World Series 2023: Corey Seager has the Rangers on the brink of their first title

Updated Oct. 31, 2023 11:48 p.m. ET

Associated Press

The Texas Rangers offered Corey Seager $325 million before the 2022 season hoping the 2020 World Series MVP could help the franchise finally earn a title of its own.

It could all pay off Wednesday night.

Seager and Marcus Semien each homered early in an 11-7 rout of the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 4 on Tuesday night, pushing the Rangers' Series lead to 3-1 and putting them on the brink of a title.

Seager and Semien, signed as free agents for $500 million in December 2021, have six RBIs each in the Series.

Seager is the first shortstop with three World Series homers, and he has four homers in his last five games dating to the AL Championship Series. His 19 career postseason homers are second among shortstops, trailing Derek Jeter by one.

After leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to the 2020 title, he could join Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson and Reggie Jackson as the only two-time World Series MVPs.

Texas improved to 10-0 on the road this postseason and moved within one win of the first title in the 63-season history of a franchise that started as the expansion Washington Senators.

Nathan Eovaldi tries to close out the third all-wild card World Series on Wednesday night against Zac Gallen in a rematch of Game 1 starters.

BETTING FAVORITES

The Rangers are favorites to win the World Series at -1700 odds, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

TOUGH BREAKS

Rangers slugger Adolis García and pitcher Max Scherzer will miss the rest of the World Series after getting hurt in Game 3.

García, the AL Championship Series MVP, has a moderate strain of his left oblique. Scherzer, who had been in line to pitch a possible Game 7, has a muscle spasm on the right side of his back.

They were replaced on the active roster by infielder/outfielder Ezequiel Durán and left-hander Brock Burke before Game 4.

“They’ve worked their entire lives to be on this stage and be in this moment and they’ve both suffered injuries that are going to take them out of that,” Rangers general manager Chris Young said. ”I have great empathy for them in terms of that.”

D-BACKS DEFENSE

Arizona’s sterling defense stumbled at the worst time in Game 4.

Gold Glove first baseman Christian Walker ended a record run of perfect fielding at the World Series in the third inning, opening the door for a second straight five-run inning by Texas. That followed a two-out, two-strike wild pitch by Luis Frias an inning earlier that scored Josh Jung.

The Rangers and Diamondbacks combined for three errorless games to start this year’s World Series, the first time that’s happened. The teams also committed the fewest errors in the big leagues during the regular season — the D-backs with 56, the Rangers 57.

Walker, a first-time Gold Glove winner last season, ranged slightly to his backhand to field a grounder off the bat of Jonah Heim on a potential double play. Walker instead mishandled the transfer to his throwing hand as he wheeled toward second and was charged with an error.

The Rangers scored five runs in the inning, punctuated by Semien’s three-run homer that put them up 10-0.

DISAPPOINTING RATINGS

Fears about dismal ratings for this year’s World Series are becoming a reality.

Games 2 and 3 were the least-watched Fall Classic games on record, according to Nielsen. Monday’s 3-1 victory by the Rangers averaged 8.13 million on Fox, according to fast national figures. Saturday’s 9-1 Diamondbacks win averaged 8.15 million.

Before this year, the least-watched World Series game was Game 3 in 2020 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays, which averaged 8.34 million.

Game 1 was also the least-watched World Series opener recorded. The three-game average of 8.48 million is on pace to become the least-viewed Series ever, fewer than the 9.79 million in 2020 that watched the Dodgers beat the Rays in six games.

ONE HOT KETEL

Ketel Marte has the longest hitting streak in postseason history at 20 games.

Marte wasted little time extending the run in Game 4, ripping a single to lead off the bottom of the first inning. He later doubled and lifted his postseason average to .338.

His 20-game on-base streak is the third-best to begin a postseason career, trailing Boog Powell’s 25 games from 1966-71 and Daniel Murphy’s 21 games from 2015-17.

Marte broke the postseason hitting streak record with a two-run single in Game 2, pushing his streak to 18 games. His two-out hit was part of a three-run eighth, sending him past Derek Jeter and Hank Bauer of the New York Yankees and Boston’s Manny Ramirez for the longest streak.

IMPRESSIVE COMPANY

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy is trying for his fourth World Series title after winning with San Francisco in 2010, 2012 and 2014. Four championships would tie Walter Alston and Joe Torre for fourth-most behind Joe McCarthy and Casey Stengel (seven each) and Connie Mack (five).

Bochy is tied at three with John McGraw, Miler Huggins, Sparky Anderson and Tony La Russa.

Every other manager with three or more is in the Hall of Fame.