The 2023 Major League World Series has been confirmed as a matchup between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers.
If someone had told me on the opening day of the season that these two teams would face each other in the World Series, I would have been treated like a weirdo. A matchup that exceeded everyone’s expectations was achieved.
Let’s see if the game will be a spectacular match that exceeds everyone’s expectations. The World Series, now in its 119th year, will be played in a best-of-seven format starting on the 28th (Korean time).
Wild Card RebellionThis World Series is a battle between wild cards. This is the third time that wild card teams have clashed with each other in the World Series, following the 2002 (San Francisco vs. Angels) and 2014 (San Francisco vs. Kansas City) seasons.
Since the introduction of wild cards in 1995, 16 wild card teams, including these two, have advanced to the World Series. A total of seven teams have won the championship so far, and an eighth wild card winner is expected to be born this year.
Arizona advanced to the World Series despite only winning 84 games. Despite failing to surpass 90 wins, commonly referred to as the ‘Maginot Line’ for advancing to the postseason, they reached the finals. The teams that have won the World Series without exceeding 90 wins in the major leagues so far are the Atlanta Braves in 2021, the San Francisco Giants in 2014 (88 wins), the New York Yankees in 2000 (87 wins), the Minnesota Twins in 1987 (85 wins), and The 2006 St. Louis Cardinals. St. Louis recorded 83 wins and still lifted the World Series trophy.
Texas may feel a little unfair being treated as a wild card. Although they tied with the Houston Astros with 90 wins, they were pushed to the wild card due to their season record against opponents. They resolved their disappointment in the Championship Series.
The combined winning percentage of both teams this season is 53.7%. According to ‘Opta STATS’, this is the second lowest winning percentage among the final matchups of the four major American professional sports (MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL) after the 1991 Stanley Cup Finals (Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Minnesota North Stars, 48.8%).
This World Series is also a matchup between teams from the Western Division of both leagues. This is the first World Series between Western teams since 2017, when the Dodgers and Houston faced each other, and the eighth overall.
Anyone who has ever eaten meat knows this…Both teams were evaluated as ‘underdogs’ in this postseason, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a lot of experience. There are quite a few people with World Series experience.
In Texas, Aroldis Chapman, Nathan Evoldi, Max Scherzer, Corey Seager, and Will Smith have experience playing in the World Series. And they all won the World Series.
Max Scherzer, who experienced winning the World Series with the Washington Nationals in 2019, said, “I would like to give you advice not to wake up from your dream and keep enjoying it. This will be the most important moment of your life. “I would like to tell them to enjoy it as much as possible and relax in the clubhouse,” he said, giving advice to young players.
For Texas’ Game 1 starter Nathan Evoldi, this start has special meaning. In the 2018 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers during his time with the Boston Red Sox, he appeared on the mound in the 12th inning and gave up 2 runs (1 earned) in 6 innings, but was disappointed with a walk-off home run. This time, he is making his first World Series start.
He said, “It means a lot just to be able to participate in the World Series,” and expressed his excitement, saying, “Creating an atmosphere for the team in Game 1 is a lot of pressure, but it is also very exciting.”
In Arizona, Evan Longoria and Ryan Thompson have World Series experience. Longoria appeared in the World Series wearing a Tampa Bay uniform in 2008 and Thompson appeared in the World Series in 2020. Coincidentally, this was Globe Life Field where Thompson played the World Series. He plays in a place where the pain from three years ago still remains.
Arizona coach Tori Lovello said, “A lot of things happen in the postseason. “And he is a player who can tell his teammates how to relax and what to expect in certain situations,” he said of Longoria’s presence.
The four players, Chapman, Longoria, Seager, and Thompson, all represented both leagues and experienced the World Series. This is a privilege enjoyed by only 188 players in the major league. Scherzer and Smith will become the 43rd and 44th players to have World Series experience with at least three teams.
He smells like the former director.Arizona bench coach Jeff Bannister had experience as head coach of Texas from 2015 to 2018. He led the team to the postseason twice in 2015 and 2016, and was named Coach of the Year in 2015. This time he came to Arlington to coach the opposing team.
Lovello praised Bannister as “a person who changed the culture of our team.” He said, “The best thing about my coaching career was meeting him. Along the way, I met people who taught me and guided me. Bannister is a person who helped and changed the team culture in the direction we wanted in every way. He filled the gap for me. “Sometimes I thought he was better than me,” he continued.
He said, “If I had to choose someone who would likely get a chance to coach again, I would choose Bannister. “He deserves another chance,” he said, adding that Bannister could get another chance to coach.
Tony Beasley, who served as Texas’ interim manager last season, still has a strong presence as the team’s third base coach.
Texas coach Bruce Bochy said, “I didn’t know him well at first, but a close friend of his told me a lot of good things. He was said to be a really good baseball player, a positive influence, and a popular member of the team. So he looked forward to meeting him. And I realized that that explanation was correct,” he said of Beasley.
Manager MatchupThe careers of the two coaches, Arizona’s Torrey Lovello and Texas’ Bruce Bochy, are truly world-class. This is Bochy’s 26th season as a major league manager. He has three championship rings and is playing in his fifth World Series. However, this does not mean that Lovello has no experience at all. This is his seventh season as Arizona head coach. Having led the team through a dark period, he takes on the challenge of creating a new chapter in history.
The two coaches often met in the same district when Bocch was the manager of the San Francisco Giants.
Lovello said he was honored to have Bochy as an opposing coach, saying, “I’m very humbled just to be in the same building as him.” He praised coach Noh, saying, “Coach Boc is someone who instinctively understands how the game is going.”굿모닝토토 도메인
Bocci also said, “Lovelo is a person who knows the game. People thought he wasn’t a ready coach, but he’s doing really well for the team. Arizona is a team that makes hustle plays, makes aggressive base running plays, and is good at the little things. Lovello is leading in that direction,” he said, expressing his respect for his counterpart coach.
Lovello also personally gave a gift to Bocci at a ceremony in 2019 when Bocci retired as San Francisco manager.
He said, “I gave Coach Bochy a gift and said, ‘It was a great honor to meet you. I said, ‘I hope you come back someday.’ He said, ‘I’m tired now. “It would be a great honor for me to meet him again next time,” he said, introducing the conversation they had at the time.