2023 World Series

Rangers over D-Backs in 5

The Rangers were one of the better teams in the AL this year, started hot, cooled off for a while, got hot again, cooled off again, blew the division lead but still managed to hold on to a Wild Card slot. They went to Tampa where they quickly dispatched the 2nd best team in the AL, then on to Baltimore where they quickly dispatched the best team in the AL. Went back to Texas where they outdueled the Astros (and set the stage for next year's must-watch grudge match). They were 5th in the AL but when the post-season came, they blasted their way through to the World Series by winning 8 of the 9 games they played, mostly on the road.

The D-Backs, similarly, were a 2nd tier team in the NL but swept the Brewers and then swept the Dodgers (*) and took the Phillies to 7 games (the first 7th game in Phillies history--really?!?!), a great series. And while I think the Phillies would've given the Rangers a better match, the D-Backs were electric in that series and the worthy NL champ.

I thought Corey Seager was the deserving MVP, I struggle to remember anyone hitting as many timely home runs as Seager did here. Adolis Garcia was a monster in the ALCS but missed the last two games of the World Series and wasn't quite as impactful, I thought, as Seager. Nathan Eovaldi cemented his status as a big-game pitcher, but even he wavered in his first start. The Rangers got not much out of Max Scherzer (just 3 innings) and though they rode Jordan Montgomery through the AL, he didn't do much in the World Series (lost his one start). And the bullpen that got them out of so many jams in the AL was fine but not as necessary in the final. 

The D-Backs were fine, I'm now a big fan of Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte, those guys just kept making big plays throughout the playoffs. They overachieved but they won the games they needed to win--stuck the Dodgers and Phillies in their eyes, so good for them.  

The World Series itself was a pretty good mix: Game One was a classic (see above), Games Two and Four were blowouts, while Games Three and Five were loaded with tension and drama. That's good stuff, man, I love baseball as much as I ever have. I don't obsess over the players or the numbers like I did when I was a kid (that obsession has drifted to the NBA) but good baseball is still as good as anything in sports. Now if my Guardians could find a replacement for Coach Francona and some pop in the middle of the lineup, I can watch my own team win instead of the vicarious thrill.

(*) Lots of people were complaining about the MLB playoff format, but I mostly thought it was salty Dodgers fans. They talked of rule changes to facilitate a better playoff experience. Okay, here's what I propose: if the Dodgers score less runs than their opponent, they get to win anyway. Does that sound good, Dodger fans? Is that the rule change you were looking for? I get it: baseball players gotta play baseball and giving the good teams time off is a luxury in other sports but kind of an impediment in baseball. But the game is the same as it always was: you've got to score more runs to win games to advance. Figure it out, Dodger fans, this is baseball and if you can't play it, I got no sympathy. This was a great MLB post-season--GREAT!--and the fact that your team didn't bother to show up mattered not a whit to me.