Tommy Pham, Corey Seager Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager (5) looks on after tagging out Arizona Diamondbacks designated hitter Tommy Pham (28) at second base during the sixth inning in game two of the 2023 World Series at Globe Life Field on Oct. 28, 2023, in Arlington, Texas.
ArticlesFeaturedMLBOriginalsBy Jessica Kleinschmidt on

The World Series is tied at one a piece heading into Game 3.

With the this will be a boring series crowd shying away from their words, the 2023 Fall Classic gave us plenty to smile about.

Here are six takeaways from the first two games of the World Series:

García is HIM

Texas Rangers outfielder Adolis García continued his dominant postseason performance in Game 1 with a walk-off home run in the 11th inning of the, 6-5, win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night.

Mind you, this was after he drove in a two-run single in the bottom of the first to get things started.

He reached base five times that night and made history with this 21st and 22nd RBIs of the playoffs taking over the single-postseason record previously held by former Cardinals third baseman David Freese.

Ketel Marte, also HIM

In Game 2, D-backs second baseman extended his postseason hitting streak to 18 games (!!!) when he hit a two-run single to center field in the eighth inning. He broke the tie that previously possessed the names of Manny Ramirez, Derek Jeter, and Hank Bauer for the longest hit streak in postseason games.

Marte has hit successfully in each of his career postseason games.

Bochy, Lovullo a matchup made in heaven

While we know Bruce Bochy is no stranger to the World Series stage as he hopes to get his fourth ring, the two managers together create a well-rounded brand of baseball.

They also respect the hell out of each other.

Bochy on Lovullo:

“Incredible job, really. You look at where they were and the year that they’ve had, no not too unlike us. They had their bumps in the road.

But he got them back on track. Like I say, they play a great brand of ball.

And I think you have to look at him, that style of baseball that they play. I’ve had a chance to manage against him for a while. He’s on top of everything. He does everything well.

We haven’t spent a lot of time together, but in the short time we have, I respect him. I appreciate what he does across the field for his team.”

Lovullo on Bochy:

“On Bochy, like I said, it’s always an honor for me to be on the same field as him. I met him at home plate after introductions, and he’s like, hey, Torey, this is awesome. It’s pretty cool, isn’t it?

And for us to have a minute like that, it was probably matter of fact to him. It meant a lot to me. A, that he knew my name. And B, that we had a moment where we were talking about it being fun.

He’s an unbelievable manager, and it is a great honor for me to be on the same field with him managing the World Series.”

Phamily

Tommy Pham had a chance to be the first ever 5-for-5 in a World Series game in Game 2, but instead he asked manager Torey Lovullo if teammate Jace Peterson could pinch hit for him.

Pham took to Instagram to detail why.

“I asked Torey can Jace hit for me I wanted by dawg to get his first World Series at bat stop this narrative please,” Pham wrote in a comment on Instagram.

“He came to me — and I know that he said it, so I’m going to openly say it — he came to me and he said, I need to you get my boy an AB,” Lovullo explained on Sunday.

“And I said, ‘Are you sure? 100 percent sure?’ And I gave him some contingencies. I said, if it’s 7-1, that’s the only score I’ll allow it to happen. 7-2, lefty-righty, I’m going to reconsider it and I’ll circle back to you. We all know what happened.”

Merrill Kelly did the damn thing

If you see Merrill Kelly anywhere during the World Series, he’s probably pinching himself.

The 35-year-old went from an unsuccessful climb through the Tampa Bay Rays organization to spending four seasons playing in the Korean Baseball Organization to now, a successful World Series pitcher.

In the, 9-1, over the Rangers, Kelly put up a masterclass striking out nine in seven innings, giving up just three hits and one run on no walks on Saturday night.

He became the first pitcher to work seven innings in a World Series game in the 2020s. The last to do it were Stephen Strasburg and Gerrit Cole who accomplished the feat in 2019.

Defensively sound

Overall, this series has been very clean on the defensive side of the ball.

A Christian Walker play at first base during Game 2 should be framed and put on display to show how the D-backs and Rangers have been with their gloves this series.

Both have combined for zero errors this season over the first two games. It’s the first time it’s happened since 2018.

Perhaps that’s why both teams possess a total eight Gold Glove Award finalists for the 2023 season.

About Jessica Kleinschmidt

Jess is a baseball fan with Reno, Nev. roots residing in the Bay Area. She is the host of "Short and to the Point" and is also a broadcaster with the Oakland A's Radio Network. She previously worked for MLB.com and NBC Sports Bay Area.

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