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The wait is over. The Texas Rangers are your World Series Champions.
They captured the first title in franchise history with a 5-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 5 on Wednesday night. Texas also has an 11-0 record in its postseason.
Arizona lost the first five innings.
From the Fall Classic-clinching tournament, we’ve got plenty of action following the finals, from live game updates and analysis to takeaways.
Important Links: Full playoff schedule and results
Takeaways
Texas: The Rangers spent much of October praising Nathan Ewaldi’s big-play talent. On the first night in November, when Jack Galen dominated the Rangers’ offensive line through the first six innings, Evaldi came up as big as ever, continuing to give his offense a chance to break through late. It did. The Rangers — a team that lost 102 games in 2021, then spent big in free agency and lured manager Bruce Bochy out of retirement — are World Series champions for the first time in their franchise’s 62-year history. They got there by going 11-0 on the road this postseason. They got there after overcoming constant hardships. They got there by embodying the rudeness that Ewald often displayed. — Alton Gonzalez
Arizona: The D-backs battled hard, but were ultimately defeated by a superior team. Game 5 will be remembered for Jack Gallen’s six no-hit innings, but the T-Backs’ inability to get a base hit in a big situation. They had plenty of chances, but nothing on the scoreboard, stranding 11 runners. It must be a very frustrating way to end your season. But what a season it was. Dismissed as an afterthought in the mighty National League West, the D-backs survived three rounds of the postseason to reach the World Series for the first time since 2001. A young roster that made a deep run in the postseason. With 23-year-olds like Corbin Carroll and Gabriel Moreno, it doesn’t have to be a chore. Most players are under team control next year as they hit free agency. Only key players are Tommy Baum and Evan Longoria. The result was bad — Arizona lost three in a row at home — but not the rest of the season. — Jesse Rogers
A big number: 51. How many seasons did the Texas Rangers play in Arlington without winning the World Series? No American League fan base has waited that long. The Baltimore Orioles didn’t win their first title until 1966, a 64-year wait, but most of that came when the St. Louis Browns were the franchise. The Rangers franchise fell short of a title during its 11-season run as a new version of the Washington Senators. With the wait over in Arlington, the focus is on the Seattle Mariners, who haven’t won a title in 47 years. — Bradford Doolittle
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