ARLINGTON, Texas — It was like a thunderbolt deep in the heart of Texas, shaking the joint to its rafters, and when the noise finally died down Friday night, there it was shining lights for all of Texas to see:
Texas Rangers 6, Arizona Diamondbacks 5.
They may be talking about this World Series Game 1 for a long, long time in these parts with Corey Seager rescuing the Rangers with a stunning two-run home run with one out in the 9th inning to tie the game, and then winning it in the 11th inning on Adolis Garcia’s home run that just cleared the fence in right.
It was Garcia's fifth consecutive postseason game with a home run.
This was a game the Diamondbacks appeared to have the game in the bag, running, bunting and powering their way to a 5-3 lead at Globe Life Field.
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The Diamondbacks bullpen, which had been spectacular all postseason, had everything all set up with closer Paul Sewald called in to protect their two-run lead. He opened by walking No. 9 hitter Leody Taveras on four pitches. Sewald shook it off, and struck out All-Star second baseman Marcus Semien, bringing up Seager.
Sewald tried to throw a first-pitch fastball by Seager.
He nearly hit it to Dallas, bouncing off the upper deck, 416 feet away.
Seager stopped, looked at his bench, flipped his bat aside, and danced around the bases as 42,472 fans at Globe Life Field screamed.
It was a new ballgame, and in the playoffs, was no ghost runner in the 10th inning to create any fake offense.
The Rangers bullpen, which pitched 6 ⅓ shutout innings, retiring the final 10 batters of the game, provided the opportunity for the heroes.
– Bob Nightengale
Here's how Game 1 unfolded on Friday:
While extra innings begin with a runner on second base in the regular season, that is not the case for the playoffs and World Series.
Game 1 of the World Series in the first extra-inning contest of the 2023 postseason after Texas couldn't get the winning run in from second base in the bottom of the ninth – after Corey Seager's game-tying homer.
Trailing 5-3, Corey Seager crushed a two-run homer off Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie things up at Globe Life Field.
Seager, who signed with the Rangers before the 2022 season, was the 2020 World Series MVP playing at his future home ballpark.
ARLINGTON, Texas - Nathan Eovaldi is perfect no more in the 2023 postseason.
Eovaldi toted four wins in his four starts coming into Game 1 of the World Series, but was knocked out by the redoubtable Arizona Diamondbacks with two outs in the fifth inning. Ketel Marte's RBI double gave Arizona a 5-3 lead, and while the Rangers could come back and get him off the hook, his cloak of invincibility is gone.
Geraldo Perdomo's leadoff single and stolen base started the inning, and Marte's one-out double - extending his streak of hitting safely to 17 games, most to begin a postseason career - scored Perdomo.
Eovaldi set a Rangers postseason record with eight strikeouts, but the D-backs are exerting their will. They pecked Eovaldi for six hits and three stolen bases in five innings.
– Gabe Lacques
ARLINGTON, Texas - Game 1 of the World Series is starting to resemble a tennis match. Tommy Pham was the latest to strike a blow for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
He hit a Nathan Eovaldi pitch into the left field seats leading off the top of the fourth inning, putting Arizona back in front, 4-3. Eovaldi could not deliver a shutdown inning after the Rangers tied it in the bottom of the third on Mitch Garver's bases-loaded walk.
Perhaps they will rue not doing any more damage at that point, as Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen got Jonah Heim to fly softly to center field, leaving the bases loaded.
– Gabe Lacques
America, meet your new "Taco Hero": Ketel Marte.
The Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman stole the first base of the 2023 World Series in Game 1 of the Fall Classic against the Texas Rangers, becoming the latest baseball star to "Steal a Base, Steal a Taco" by giving everyone in the country the chance to score a free taco.
Marte stole second base easily off Nathan Eovaldi in the top of the third inning with the Diamondbacks up 3-2.
An American tradition that began in 2007, Marte became the 12th "Taco Hero" in MLB history. Marte will also hope the honor will bring good luck to the Diamondbacks, as the team the "Taco Hero" was on has gone 8-3 in the World Series.
ARLINGTON, Texas - Quieted for two innings, the Arizona Diamondbacks showed off all the hallmarks of their pennant-winning offense, striking for three runs in wham-bang fashion.
