The Texas Rangers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-1 on Wednesday as they completed the sweep in a two-game World Series rematch.
This series was the first time the two teams had matched up since the Rangers won their first-ever World Series in 2023 by defeating the Diamondbacks in five games.
Texas’ bullpen proved its importance in the first game of the series as pitchers Andrew Heaney, Grant Anderson, David Robertson, and Kirby Yates combined for seven strikeouts and zero earned runs in their six innings pitched, guiding the Rangers to a 4-2 victory.
Starting pitcher Dane Dunning had an impressive outing in the second game of the series, pitching five scoreless innings while striking out six batters en route to the win.
Rangers shortstop Corey Seager continued his hot streak as he hit one home run in each of the two games while pouring in a total of five RBIs in the series.
Manager Bruce Bochy praised Seager’s performance against the Diamondbacks, saying after the first game in the series that the shortstop is “as good as anybody in the game.”
“Got off to a slow start, but you have to look at why,” Bochy explained, per ESPN. “I never had any thought that he wouldn’t get on track.”
Seager began the year batting just .236 with 37 hits and only 16 RBIs during the Rangers’ first 40 games of the year, but he has begun to find his groove during the past few series for the team, per Statmuse.
The nine-year veteran has been incredibly productive through the Rangers’ last 12 games, batting .349 while hitting nine home runs that have helped him accumulate 14 RBIs.
These two wins brought the Rangers to a 27-29 record on the year, but they remain just 3.5 games behind the Seattle Mariners for first place in the American League West division.
The Mariners currently hold the tiebreaker over the Rangers due to winning the first season series 2-1 in April, but the teams will match up for the second time this season during a three-game series in Seattle beginning on June 14.
