World Series notebook: October 27
The D-Backs and Rangers get things started tonight
It’s not the Fall Classic match-up anyone envisioned in the beginning of March—or even in the beginning of October—but despite traveling different paths, the D-Backs and Rangers have earned their way into the World Series.
Some notes on the best-of-7 showdown, which gets started tonight in Arlington…
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING?
The Rangers (born in 1972), who lost their 2 previous World Series appearances—to the Giants in 2010 and to the Cardinals in 2011—are one of 6 current franchises to never win a championship, joining the Brewers (born in 1970), Mariners (1977), Padres (1969), Rays (1998) and Rockies (1993).
The D-Backs, who won their only previous World Series appearance against the Yankees in 2001, join the Angels (1-0), Blue Jays (2-0), Marlins (2-0) and Nationals (1-0) as one of 5 franchises to have won every World Series in which it has appeared.
FANCY MEETING YOU HERE
The D-Backs-Rangers series marks the 10th consecutive year MLB has had a first-time match-up in the World Series. The last repeat Fall Classic foes were the Red Sox and Cardinals in 2013.
WILD TIMES
2023 marks the 3rd time a World Series has matched a pair of Wild Card teams since the Wild Card was introduced in 1995. The Angels beat the Giants in 2002, and the Giants beat the Royals in 2014.
Including this year, 16 Wild Card teams have advanced to the World Series since 1995, and 7 have previously won titles: the 1997 and 2003 Marlins, the 2002 Angels, the 2004 Red Sox, the 2011 Cardinals, the 2014 Giants and the 2019 Nationals.
With the defending champion Astros falling to Texas in the ALCS, MLB will not have a repeat champion in 2023. The last time a team won consecutive World Series, the Yankees won 3 in a row from 1998 through 2000. The current 23-year run without a club winning consecutive titles is the longest in MLB history. There has never been a longer streak in the NFL, NBA or NHL.
BATTERED BUT NOT BEATEN
The D-Backs won the NL pennant after a regular season in which they went 84-78, the same record as the Marlins. Their 78 losses are tied for the 2nd-most ever by a team that has reached the World Series.
1973 Mets 82-79
2023 D-Backs 84-78
2006 Cardinals 84-78 (won World Series)
1987 Twins 85-77 (won World Series)
2022 Phillies 87-75
1997 Indians 86-75
BOCH IS BACK
First-year Rangers skipper Bruce Bochy is the 3rd manager in ML history to take 3 different franchises to the Fall Classic. Bochy, who managed the Padres to the World Series in 1998 and won 3 World Series with the Giants in 2010, 2012 and 2014, joins Hall of Famers Bill McKechnie (Pirates, Cardinals and Reds) and Dick Williams (Red Sox, Athletics and Padres) in winning pennants with 3 clubs.
After winning 3 World Series with the Giants, Bochy has a shot to become just the 6th manager all-time to win at least 4 titles. He’d join Hall of Famers Joe McCarthy (7), Casey Stengel (7), Connie Mack (5), Walter Alston (4) and Joe Torre (4).
If the Rangers win this World Series, Bochy will tie the just-retired Dusty Baker for the 4th-most career post-season managerial wins in ML history.
CAREER LEADERS, POST-SEASON MANAGERIAL WINS
Joe Torre 84
Tony La Russa 71
Bobby Cox 67
Dusty Baker 57
Bruce Bochy 53 (active)
Dave Roberts 45 (active)
Terry Francona 44
Jim Leyland 44
Casey Stengel 37
Sparky Anderson 34
TIGER TALES
The 2 pennant-winning general managers, Mike Hazen of the D-Backs and Chris Young of the Rangers, both played baseball at Princeton for coach Scott Bradley, although they missed each other by a year in the late 1990s. Bradley, who played all or part of 9 ML seasons as a catcher with the Yankees, White Sox, Mariners and Reds, will attend the first 2 games of the World Series in Arlington as a guest of his 2 former stars.
MLB IS ON THE CLOCK
Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com did a nice breakdown, comparing time of post-season games from 2021-23. In summary, the pitch clock is working (unless you’d rather see more than half the games last more than 3:30 and nearly one in 4 take more than 4 hours to complete, as was the case in 2021. He also reports that, for all the concern expressed by some going in, there have been only 7 pitch clock violations in 36 post-season games through the 2 league championship series, none in a high-leverage situation.
WHO’S IN CHARGE?
According to rankings compiled by Umpire Auditor, here’s where the 7 umpires who will work the plate if this World Series goes the distance ranked among their 92 peers in regular season ball-strike accuracy during the 2023 regular season:
Game 1: D.J. Reyburn (75th out of 92)
Game 2: Quinn Wolcott (1st out of 92)
Game 3: Alfonso Marquez (77th out of 92)
Game 4: David Rackley (68th out of 92)
Game 5: Brian Knight (33rd out of 92)
Game 6: Vic Carapazza (60th out of 92)
Game 7: Bill Miller (53rd out of 92)
MONEY MATTERS
The series matches the #9 Opening Day payroll (belonging to Texas) and the #21 Opening Day payroll (belonging to Arizona). According to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, the Rangers began the year with a 26-man roster payroll of $195.8 million, while the D-Backs opened the season at $116.1 million.
The AL and NL champs ranked 4th and 21st respectively in end-of-season total payroll, according to Spotrac.
The Rangers began the year with 8 players on their roster making at least $12 million this season. That doesn’t include deadline acquisition Max Scherzer, who between the Mets and Rangers, was paid $43.3 million in 2023.
The highest-paid D-Back in 2023 was lefthander Madison Bumgarner, who made nearly $21.9 million in year 4 of a 5-year, $85 million deal but was released April 26 after going 0-3 with a 10.26 ERA in his first 4 starts.
The only other 2 D-Backs who made in excess of $10 million this season are NLCS MVP Ketel Marte ($11.6 million) and Nick Ahmed ($10.375 million), the latter of whom was released in early September. With the club cutting ties with both Bumgarner and Ahmed, Arizona released 2 players making a combined total of more than $32.2 million or about 40 percent of their total Opening Day payroll.
FAMILIAR FACES
Former Marlins Zac Gallen of the D-Backs and Nathan Eovaldi of the Rangers will start against each other in Game 1 tonight, marking the first time ever a pair of former Miami pitchers have started against each other in a World Series game.
Gallen and Eovaldi will become the 9th and 10th pitchers to start a World Series game after having pitched for Miami, joining Anibal Sanchez, Jason Vargas, A.J. Burnett, Josh Beckett, Nate Robertson, Livan Hernandez, Miguel Batista and Kevin Brown.
Of that group, only Brown, Hernandez and Beckett started World Series games for the Marlins and, later, for another club.
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Definitely pulling for the underdog D-backs, as I am won't to do. Still, wouldn't mind the Rangers winning their first title, especially with Bochy at the helm. I hope Zac Gallen rebounds for an outstanding WS. Arizona in six. Why not?