Texas Rangers beat Arizona Diamondbacks to win 1st World Series title

The Texas Rangers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-0 in Game 5 of the World Series at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, on Wednesday, winning the series 4-1 and their first title in franchise history.

Only 48 hours ago after the Rangers' 3-1 win in Game 3 at Chase Field on Monday, the team learned that they had to win another two games without three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer and this year's American League Championship Series (ALCS) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Adolis Garcia. Both suffered season-ending injuries in Monday's competition.

Then the Rangers defeated the Diamondbacks twice at the same park, 11-7 on Tuesday and 5-0 on Wednesday, to put a quick end to the series. Of course, it wasn't easy. The two sides played six innings without a run, partly thanks to 33-year-old right-handed pitcher Nathan Eovaldi.

The icebreaker came from Mitch Garver who hit a run batted in in the seventh inning for the Rangers. When Marcus Semien blew that two-run homer, the game was a long-gone conclusion.

The Rangers' shortstop Corey Seager was named the World Series MVP, an award he won for the second time in four years. "This is the vision, right?" He said. "I'm kind of at a loss for words, but it's a really special moment."

If what the Rangers went through in 2023 is not the greatest baseball story in history, it must be one of them. They became the third team in MLB history to win the World Series within two seasons from losing over 100 games. The other two were the New York Mets in 1969 and the Boston Braves in 1914.

The Rangers led the AL West during most time of the regular season, but their poor performance from August cost them the division title and made them begin the postseason from the wild card game.

However, it wouldn't matter where you started as long as you kept winning. The Rangers defeated Tampa Bay Rays 2-0, the 101-win Baltimore Orioles 3-0 and the reigning World Series champions, the Houston Astros 4-3 to reach the final stage. Then the Rangers proved to the Diamondbacks that they are the true dark horse of the season when their post season winning streak on the road reached 11 games on Wednesday.

Manager Bruce Bochy, who walked out of retirement to take over the Rangers this season, added the fourth title and became the sixth manager in major league history that has four or more titles after Joe McCarthy (7), Casey Stengel (7), Connie Mack (5), Joe Torre (4) and Walter Alston (4).