The Arizona Diamondbacks are heading to their first World Series in over 2 decades. With a 4-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night, Arizona is going to the championship. The Diamondbacks will now face the Rangers in the 2023 World Series. The offensive powerhouse of the Rangers against the scrappy young Diamondbacks should be an intriguing World Series matchup.
W: Ryan Thompson (1-0) L: Ranger Suarez (1-1) SV: Paul Sewald (6)
Brandon Pfaadt, Diamondbacks:
Overall, Brandon Pfaadt had a solid start against the Phillies’ offence. The rookie went 4.0 innings, yielding 2 earned runs on 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7 batters. Pfaadt gave up a home run in the second inning to Alec Bohm, which was the second home run Pfaadt had given up in the 2023 postseason.
The fourth inning wasn’t pretty either. Pfaadt gave up another run on an RBI double from Bryson Stott. His walk to Alec Bohm came back to bite him as Bohm scored on this double. However, Pfaadt settled in and got Nicholas Castellanos swinging. Brandon Marsh walked to load the bases, but Pfaadt struck outfielder Johan Rojas out to end the threat and limit the damage.
The breakdown of Pfaadt’s 7 strikeouts is as follows:
Sweeper – 4 K’s
Sinker – 2 K’s
Changeup – 1 K
Pfaadt’s sinker and sweeper are very effective and complement each other rather well. Out of the hand, both pitches look similar, but they break horizontally in different directions. The sinker breaks in on the hands of right handed batters, while the sweeper breaks horizontally away from the righties. Throughout the night, the plan was to use the sinker in on the hands of righties and outside to lefties. The sweeper was meant to break away from the righties and break in on the hands of lefties. This combo was really effective and resulted in the high strikeout numbers from Pfaadt.
Ranger Suarez, Phillies:
Ranger Suarez didn’t have his greatest night, but it was still adequate and should have been enough for the Phillies to win this Game 7. Suarez went 4.2 frames, yielding 3 earned runs on 6 hits while punching out 6 Diamondbacks. Suarez’s 2023 postseason ERA rose to 1.93 on Tuesday night.
Suarez got off to a rocky start as the Diamondbacks got off to the early lead in the top of the first inning. However, he was able to settle in and got through the next 3 innings pretty simply. The fifth inning was a problem, though. Suarez gave up a single to start off the inning, but he retired the next 2 batters seamlessly. However, Corbin Carroll clutched up for Arizona and registered an RBI single to drive Suarez out of the game. Jeff Hoffman came in and gave up a single that scored Carroll, to which that run was credited to Suarez, worsening his overall statline on the night.
Ketel Marte did not have a fun night against Ranger Suarez, as the second baseman struck out all 3 times against the southpaw. In the first at-bat, Marte received two fastballs for strikes to start out 0-2. Suarez hurled two low curveballs, trying to make Marte chase. Thinking that Suarez was setting up the fastball, Marte was sitting dead-red. However, Suarez decided to throw a changeup, which caught Marte out in front for the swinging strikeout. This intelligence from Suarez was why he was being so successful during the postseason. The Phillies will look for the lefty to build off of his performances in the postseason for the 2024 season.
Offensive Breakdown, Diamondbacks:
The Diamondbacks, as usual, registered the hits that they needed during crucial moments in the game. Offence in baseball isn’t just about scoring runs and getting hits with runners in scoring position. It’s about registering the clutch hits when you need them most. The offence did exactly this. 4 runs isn’t flashy at all, but when you score in high-leverage situations, success will follow.
Arizona started off hot, tallying a run early on in the first inning. After Ketel Marte struck out, Corbin Carroll and Gabriel Moreno registered singles to give Arizona runners on the corners with 1 out. Christian Walker grounded into a fielder’s choice that scored Corbin Carroll and gave the Diamondbacks a 1-0 lead.
Fast forward to the fifth inning where Arizona had Emmanuel Rivera on second base with 2 outs. Corbin Carroll came up and received a sinker on the inner half and laced it for an RBI single to tie the game 2-2. Jeff Hoffman came in to replace Ranger Suarez and Corbin Carroll immediately stole second base. Gabriel Moreno continued his impressive postseason and looped a single to right field to score Carroll. The 2 stars, Carroll and Moreno, both got RBI singles with 2 outs when Arizona needed it most.
While Carroll and Moreno have both been elite, the Diamondbacks will need more consistency from the lineup if they hope to keep up with Texas’ potent offence in the World Series.
Offensive Breakdown, Phillies:
The Phillies’ offence was not effective Tuesday night, only scoring 2 runs against the Diamondbacks’ rookie starter and shaky bullpen. Philadelphia’s offence struck out 11 times (compared to 10 for Arizona) and left 14 men on base. Philadelphia’s 2 runs came on 5 hits and 4 walks, but it wasn’t enough to beat the Diamondbacks in Game 7.
In the bottom of the 2nd inning, Alec Bohm took a 93.4 MPH fastball from Brandon Pfaadt and roped it 401 feet to left field to tie the game 1-1. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Alec Bohm took a 1-out walk. Bryson Stott then roped a double to left field, scoring Bohm. The Phillies took the early 2-1 lead. The next batter, J.T. Realmuto, singled to give Philadelphia runners on the corners with 1 out. However, Nicholas Castellanos struck out in this huge situation. Brandon Marsh walked to load the bases, but Johan Rojas struck out to end the inning.
The Phillies simply couldn’t get the big hits when they needed them. One of the main reasons why the offence was so lackluster is because the Phillies’ “Big 4” of Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, and Nicholas Castellanos went 1-15 with a walk. This is the second game in a row where these four players had poor performances. In both of these games, the Phillies lost by multiple runs.
Top Performers, Diamondbacks:
Corbin Carroll (CF-RF) – 3-4, 2 Runs, 2 RBI, 2 SB
Gabriel Moreno (C) – 2-4, RBI
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (LF) – 2-4, SB
Geraldo Perdomo (SS) – 2-3, Run
Brandon Pfaadt (SP) – 4.0 IP, 4 Hits, 2 ER, 7 K’s, 2 BB
Kevin Ginkel (RP) – 1.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 K’s
Top Performers, Phillies:
Alec Bohm (3B) – 1-3, 2 Runs, HR, RBI, BB
Bryson Stott (2B) – 1-4, RBI
Ranger Suarez (SP) – 4.2 IP, 6 Hits, 3 ER, 6 K’s
Zack Wheeler (RP) – 1.2 IP, 0 ER, K, BB
Game 1 of the World Series will begin on Friday, October 27 at 8:03 PM EST. The Texas Rangers have announced that they will start veteran Nathan Eovaldi, who has a sub-1.00 WHIP this postseason. Arizona is still yet to announce a starter, but they will likely go with ace Zac Gallen on Friday night. Arizona’s pitching will have to be effective and control the Rangers’ explosive offence.
(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)