The Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks, who both advanced to the Fall Classic by defeating formidable opponents in the Wild Card round, will square off in the 2023 World Series in a rather surprising matchup.

For a Rangers team that depends on slugging to win games, it was a less surprising accomplishment as they finished third in MLB with 233 home runs and led the American League in runs scored (881), second only to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves in total.

The Diamondbacks, on the other hand, have relied on small ball and stolen bases to win the World Series, playing a different brand of baseball than most teams these days.

According to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, Joe Davis, the World Series commentator on Fox, is welcoming the pandemonium, despite the fact that many have taken offense at the Diamondbacks representing the National League in the Fall Classic.

“In an ideal world, there are teams that rank extremely highly,” Davis remarked. Nonetheless, I think this is a fantastic opportunity to highlight a distinctive team in Arizona and to share some interesting stories. They are a squad that has demonstrated an alternative offensive trajectory in this age of home-run hitters. I was able to become excited about it very fast.

With 166 stolen bases during the regular season, the D-Backs led all postseason teams in that category and ended second in the MLB. More significantly, though, they were effective base runners, only being caught 26 times for a tie for 18th in the league, which is equal to the Boston Red Sox’s 112 base steals.

The Diamondbacks concluded the season tied for 14th place with 746 runs scored, ranking around league average in almost every offensive metric save stolen bases. Among playoff teams, only the Miami Marlins and Milwaukee Brewers scored less.

The Texas Rangers have only had 10 stolen bases in the postseason compared to the Diamondbacks’ 21. Before they were eliminated, the Phillies had also stolen 16; no other club had more than four.

The Diamondbacks have only hit.257/.322/.430 as a team throughout their incredible postseason run, but they have powered their way to their second Fall Classic in franchise history by combining their small ball with timely hitting and strong pitching.

Diamondbacks are praised by Kiké Hernández.
Even though postseason baseball is highly unpredictable, winning in October still requires skill, and a club that catches fire could end up in the World Series even after a disappointing regular season.

Kiké Hernández joined the “Peloteros” broadcast on truTV during Game 1 of the NLCS to talk about what has spurred the D-Backs’ incredible run.

“They really went right through us,” Hernández remarked. They have momentum on their side and are hot. However, it seems like momentum is on the side of every team that is still playing. This is a youthful, competitive club with exceptional athleticism on both the offensive and defensive ends.

They are excellent at running the bases, defending, and executing small offensive plays, but they can also be sluggers. They have some pretty good beginning pitchers on their pitching staff, in my opinion.

Additionally, I think the bullpen is frequently forgotten. They feature excellent arms that let you style them in a variety of ways. They have sidearm righties and several left-handed sinkerballers. The fact that each individual emerging from that “pen” is entirely unique from the one before them, in my opinion, makes them extremely dangerous.