The Texas Rangers have a variety of star energy on their loaded roster, together with former Red Sox pitchers, Nathan Eovaldi and Martin Pérez. But on this postseason journey in direction of what they hope will likely be their first World Series championship, another person – a extra under-the-radar participant whose Major League profession was removed from a positive factor – has been their clutch hero.
How very Red Sox of them, too.
Adolis García is having a David Ortiz-level October, and in Boston, that’s not a comparability made frivolously.
Entering Sunday, García has homered eight instances in 14 postseason video games, the primary of his five-year profession within the Majors. That ties his teammate, Corey Seager (2020 Dodgers), Nelson Cruz (2011 Rangers), Carlos Beltrán (2004 Astros), and Barry Bonds (2002 Giants) for second-most homers in a single postseason in MLB historical past. Two extra, and he’ll tie Randy Arozarena, who occurs to be his greatest good friend, former St. Louis Cardinals teammate, and the daddy of García’s goddaughter.
The two sudden heroes’ origin tales are considerably related. Following the 2002 season, the Minnesota Twins famously tried and didn’t commerce Ortiz, and so, launched him to economize. The Red Sox signed him to a non-guaranteed contract lower than a month later, and he arrived in Boston because the championship drought was getting into its eighty fifth yr. They clinched the American League Wild Card (it was a single-team format then) in every of his first two seasons.
This is the Rangers’ 52nd season, they usually’re one of many final groups and not using a World Series trophy. In December ‘19, the Cardinals designated García for task, and traded him to Texas for money concerns. The Rangers would additionally DFA García in February ‘21, however when nobody claimed him off waivers, they have been capable of outright him to the minors.
Over three seasons since, García has been an All-Star twice. He earned American League Championship Series MVP by amassing 10 hits, 5 house runs (together with a Ninth-inning grand slam), and a postseason-record 15 RBI within the seven-game collection.
Ortiz was a two-time All-Star and ALCS MVP over his first three seasons in Boston, too. He and García are two of 54 gamers who’ve homered a minimum of 5 instances over a postseason run.
But even Ortiz, probably the most clutch bat within the historical past of Boston playoff baseball, by no means hit 5 in a single postseason collection. Back within the postseason as one of many faces of FOX Sports, he’s had excessive reward for the Rangers slugger.
“People talk about that, what he’s doing is not human, and I absolutely agree,” Ortiz mentioned through the Game 2 pregame present. “Pitchers, look at me,” he added, gesturing to the digicam. “Do not hit him! When you hit him, his evil side comes out, and then he gets more dangerous.”
“This guy, he’s hotter than a firecracker,” the Hall of Famer instructed the Boston Globe. “I love it, I love it because I know what it takes… I had my time and now it’s somebody else’s turn.”
In honor of the 2004 World Series anniversary over the weekend, right here’s how García’s great October stacks up in opposition to Ortiz’s best 2004 hits:
2023 AL Wild Card, Game 2 (Oct. 4)
García breaks the scoreless tie with a leadoff house run off Zach Eflin. Rangers go on to win 7-1 to advance to the division collection.
2004 ALDS, Game 3
Ortiz’s walk-off house run and three RBI make the distinction within the extra-inning victory over the then-Anaheim Angels, sending the Red Sox again to the ALCS.
2023 ALDS, Game 3 (Oct. 10)
With Texas up 1-0 on Baltimore, García hits a 2-run homer within the backside of the second. He drives in 3, the distinction within the 11-8 victory.
2004 ALCS, Games 4 and 5
Ortiz hits a walk-off house run and walk-off RBI single to finish extra-inning stalemates (12 and 14 innings, respectively) and maintain the Red Sox from elimination. He turns into the primary participant in MLB historical past to stroll off two consecutive postseason video games, and the Red Sox develop into the primary group to ever come again from 0-3 to win a best-of-seven collection. He homers once more in Game 7 and is called ALCS MVP.
2023 ALCS, Games 4-7 (Oct. 19-23)
After taking a 2-0 lead within the collection, the Rangers drop three straight video games to the Astros, placing them getting ready to elimination. García homers 5 instances and drives in 13 runs during the last 4 contests, together with a four-hit, two-homer, five-RBI efficiency in Game 7 to ship the Rangers to the World Series for the primary time since 2011. He’s named ALCS MVP.
2004 World Series, Game 1
Ortiz units the tone instantly, going 2-for-4 with a house run, 4 RBI, and two walks within the 11-9 victory over the Cardinals. St. Louis doesn’t win a single sport, and the Red Sox lastly reverse the curse.
2023 World Series, Game 1
García breaks the 5-5 tie with a walk-off house run within the backside of the eleventh, giving the Rangers their first victory in a World Series since Game 5 in 2011.
Of course, Ortiz didn’t develop into Boston’s Mr. October after 2003 or 2004. He racked up 76 playoff video games over eight Octobers between 2003-16, his clutch-ness constant sufficient for 3 rings.
But if that is García’s thought of simply getting began, how thrilling to think about the place he’ll go from right here.
Source: www.bostonherald.com