(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The Texas Rangers are one win away from taking home their first ever World Series trophy.
After winning Game 4 on Tuesday night, they are now up 3-1 in the Fall Classic against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Amazingly, Texas is now 10-0 on the road in the 2023 playoffs, the longest such winning streak to start a postseason.
The game was theirs from the go: they scored five runs in the second inning and five more in the third, building an early 10-0 lead that was nearly impossible to lose.
This situation caused them to send “mop up” pitchers to cover the late innings, as a way to rest the most prominent arms of their bullpen with Game 5 in mind.
The strategy, on paper, made sense at the time: one would think that a reliever on a World Series roster can protect a ten-run lead.
But when things started to get ugly, manager Bruce Bochy turned to his star bullpen guy: Jose Leclerc.
“The Rangers, who once led this game, 11-1, now bringing in Leclerc with 2 outs in the ninth inning and a 11-5 lead. Bruce Bochy ain’t taking any chances,” MLB insider Bob Nightengale.
The Rangers, who once led this game, 11-1, now bringing in Leclerc with 2 outs in the ninth inning and a 11-5 lead.
Bruce Bochy ain’t taking any chances. https://t.co/WJ45NthIQH
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) November 1, 2023
With Leclerc on the mound, Gabriel Moreno hit a two-run single to bring the score to 11-7.
Those runners didn’t belong to Leclerc, though, so he didn’t actually concede any earned runs.
The closer retired the next hitter, Christian Walker, on a foul fly to first baseman Nathaniel Lowe to end the threat and the game.
The two teams will play Game 5 on Wednesday night in Arizona: if the D-Backs win, the series will go to Texas.
If the Rangers win, the World Series will be theirs.
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