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With a 5-3 lead over the Texas Rangers heading into the bottom of the ninth, Arizona was in Game 1 of the 2023 World Series.
Instead, the National League champion Diamondbacks suffered one of the most dramatic late-game collapses in Fall Classic history when Texas’ Corey Seager hit a two-run home run off Arizona closer Paul Sewald to tie the score at 5 and extra innings to force. Adolis Garcia then hit a walk-off home run in the 11th to tie the game while Miguel Castro was on the mound.
Red-hot rookie Evan Carter got the home team on the field in the first inning with an RBI double that scored Seager before Garcia doubled the lead with a single of his own that scored Carter.
But Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen managed to finish the inning, giving Arizona’s hot bats a chance to take the lead in the third.
After Alek Thomas and Evan Longoria both reached in the top half of the frame, NL Rookie of the Year favorite Corbin Carroll hit a three-pointer and scored both goals.
Adolis Garcia hits a game-winning HR in the 11th to complete Texas’ comeback from a 5-3 deficit
Corey Seager reacts after hitting a two-run home run to take Game 1 into extra innings
Ketel Marte made a fielder’s choice to score Carroll and give Arizona a 3-2 lead.
However, Texas wasn’t done yet.
After Gallen struck out the first two Rangers in the bottom half of the third, Texas managed to load the bases for Mitch Garver, who drew a walk that tied the game at 3-0.
But the Diamondbacks hitters weren’t done yet either.
Tommy Pham hit a home run to left in the fourth for a 4-3 lead before Marte hit Geraldo Perdomo with a double in the fifth inning to increase the lead to 5-3.
The two-bagger extended Marte’s postseason hitting streak to 17 games, tying the major league record shared by Derek Jeter and two others.
Hank Bauer hit in 17 straight games for the New York Yankees during the 1956-58 World Series. His mark was tied with Jeter from 1998 to 1999 and Manny Ramirez of the Boston Red Sox from 2003 to 2004.