Texas Rangers celebrate their first-ever World Series victory.Photo:Jamie Squire/Getty
Jamie Squire/Getty
The Texas Rangers can’t go any “higher” — they’re World Series champs!
The resilient team, whose unlikely anthem this season has been Creed’s 1999 hit “Higher,” capped a postseason for the record books on Wednesday, defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks in five games to win the title for the first time in franchise history.
In a post-game interview withFox Sports, Marcus Semien called the victory an “unforgettable feeling” for him, after waiting a decade for his own first World Series ring.
“This is the biggest moment,” he said when asked about the extra emotion he showed after hitting the two-run home run that sealed the 5-0 victory. “It felt so good,” he later said.
On the road to winning the championship, the Rangersset an MLB recordfor most consecutive away wins — notching 11 straight — against playoff foes including the Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros and Diamondbacks.
Jonah Heim (left).Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty
Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty
Among the standouts was rookie Evan Carter, who was only called up to the team from the minors in September. The 21-year-old reached a base in every game of the Series, and he surprised even veteran manager Bruce Bochy in the process.
“I don’t even know if he knows that he’s in the big leagues,”Bochy saidearlier in the playoff run. “This guy has such a calmness about him.”
The Rangers had been to the World Series twice before — in 2010 and 2011 — but lost to the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals.
The Texas Rangers celebrate their first World Series victory.Jamie Squire/Getty
Against the latter team, the team from Texas did so in heartbreaking fashion. Twice in Game 6, they came within one strike of winning the championship, but the Rangers couldn’t close the Cardinals out.
This year, the scrappy team — who lost the division title on the last day of the season to the Astros and lost two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom to Tommy John surgery in June — made it happen with good old-fashioned teamwork, all under the watchful eyes of legendary manager Bruce Bochy, who came out of retirement to guide them to the history books.
In Game 5, the Rangers shutout the Diamondbacks 5-0. The game was a scoreless pitchers' duel until the seventh, when Seager ended Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen’sno-hit bidwith a lead-off single. The Rangers got their own stellar pitching performance from Nathan Eovaldi, who only gave up four hits in six innings.
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It’s all something even Rangers diehards were hard-pressed to predict as the 2023 season played out. But on Wednesday in Phoenix, the team gave their long-suffering fans a moment they’ll forever cherish.
source: people.com
