Although the Arizona Diamondbacks were overlooked by nearly everyone as the third National League Wild Card team after finishing the season with just 84 wins, they were still able to advance to the World Series for the second time in franchise history.
The D-Backs were the underdogs in the Wild Card Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, heavy underdogs in the NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and still after defeating both those clubs, not many gave them a chance against the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Championship Series.
While there is a lot of randomness to postseason baseball, it still takes talent to win in October, and when a team starts to get hot, they might just find themselves in the World Series even after a somewhat lackluster regular season.
During Game 1 of the NLCS, Kiké Hernández joined the “Peloteros” Broadcast on truTV and discussed what has fueled the D-Backs unlikely run.
“I mean, they ran through us,” Hernández said. “They’re hot, they’ve got momentum on their side. But I feel like every team that’s still alive has momentum on their side. This is a very young, hungry team that is extremely athletic on the offensive side, defensive side.
“They defend well, they run the bases really well, they can do the little things offensively but they can also slug. Their pitching staff, I think they have really good starting pitchers.
“And I feel like the bullpen gets overlooked a lot. They have quality arms that give you a lot of different looks. They’ve got some lefty sinkerballers and they’ve got sidearm righties. Every guy coming out of that ‘pen is completely different from the guy before, and I think that makes them really dangerous.”
At the top of the Diamondbacks lineup is Corbin Carroll, who is a near lock to win NL Rookie of the Year, and Ketel Marte, who was named the NLCS MVP. In addition to those two, Christian Walker, Tommy Pham, Gabriel Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. have been swinging the bat well throughout the postseason.
On the pitching side, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly and rookie Brandon Pfaadt have provided the Diamondbacks with quality starting pitching, and their bullpen has been anchored by Ryan Thompson, Kevin Ginkel and Paul Sewald.
There may be some unlikely heroes in that group, but that’s what postseason baseball is all about, and the Diamondbacks are proving it.
Diamondbacks and Rangers World Series schedule
The Diamondbacks are playing the Texas Rangers in the 2023 World Series, which begins Friday, October 27. First pitch at Globe Life Stadium, and for every game of the Fall Classic, is set for 5:03 p.m. PT. Game 2 is scheduled for the following day at the same time.
The World Series then shifts to Arizona with a travel day on Sunday before Game 3 is played on Monday, October 30, at Chase Field. The Rangers and Diamondbacks will face off on Halloween for Game 4, and a potential Game 5 takes place on Wednesday, November 1.
If necessary, the series returns to Texas for a potential Game 6 on Friday, November 3. A winner-take-all would be played on Saturday, November 4, at Globe Life Stadium as well.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
