Texas are just two games away from winning first World Series

The Texas Rangers have extended their remarkable undefeated streak in postseason (PS) visiting games during the World Series. In a Game 3 of the World Series hosted in the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday, Texas continued their incredible undefeated record in PS visiting games. Texas secured a 3-1 victory, propelling them to a 2-1 series lead.

With this latest triumph, Texas extended their streak of triumphs in visiting games to a remarkable nine consecutive wins, a feat that began with Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series (ALWCS) against the Tampa Bay Rays on Oct. 4. This historic achievement solidifies Texas as the first team in MLB history to achieve a nine-game winning streak in visiting PS games during a single season. To put this accomplishment into context, up until last year, the New York Yankees held the record with eight consecutive wins during their 1996 WS Championship victory. Texas now has the opportunity to extend their record to an astonishing 11 games, as they are slated to participate in the upcoming 4th (on Wednesday) and 5th games (on Thursday) of the World Series as visiting team matches.

Texas' batting lineup, which had only scored one run in Game 2 two days earlier, produced three runs after two outs in the top of the third inning, securing the victory. With two outs and a runner on third base, the leadoff hitter, Marcus Semien (33), delivered a timely hit to left-center against Arizona's starting pitcher, Brandon Part (25), giving Texas a 1-0 lead. Following this, Corey Seager (29), who stepped up to the plate with two outs and runners on first base, launched a 2-run home run over the right-field wall. Arizona managed to score a single run in the bottom of the 8th inning but was unable to turn the game around.

Throughout this year's regular season, Texas proved to be a more dominant team in their home games, boasting an impressive record of 50 wins and 31 losses, resulting in a 0.617 winning percentage. On the road, their performance was slightly less consistent, with 40 wins, 41 losses, and a 0.494 winning percentage. However, the dynamics shifted dramatically once the postseason commenced. "We strive to perform at our best every day, regardless of whether we're playing at home or away," remarked Seager. "As for the consecutive wins in visiting games, I can't pinpoint the exact reason for that."

Before the commencement of the World Series game on this day, Aaron Judge (31), the captain of the Yankees and last year's leading home run hitter across both leagues, was honored with the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award. The Roberto Clemente Award is an annual accolade presented by the MLB Secretariat to a player who demonstrates a strong commitment to charitable endeavors. Judge was chosen as this year's awardee in acknowledgment of his notable efforts, including the establishment of the All Rise Foundation in 2018 and his continued volunteer work in his hometowns of New York and Fresno County, California.


leper@donga.com