Two singles, one pounded into the infield turf. A sacrifice bunt. A scorching two-run triple from super rookie Corbin Carroll. And a go-ahead run when Carroll broke on contact to beat the throw home from Texas Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe on a routine grounder.
When the flurry was over - Arizona threw in a stolen base, just to stay on brand - the Diamondbacks seized a 3-2 lead in Game 1 of the World Series.
Rangers started Nathan Eovaldi hadn't allowed a hit and struck out the previous four batters when Arizona counterpunched in the top of the third. Now, an early Rangers advantage is erased - and the back end of the Arizona bullpen looms a few innings away.
– Gabe Lacques
ARLINGTON, Texas - A bigger stage and a stubborn opponent did not prevent the Texas Rangers and Adolis Garcia from picking up where they left off.
The Rangers jumped on Arizona Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen for a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning and took a 2-0 lead in Game 1 of the World Series at Globe Life Field.
Garcia, the American League Championship Series MVP, set a postseason record by driving in a run in his seventh consecutive game, this time on a sharp single to left field off a hanging Gallen knuckle curve.
Gallen, who's already logged a career high for innings pitched, issued a six-pitch one-out walk to Corey Seager before rookie Evan Carter drilled an RBI double to the base of the wall in right center field.
Gallen escaped further damage by inducing a 5-4-3 double play from Mitch Garver.
– Gabe Lacques
ARLINGTON, Texas – Twenty-two years after throwing out the first pitch at a World Series game in an emotionally charged appearance in post-9/11 New York, former President George W. Bush repeated the feat on far more familiar grounds.
Bush threw out the ceremonial first pitch Friday night at Globe Life Field, just across the street from the stadium that rose as he served as managing general partner of the Texas Rangers from 1989-94, before the Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks played Game 1 of the 2023 Series.
The North Texas crowd greeted its former governor with chants of "USA!" Bush delivered a pitch from about 40 feet to baseball Hall of Famer Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez.
– Gabe Lacques
Arizona Diamondbacks
RHP Zac Gallen: 2-2, 5.24 ERA in 22 ⅓ IP postseason
Texas Rangers
RHP Nathan Eovaldi: 4-0, 2.42 ERA, 28 K in 26 IP postseason
A Rangers-Diamondbacks matchup in the World Series is certainly an unexpected one, with both wild-card teams defeating favored opponents in each round of the playoffs.
Here’s how USA TODAY Sports’ baseball writers and editors see this Fall Classic unfolding:
Read USA TODAY Sports' full World Series predictions here
The Rangers and Diamondbacks announced their full 26-man rosters for the World Series ahead of the opener on Friday.
Arizona is going with 14 position players and 12 pitchers, while Texas has an even split.
The Rangers are one of six franchises to have never won a World Series, along with the Mariners, Rays, Padres, Brewers and Rockies. Texas only ever reached the Fall Classic in 2010 and 2011, losing to the Giants and Cardinals, the latter in a seven-game series that had the Rangers one strike away from clinching in Game 6.
The Diamondbacks, who began play in 1998, have one World Series championship – in 2001 against the Yankees. This year marks the club’s first trip to the Fall Classic since then.
The retractable roof at Globe Life Field is closed for Friday’s World Series opener.
The Rangers’ home ballpark opened in 2020 and hosted that year’s World Series (and NLCS) played at the neutral site due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In one of the most dominant displays of slugging in postseason history, the Rangers bashed six home runs – including three from second baseman Marcus Semien – on their way to an 18-3 blowout of the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 1 of USA TODAY Sports' annual Simulated World Series.
Semien broke a 1-1 tie in the fifth inning with an RBI single, then hit a three-run homer in the sixth, a grand slam in the seventh and – just for good measure – another grand slam in the eighth on his way to a ridiculous 12 RBI in the game. (If you're wondering, the record for most RBI in a World Series game is six by Bobby Richardson, Hideki Matsui, Albert Pujols and Addison Russell.)
Rangers shortstop Corey Seager hit two home runs of his own and Mitch Garver added a solo shot as part of a 20-hit Texas ambush.
– Steve Gardner
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