That said, there is no latest chapter in that legend if not for Seager, who further added to his status as a postseason hero in his own right. Seager now has the most home runs by a shortstop in a World Series, breaking a three-way tie with Derek Jeter and Carlos Correa. (We were standing near Jeter, our FOX Sports teammate, when Seager hit that home run, and the Hall of Famer had the biggest smile on his face).
And Seager did it in front of his home crowd at Globe Life Field, which is the other thing I want to emphasize.
Seager is in the weird position of having already played a ton of playoff baseball here thanks to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ World Series run in the coronavirus-affected 2020 MLB postseason. But after what the Houston Astros did to the Rangers in this ballpark in the ALCS, there were questions about whether this team could have its regular season success at Globe Life Field translate into October.
Texas Rangers’ Adolis García lifts them to a walk-off win in World Series Game 1
Tonight proved that it could, thanks in no small part to the electric energy that these fans brought from the very first pitch. Several members of our crew got loud-noise warnings on their Apple Watches. The Rangers fans showed up in a big way and were treated to an unbelievable game.
The best part is, that was only Game 1. We will see you back here Saturday night for Game 2 of the 2023 World Series, 7 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports App.
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