Rangers knock off Diamondbacks

Adolis Garcia homered in the 11th inning, two after Corey Seager tied the score with a two-run shot, and the Texas Rangers opened the World Series on Friday with a dramatic 6-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. .

Cuban García found a pitch from Dominican Miguel Castro with a 3-1 count and deposited the ball between the right field benches. Corbin Carroll jumped but couldn’t reach the ball with his glove.

It was “Bombi” García’s second RBI in the game, setting a record for 22 RBIs in the postseason.

“It was an exciting moment,” Garcia said. “I was just looking at the cave. I saw all my companions happy.”

Garcia has homered in five consecutive games, tying the second-longest streak in playoff history. The last time a home run ended a Fall Classic game was in 2018, when Max Muncy led off the 18th inning with a hit for the Los Angeles Dodgers off Nathan Eovaldi, who was then with the Boston Red Sox and led off. the game. of the Fall Classic. . Friday for the Rangers.

And the last time a team that trailed by more than one run in the ninth inning ended up winning a World Series game was in 2015, when the Kansas City Royals took the title in Game 5 against the New York Mets.

In this postseason, no game had required the settlement of extra innings.

The second game is scheduled for this Saturday, also in Texas.

Seager tied it in the ninth, finding a 94 mph fastball from closer Paul Sewald and catapulting the ball into the right field bleachers with one out. The inning began with a walk by Dominican Leody Taveras, the ninth batter.

Normally calm, Seager evidently became emotional after his shot. He turned toward the dugout and yelled, as he raised his arms as he turned toward home plate.

“Maybe he took this emotion to a higher level, to be honest. But he saved us there,” Rangers coach Bruce Bochy said. “You can see that energy in him. He has everyone excited.”

For the Diamondbacks, Dominicans Ketel Marte 1-for-5 with two RBIs, Geraldo Perdomo 1-for-3 with one run scored. Venezuelan Gabriel Moreno 5-0. Cuban Lourdes Gurriel Jr 5-1.

For the Rangers, Cuban García went 3-for-4 with one run scored and two RBIs. Dominican Taveras went 0-for-3 with a run scored.