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The Texas Rangers storm the field after defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks to win the World Series in game five of the 2023 World Series at Chase Field. Matt Kartozian-Matt Kartozian

World Series Game 5 takeaways: Rangers shut out Diamondbacks to win first World Series title

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 11/2/23

The long nightmare is finally over. The Texas Rangers are World Series champions.

After 62 seasons and several heart-wrenching losses in the Fall Classic, the Rangers won the franchise's first World Series title on Wednesday night, downing the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-0 in Game 5 to take the series 4-1. Here are three takeaways from the Rangers' historic win:

Nathan Eovaldi saves his best for last: Eovaldi had been a steady rock to lean on throughout the Rangers' run to the World Series, but he showcased his best stuff in the biggest spot. In Game 5, Eovaldi wasn't quite as sharp as his counterpart, Zac Gallen, but his relaxed, calm demeanor set the stage for the franchise's most significant win ever.

Eovaldi wiggled out of multiple jams early on and waited for his offense to come around. He ended his outing going six scoreless innings, allowing only four hits while striking out five through 97 pitches. To add context to how Eovaldi battled, he faced 27 batters, which tied Chris Carpenter (2012) and Cole Hamels (2011) for the most by a pitcher in a scoreless postseason start of six or fewer innings, per Sarah Langs of MLB.com.

The 33-year-old was remarkable for the Rangers in the playoffs, setting the record for postseason wins by a start (6), per Langs, while going 6-0 in with a 2.95 ERA with 41 strikeouts over 36.2 innings pitched.

Nathan Eovaldi escapes the bases-loaded jam.#WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/0lMw5qolGJ
— MLB (@MLB) November 2, 2023

Zac Gallen's unraveling in the seventh inning was predictable: Gallen became the first pitcher in baseball history to no-hit an opponent through six innings with his team facing elimination in the World Series, per The Athletic. However, without support from his offense, Gallen's gem went to waste. Worse yet, stats predicted his ultimate slip-up, leading to the first run of Game 5, swinging the momentum in the Rangers' favor.

After holding the Rangers hitless through six, Gallen faced the Texas lineup for the third time, which has usually led to poor results for the Diamondbacks right-hander. Gallen is less effective when a lineup sees him for the third time. There's no way manager Torey Lovullo would have pulled his ace with a no-no in the Fall Classic, but the stats should've led to more urgency from his teammates with bats.

Arizona finished an abysmal 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

Nathan Eovaldi escapes the bases-loaded jam.#WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/0lMw5qolGJ
— MLB (@MLB) November 2, 2023

Rangers' wild ride ends, fittingly, on the road: Winning in front of the home crowd in Arlington would've been icing on the cake for the Rangers. However, the only fitting place for the Rangers' remarkable run to finish was on the road. Texas eliminated the opponent's home-field advantage, setting an MLB postseason record by going 11-0 away from home.

In a season full of firsts for the Rangers, they also achieved a baseball first by locking up their first world title. According to OptaStats, the Rangers are the first team in MLB history to win the World Series a season removed from finishing 25 or more games below .500.

The longest existing MLB franchise without a title, the Rangers can now remove themselves from that dubious list, which includes only the Colorado Rockies, Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays.

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