2023 World Series | Baseball Almanac (2024)

Leading 5–3 in the ninth inning, Game 1 appeared to be a stunning upset for the Diamondbacks, on the road in Globe Life Field. Corey Seager wasn't ready to take a shower and crushed a two-run home run to right field to tie the game at five. It was Sewald's first blown save of this postseason in seven opportunities; however he then struck out Carter and Austin Hedges to send the game to extra innings. In the bottom of the eleventh, Adolis García, on a 3–1 count, hit a walk-off home run to right field to win the game for Texas, an extra-inning classic that will long be remembered.

The Diamondbacks were unfazed by the loss, and came out swinging in Game 2. Sixteen hits by ten players, including a four-for-four day at the plate by Tommy Pham, who could have become the first player in World Series history to go 5-for-5 at the plate. Instead, Pham asked if his teammate, Jace Patterson, could hit for him and get a World Series at-bat. D-Backs manager Torey Lovullo said, "This was a moment where it was a teammate loving a teammate to give him an opportunity. He took what mattered most to him personally, number one on the list, and said, it's more about the team and my teammate at this moment. This was to me a true team moment. Tommy Pham knew, I'm sure he knew, because he's extremely smart and pays attention to some things that you wouldn't expect a Major League Baseball player to pay attention to, I am guaranteeing you he was aware that he had a chance to get five hits."

The Series shifted to Chase Field in Arizona for Game 3, and Arizona threatened to score first, but Christian Walker was thrown out at home plate by right fielder Adolis Garcia. Texas was riding an 8–0 road game winning streak during the postseason, and answered with all the runs they needed in the third frame, courtesy of an RBI single by Marcus Semien, and a two-run home run by Corey Seager, his second in the Fall Classic.

Game 4 appeared to be over quickly as Texas put up five runs in the second inning, then a frame later, added another five, a ten-run lead that prompted some fans to leave the game early. Arizona answered with a run in the fourth, then made it interesting with four more runs in the eighth, reducing their deficit to 11–5. Two quick outs in the ninth, and it was all but over, until Arizona rallied again, scoring twice, creating an electrifying atmosphere in Chase Field. A easily caught pop-fly in foul territory extended the Rangers postseason road winning streak to ten game, and put Texas one win away from their first-ever World Series championship.

Eighty-five hits and forty-three runs were scored by both teams through the first four games, so a pitcher's duel was not to be expected in Game 5, but neither of the starting pitchers, Zac Gallen for the Diamondbacks and Nathan Eovaldi for the Rangers, disappointed. Gallen had a no-hitter going through six frames, and Eovaldi escaped – inning after inning after inning – scoring opportunities by Arizona. Texas ended the no-hit bid in the seventh, when Corey Seager (once again) came through at the plate with a clean single to left field, and scored the first run of the game after Mitch Garver collected a single himself. Arizona was never able to get a runner across the plate, the Rangers added four more insurance runs in the ninth, then closed the door, preventing the Series from returning to Texas.

The 2023 World Series was the first in Fall Classic history where every single game was played in a retractable roof stadium – a dome vs dome World Series, Chase Field (Arizona) vs Globe Life Field (Texas).

* Each World Series team gets to officially include exacty twenty-six players on their final Fall Classic roster. During the series, the Rangers lost two players to injuries, and were allowed to add too additional players, giving them twenty-eight total players on their final official roster.