PHOENIX — The Texas Rangers are one win away from winning the World Series!
Another win, and the team will earn the first World Series title in the franchise's 62-year history -- a championship drought that pre-dates, even, the team's move to Arlington in 1972, and dates all the way back to its introduction into the league as the expansion Washington Senators in 1961.
On Tuesday night in Phoenix, the Rangers made a sterling case for finally ridding itself of its past ghosts. The team beat the Diamondbacks by a score of 11-7 and upped their lead in the best-of-seven fall classic to 3-1.
Texas will have the chance to clinch its first-ever MLB title during Game 5 on Wednesday night in Phoenix.
If Arizona wins on Wednesday, the series will return to Arlington, and the Rangers will have two more chances to win the final game necessary for clinching.
After Game 4, however, most of the momentum in the series lies with Texas.
As Tuesday night's score would indicate, the team has its bats to thank for that. Across the game's second and third innings, the Rangers produced a record-breaking offensive output and put up a combined 10 runs that quickly put the game out of reach from an overpowered Arizona Diamondbacks squad.
And with starting pitcher Andrew Heaney embracing that cushion and turning in a yeoman's effort with five innings of one-run ball, the game was never really in question.
Despite two of the team's stars -- outfielder Adolis Garcia and Max Scherzer -- being ruled out for the rest of the series just prior to Game 4's start due to injuries each suffered in Monday's Game 3, the Rangers still looked dominant. Even Garcia's replacement in right field, Travis Jankowski, made his presence felt with a two-hit, two-RBI and two-run performance to go along with some nifty defensive play, too.
On the other hand, reliever Brock Burke -- added to the Rangers roster in replace of Scherzer -- represented perhaps the first noticeable blemish on the team's performance in Game 4.
Entering the game in the eight inning, Burke gave up three hits to the Diamondbacks in just one-third of an inning's work. Chris Stratton would come in to relieve Burke with the bases loaded, and wasn't able to do much in that tight predicament. He promptly give up a sacrifice fly to right, which would be immediately followed by a three-run homer. But he'd retire the batter to follow, snuffing out a four-run Arizona spark.
The D-backs would then put up another crooked number in the ninth, no doubt raising Rangers fans' blood pressure significantly in the process. First, Rangers reliever Will Smith gave up an opening-inning walk and then a single, putting runners on the corners and collectively raising Texas fans' blood pressure by about 10 points a person. But while Smith would strike out the next two batters, and closer Jose LeClrec would come in for the finally out -- and fail to immediately get it. First, he give up a two-RBI hit through the middle of the infield to catcher Gabriel Moreno. Then, mercifully, he got first baseman Christian Walker to hit a pop-up that would be caught in foul territory along the first base line, bringing the game to its close.
In the end, it was closer than Texas fans would've liked it to be, but a W is a W -- especially in the World Series.
It was also the Rangers' 10th straight road win. The team, improbably, has yet to lose a game away from home this postseason.
The team will look to continue that streak -- and make a little franchise history -- on Wednesday, Nov. 1. On the mound, it'll be a rematch of Game 1, as the Rangers send Nathan Eovaldi to the mound and the D-backs counter with Zac Gallen. First pitch comes 7:03 p.m.