The Arizona Diamondbacks are playing in their first World Series since 2001, facing off against the Texas Rangers. Game 1 of the Fall Classic takes place at 5 p.m. Friday at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, and will be shown on Fox.
Zac Gallen exits the first game with the lead after five rounds
ARLINGTON, Texas — Zac Gallen recovered from a rocky first inning, got out of trouble in the third and retired seven of the final eight batters he faced before leaving Game 1 of the World Series with a home run on Friday night.
With the Diamondbacks leading, 5-3, entering the play in the bottom of the sixth, Gallen finished with three runs allowed in five innings. He allowed four hits and four walks, and struck out five.
His night was defined by his ability to get out of a pair of tight ends in the first innings. In the first, having already allowed two runs, he got a key double play ball from Mitch Garver to escape further trouble.
Then in the third inning, after retiring the first two batters, Gallen allowed a hit and three walks in a four-hit span to force Jonah Heim to fly out to center to end the inning.
He was relieved by Ryan Thompson in the sixth.
—Nick Pecoro
Ketel Marte ties the postseason record with an RBI double
ARLINGTON, Texas – The Diamondbacks extended their lead in a back-and-forth Game 1 of the World Series, jumping ahead of the Rangers 5-3.
After Zac Gallen recorded his second scoreless frame of the night in the fourth, Geraldo Perdomo led off the top of the fifth with a single up the middle. He then stole second when Corbin hit Carroll. The extra base may have been crucial, as Perdomo was able to easily score from second base on Ketel Marte’s double to right-center field.
Marty has now hit the ground running in all 17 postseason games of his career. He is tied for the longest postseason hitting streak in MLB history, joining Hank Bauer, Derek Jeter, and Manny Ramirez, and the longest to start a postseason career. He now has 20 hits in the postseason, the most by any player in DBacks history.
Rangers’ Nathan Eovaldi exited the game after walking Christian Walker with two outs following Marte’s double.
—Theo Mackey
Tommy Pham’s homer puts the Diamondbacks back in front
ARLINGTON, Texas – Tommy Pham led off the top of the fourth inning with a solo home run to left field, giving the Diamondbacks back the lead they had lost in the previous half.
The Diamondbacks lead 4-3 and go into the bottom of the fourth.
For Pham, the home run was his third of the postseason and second in his past three games. He drilled a 1-0 pitch from Eovaldi, the home run, to left field. Pham struck out on his first at-bat, swinging through a pair of breaks.
The teams have now scored in three straight semis.
—Nick Pecoro
Jalen surrenders to walking
ARLINGTON, Texas – Zach Gallen seemed to have settled down in Game 1. After allowing two runs in the first inning, the team retired the second inning and had two hits to start the third inning. But he then allowed four straight batters to reach base, allowing another run and making the score 3-3 after three innings.
Corey Seager was the first keeper to reach base in the inning, walking on five pitches. Evan Carter then snuck a ground ball double down the left field line. That’s when things got worse for Jalen, who proceeded to walk Adulis Garcia and Mitch Garver, each on a full count. The trip to Garver was Jalen’s fourth trip of the night and brought home.
Gallen was able to get Jonah Heim to fly out to center to end the inning. He threw 71 pitches.
—Theo Mackey
The Diamondbacks respond and advance against the Rangers
ARLINGTON, Texas — Corbin Carroll drove a triple to center field two outs and used his blazing speed to score the go-ahead run one batter later, giving the Diamondbacks a 3-2 lead over the Rangers in the top of the third inning of Game 1 on Friday night.
With two men on board, Carroll stayed behind an 0-2 breakout from the Rangers’ righty Nathan Eovaldi and directed it toward left center. Center fielder Leody Taveras drove to his right but couldn’t cut it, and Carroll easily reached third with a triple.
Ketel Marte followed by hitting a sharp object initially. Carroll broke home immediately and beat off a throw by first baseman Nathaniel Lowe. Lowe’s throw pulled catcher Jonah Heim up slightly from the third base line.
—Nick Pecoro
Rangers grab early lead against Zach Gallen, DBacks
ARLINGTON, Texas — Evan Carter gave the Texas Rangers an early lead, lining a fastball from Diamondbacks right-hander Zach Gallen into the right-center field gap to score Corey Seager in the bottom of the first inning. Adolis Garcia followed with a slam of his own.
The Rangers take a 2-0 lead in Game 1 of the World Series at Globe Life Field.
Gallen retired leading man Marcus Semien but walked Seager, then struck out two on Carter but couldn’t put him away. Jalen’s 2-2 fastball took up too much of the middle of the plate and Carter drilled it for a double.
Garcia followed by hitting a 3-1 breaking ball from Gallen to left field for a single. It was his 21st RBI in the postseason, tying David Freese’s record set in 2011 for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Texas scored 20 runs in the final two games of its AL Championship Series win over Houston.
The Diamondbacks were down the order in the top of the first inning against Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi.
—Nick Pecoro
Diamondbacks unveil full-strength lineup for Game 1
ARLINGTON, Texas – The Diamondbacks’ lineup for Game 1 of the World Series is devoid of surprises. It’s the same starting nine that manager Torey Lovullo used against right-handed pitchers in every postseason game except Game 5 of the NLCS, when he benched Tommy Pham in exchange for Pavin Smith.
