ARLINGTON, Texas — If you think the wait has been long for the Texas Rangers to return to the World Series, try being an Arizona Diamondbacks fan. The last time the Snakes were in the World Series was in 2001. They won that one, thanks to an infamous Game 7 bloop single from Luis Gonzalez off Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees.
Now, in 2023, it may have taken seven games to claim the National League pennant once again, but when you’ve waited 22 years, what’s a do-or-die game?
How they got here
The Diamondbacks, managed for the last seven years by former journeyman infielder Torey Lovullo, snuck into the playoffs as the 3rd Wild Card team in the National League, the league’s sixth and final seed. With a payroll that ranked 21st in baseball and having designated their highest paid player – Madison Bumgarner – midway through the season, the odds certainly were not in Arizona’s favor.
After a decent 6-4 start to their season, the D-Backs were the picture of mediocrity for much of their campaign, though one that showed signs of being dangerous. Arizona went on a couple of six-game winning streaks in July and August – including sweeping Texas in a two-game set – and spent some time in first place in May and June, but ultimately ended up 16 games out of first place. With the rest of the National League playoff field containing heavy hitters like the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves, the expectations for how far the Diamondbacks would go were low.
In many ways, the Snakes’ path to the Fall Classic is similar to that of the Rangers.
Like Texas, Arizona came from a 100-plus loss season two years ago – 110, to be exact – before sneaking into the postseason with 84 wins. Like the Rangers, the Diamondbacks swept the Wild Card Series with road victories over the National League Central champion Milwaukee Brewers. Like the Rangers, the Diamondbacks then swept the 100-win Dodgers with two road wins and a final victory at home. And of course, like the Rangers, their Championship Series with the odds-on-favorite and media-spotlighted Phillies went seven games, with the celebration taking place in the visiting clubhouse after Arizona, like Texas, won games 6 & 7 away from home.
It seems almost poetic, then, that these two teams should meet to decide the champions of the 2023 season. Two unlikely combatants with a similar story looking to decide who gets to be the true October Cinderella.
By The Numbers
The Diamondbacks finished with a record of 84-78, second place in the National League West, a scant one game ahead of the Chicago Cubs for the last NL Wild Card spot. They managed to secure a playoff spot despite a negative run differential (-15) over the course of their season. Their minus differential means they were expected to finish the season at 80-82. Texas, meanwhile, had a differential of +165, meaning they had an expected record of 96-66.
At Chase Field in Arizona, the Diamondbacks had a better record than away from it, but not by much – they were 43-38 at home and 41-40 on the road. Against their own division, the Diamondbacks were 29-22, with their best record coming against the last place Colorado Rockies, at 10-3.
Overall offensively, the Diamondbacks were a middle of the road team, right about middle of the pack in batting average, runs, hits, walks and on-base percentage. Where were they the best? Arizona was the team in the NL that struck out the second fewest, just behind the Nationals. In the postseason, however, Arizona rode a surging offense; they are 3rd in the playoffs in batting average (.247), 2nd in homers (18), and 2nd in runs scored (51).
Starting pitching has not been a strength of the Snakes, ranking in the bottom 3rd in ERA, the top third in runs allowed and the top third in batting average against. Relievers weren’t that much better, ranking at right about the middle of all of baseball in ERA, batting average against and allowing the 3rd most homers in the National League.
In the postseason, however, their pitchers have been just slightly better than the Rangers, with a 3.23 ERA and opponents’ batting average coming in at 10 points below Texas’ staff at .231. In short, nothing was outstanding about the Diamondbacks, but they scored when they needed to and won when they needed to. They’re playing their best baseball right now, too.
Players to watch
The Vet: Evan Longoria – The former San Francisco Giant, and longtime Tampa Bay Ray Evan Longoria returns to the postseason after 15 years. The third baseman wasn’t a driving force in either the regular season (.223, 11 HR, 28 RBI) or the NLDS or NLCS (.135, 0 HR, 4 RBI, .404 OPS), but the veteran’s presence and postseason experience are no doubt a factor in helping to drive this young, mostly homegrown team through the playoffs.
The Kid: Corbin Carroll – The likely National League Rookie of the Year powered the Diamondbacks through the Game 7 clincher after going just 3-for-23 in the previous six games. The 23-year old scored or drove in each of Arizona’s four runs in Tuesday night’s clincher.
During the season, Carroll earned an All-Star nod, much the same way that Texas rookie Josh Jung did, and slashed .285/.362/.506 over 155 games, playing all over the outfield. He slugged 25 homers, drove in 76, and stole an astounding 54 bases.
The burgeoning superstar and future MVP candidate will play a large role in whether or not the Diamondbacks can take the World Series from Texas.
The Ace: Zac Gallen – Gallen, a four-year Diamondback, hasn’t exactly been the ace for the club this postseason, going 2-2 with a 5.24 ERA in the playoffs thus far, but he was Arizona’s top starter all year long and one of the best in the Senior Circuit.
Gallen posted a 3.47 ERA with a 17-9 record, pitching in a team-high 210 innings and striking out 220 hitters. The 27-year old is a fastball/curveball pitcher with a ground ball rate of nearly 60%. He was the Opening Day starter and has been the Game 1 starter for the Diamondbacks all postseason. Arizona won’t look to fix what isn’t broken.
The bullpen mercenary: Paul Sewald – Arizona acquired Tommy Pham at the deadline to help augment the offense, but the true get for the Diamondbacks in the middle of the year was former Seattle closer Paul Sewald.
The 33-year old pitched in 45 games for the Mariners, earning 21 saves with a 2.93 ERA. He hasn’t been quite as effective with Arizona, posting a 3.57 ERA, but he saved 13 games down the stretch, with a 10.2 K/9 ratio in the 20 games with Arizona. He has yet to allow a run in eight innings during the year’s postseason and if Texas sees him in a game, that likely means trouble.
The CS MVP: Ketel Marte – Marte, another former Mariner, has been the quiet superstar for the Diamondbacks dating back to when he joined Arizona in 2017. This season, the former All-Star played in 150 games, slashed .276/.358/.485 with 25 homers and 82 RBI while primarily manning 2nd base.
In the NLCS, Marte went 12-for-31 with four doubles, a triple and four RBI on his way to becoming Adolis Garcia’s League Championship Series MVP counterpart. Marte has 19 hits in the postseason altogether and has a 16-game hitting streak to start his playoff career.
Don’t sleep on the Diamondbacks. Even though the Phillies were viewed as the far more dangerous opponent for Texas, playoff baseball is about who’s hot at the right time. The Rangers were certainly hot all through the postseason and are undefeated on the road. But the Diamondbacks have been hot in the playoffs this year as well – and there are only three games slated to be played in Arizona.
Do you think the Diamondbacks make for a good matchup for the Rangers? Share your thoughts with Matt on Twitter @FisherWritesMLB.