We've arrived at the first day of a most improbable World Series. The six seed Arizona Diamondbacks take on the fifth seed Texas Rangers for a seven game set, the first of which will be played tonight in Arlington.
Corbin Carroll, Zac Gallen, and the Dbacks are coming off of a 4-3 series win in the NLCS against the Philadelphia Phillies. They fell behind early, going 2-0 after two games in Philadelphia before fighting back to take the win at Citizens Bank on Tuesday and send them to the World Series for only the second time in franchise history, and the first time 2001.
Arizona Diamondbacks lineup for World Series Game 1 (October 27, 2023)
Both the Diamondbacks' and Rangers' lineups have looked pretty consistent throughout the postseason, so it's no surprise that the Dbacks World Series Game 1 order is exactly the same as the one seen in Game 7 of the NLCS. Highlights include Corbin Carroll hitting leadoff, the red hot Ketel Marte second, and Christian Walker at cleanup. Zac Gallen gets the ball again for the start, and after two ugly appearances during the NLCS, he'll be looking for redemption against a very scary Texas lineup.
Player | Position |
|---|---|
Corbin Carroll (L) | RF |
Ketel Marte (S) | 2B |
Gabriel Moreno (R) | C |
Christian Walker (R) | 1B |
Tommy Pham (R) | DH |
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (R) | LF |
Alek Thomas (L) | CF |
Evan Longoria (R) | 3B |
Geraldo Perdomo (S) | SS |
Zac Gallen | RHP |
The Diamondbacks have been inconsistent throughout the postseason; their bats have quieted at the worst times, they haven't stolen bags at their same regular season clip, and some of their best pitchers have been devastated by opposing offenses. Everything will need to come together now, when they're facing a power hitter like Adolis Garcia and the league's best fastball hitter in Corey Seager. The margin for error is zero.
Game 1 will be a complete tone setter. If the Diamondbacks can manage to take a leadoff win in their opponents' ballpark, they'll hopefully be able to gain some momentum that they can ride on through the rest of the series.