The continuity of the lineup shows confidence in some of the players who struggled during the NLCS. Christian Walker was 2-for-22 in that series but is still in the prototypical cleanup spot. Pham went 2 for 20 but batted fifth. Evan Longoria went 2-for-19 but is still in the third base lineup.
Here’s Arizona’s full nine starter Zach Gallen in his first World Series game in 22 years:
- Corbin Carroll, RF
- Kettle Marty, 2B
- Gabriel Moreno, C
- Christian Walker, 1B
- Tommy Pham, DH
- Lourdes Gurriel Jr., L.F
- Alec Thomas, CF
- Evan Longoria, 3B
- Geraldo Perdomo, SS
—Theo Mackey
The Diamondbacks can shake up the bullpen innings
ARLINGTON, Texas – The Diamondbacks’ bullpen was among the driving forces in their playoff run. They haven’t lost a game in which they’ve taken the lead, and the four top-leverage relievers have combined for a 1.45 ERA. Closer Paul Seewald and setup man Kevin Jenkel did not allow a run.
However, one of these highly effective painkillers showed signs of a problem. Andrew Salfrank, who was an instant revelation after his promotion to the major leagues, faced 19 batters in the postseason and walked eight of them. He’s been deployed primarily against heavy parts of opposing lineups, but his lack of control in recent appearances makes it a nervous proposition to match him up with hitters like the Rangers’ Corey Seager and Evan Carter.
“It’s not ideal,” Lovullo said. “But there are specific reasons why he plays those games. He gets big wins.
Lovullo said before Game 1 that he didn’t know if he would continue to delegate to Salfranc in the key late-game positions during the World Series. If he changes Salfrank’s role, Lovullo said he will continue to use the left-hander to compete in those positions, rather than using the right-hander exclusively in the back end of his bullpen.
That likely means Joe Mantiply will become Arizona’s high-leverage left tackle. Mantiply faced 24 batters in the playoffs, walked three, struck out four and allowed three earned runs, all of which came in a 10-0 loss to the Phillies in Game 2 of the NLCS.
—Theo Mackey
The Diamondbacks add infielder Jace Peterson to their World Series roster
ARLINGTON, Texas – The Diamondbacks announced their World Series roster Friday morning before Game 1 against the Texas Rangers, making just one change from the lineup that beat the Philadelphia Phillies in seven games in the National League Championship Series.
Infielder Jace Peterson was added to the roster in place of right-hander Slade Cecconi, a move that bullpen manager Torey Lovullo appeared to hint at during a session with reporters on Thursday.
“It’s really about an extra pitcher or an extra position player,” Lovullo said Thursday afternoon. “We didn’t get that extra pitcher (during the NLCS). So we feel there may be a need for a player at the extra position.
Cecconi threw two innings in the NLCS. The club still has right-hander Ryne Nelson to provide length. Nelson appeared in just one game in the Phillies series, giving up three runs in two-thirds of an inning.
Peterson is a veteran left-handed hitter capable of playing multiple positions in the outfield. The Diamondbacks haven’t received much production from their third baseman, and Peterson gives them another option there, but it would be surprising if Lovullo gravitated away from veteran Evan Longoria.
Perhaps Peterson will be a backup option in games started by lefties Jordan Montgomery and Andrew Heaney. Lovullo started with Emanuel Rivera against lefties and could now hit for Rivera against righties later in the game.
Peterson did not finish the year strong offensively. Upon acquisition at the trade deadline, he was hitting just .183/.276/.258 in 93 at-bats with the Diamondbacks.
Pitching match in World Series Game 1
Diamondbacks RHP Zach Gallen (2-2, 5.24 ERA) vs. Rangers RHP Nathan Eovaldi (4-0, 2.42)
The last time Gallen faced the Rangers, on August 22, he had one of his best games of the season, striking out 11 in six innings of one-run ball. To that point, he had a 2.01 ERA in August, rediscovering the form he had during a dominant outing in April. At the time, he was considered the National League Cy Young favorite. …Since then, Gallen has not been himself. In his last 11 games, including the postseason, he had a 5.04 ERA. … Gallen’s strikeout numbers were alarming in the playoffs, with just 13 in 22 1/3 innings, barely half his regular-season rate. … The Diamondbacks lost both of Gallen’s starts against the Phillies. Most recently, he allowed four runs in six innings while striking out just one run in game five. … Like Gallen, Eovaldi did not finish the regular season well. After returning from the injured list in early September, he had a 9.30 ERA in six starts. …But in the playoffs, Eovaldi was sharp. … He allowed just one run in each of his first two games. In two games against the Astros in the ALCS, he pitched 12 1/3 innings, allowed five runs and struck out 13 batters.
World Championship schedule
Top 7 games, all on Fox
Friday, Oct. 27: Arizona (Galen 17-9) at Texas (Eovalde 12-5), 5:03 p.m.
Saturday, October 28: Arizona at Texas, 5:03 p.m
Monday, October 30: Texas at Arizona, 5:03 p.m
Tuesday, October 31: Texas at Arizona, 5:03 p.m
10th – Wednesday, November 1: Texas at Arizona, 5:03 p.m
10th-Friday, November 3: Arizona at Texas, 5:03 p.m
10th-Saturday, November 4: Arizona at Texas, 5:03 p.m
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