Adolis García, the Cuban player, hit a home run in the bottom of the eleventh inning, propelling the Texas Rangers to an exciting 6-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 1 of the World Series.
His home run marked García’s all-time postseason record of 22 RBIs in a single postseason, surpassing David Freese from the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011.
“I was focused on making a good swing and just aiming to secure the win for my team,” García told Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports after the game.
Adolis García becomes only the second player in MLB history to hit a game-deciding home run in his World Series debut, joining Dusty Rhodes of the New York Giants in 1954, according to Opta Stats.
“It was an exciting moment,” García expressed about his reaction to the home run. “I was just looking at the dugout, watching all my teammates.”
COREY SEAGER TIES THE GAME IN THE 9TH WITH ONE SWING OF THE BAT!!!
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/RcUnRf801c
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 28, 2023
Adolis García has now hit a home run in five consecutive postseason games, edging closer to David Murphy’s all-time record of six consecutive playoff games with a long ball.
In the ninth inning, with the Texas Rangers trailing 5-3, All-Star shortstop Corey Seager hit a two-run home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks’ closer, Paul Sewald, forcing the game into extra innings.
“Great players do important things in crucial moments,” said Diamondbacks’ manager, Torey Lovullo, praising Seager’s performance, according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.
Rangers’ manager, Bruce Bochy, a three-time World Series champion, reflected on one of the most thrilling Fall Classic games in his illustrious career.
“That’s up there, it has to be,” said Bochy, according to Bally Sports Southwest. “It was a great game, an entertaining game. A great ball game.”
Moreover, Diamondbacks’ second baseman Ketel Marte tied the all-time postseason hit streak with 17 games after hitting a productive double in the fifth inning.
It’s only the ninth time in World Series history that a team leading by multiple runs in the ninth inning ended up losing, as per ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. Arizona aims to level the best-of-seven series when the two teams clash in Game 2 on Saturday night.
