The defending champion Texas Rangers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-1 to win the 2023 World Series. To end the series, the Rangers won Game 5 5-0 thanks to a big run-scoring ninth inning and their starter, Nathan Eovaldi. As free agency approaches on the baseball calendar, teams have an exclusive window to negotiate before elite players become available.
Some teams may be wondering if there are any lessons from the Rangers’ roster about what might work in the playoffs as they consider bolstering their squad through trades or pricey free agents. But as the Rangers’ victory demonstrates, there is no one-size-fits-all approach, acquisition that works like a miracle, or formula. It all comes down to luck.
The World Series is an unpredictable event. The Rangers made an effort to adhere to most playoff narrative templates. In the 2022–2023 offseason, they signed Jacob deGrom, a powerful starting pitcher. They were active at the trade deadline, adding Aroldis Chapman, Max Scherzer, and Jordan Montgomery after deGrom was sidelined by an injury. Chapman gave up 15 baserunners in eight postseason innings, but he was far worse in Texas during the regular season. He could have easily been among the worst pitchers in the postseason, but for an absurdly high 95% strand percentage. After recovering from an injury in time, Scherzer hardly pitched at all, giving up seven earned runs in just 9.2 innings in October. While Montgomery was outstanding, the Rangers depended on mostly average starters and blew leads late in games. They were also far from having a great bullpen or starters.
It would appear that Corey Seager’s winning his second World Series MVP trophy validates the notion of “clutch” hitting. Seager did, however, perform admirably in the 2020 postseason. In October of that year, he batted 203, going 24 for 118. The year following his postseason onslaught, 2021, saw him hit 188. How come Seager was so awful for so long in October, then so good, then so bad, then so fantastic again, if he is such an obvious clutch player?
Why then did Texas prevail? The Rangers prevailed merely because they were a strong squad and had a lot of lucky breaks. In Game 5, the Diamondbacks had a 0-9 record when there were runners in scoring position. It’s challenging to score when you miss crucial opportunities to hit. Additionally, Texas accomplished a record-breaking 11-0 away from home in October. The Rangers went 40-41 on the road during the regular season, so there’s nothing particularly unique about them that helps them perform better away from home.
The secret to winning the playoffs is to have a strong team and hope for favourable breaks. that, like Marcus Semien smashing huge home runs late in the World Series, your finest hitters heat up just in the proper moment. or that, like Nate Eovaldi and Jordan Montgomery, otherwise ordinary pitchers can suddenly become really good at a certain moment. This year’s winner offers no secrets; rather, it serves as further evidence that the playoffs are largely arbitrary. However, that doesn’t lessen its significance to the Rangers and their supporters in the slightest.