After a season of surprises, heartbreaks, and underdogs slaying giants, it is now time for the grand finale. The ultimate battle of the baseball world, aka the World Series, is here. The Texas Rangers face the Arizona Diamondbacks. Two teams that not many put on their list of potential World Series contenders, and yet here we are.

The Phillies were badly defeated, as were the powerhouse the Houston Astros. Now the question in everybody’s mind is who will start this historic series for their teams. For the Rangers, who have immense riches when it comes to pitchers, the choice becomes tougher. So who will start game 1 as a Pitcher?

Nathan Eovaldi Might Get Ahead of Jordan Montgomery in Game 1

Nathan Eovaldi has had the sort of postseason off of which legends are made. The 2018 World Series winner with the Boston Red Sox has been a surprising star of the Texas Rangers bullpen. Though he has started in 4 postseason games, Eovaldi’s impact has been such that the team has won every game that he has started in. In over 26 innings this postseason, he has an ERA of 2.42. Having the best time of his career yet, the pitcher’s overall postseason career ERA is 2.87.

Eovaldi’s selection is not just due to these numbers but due to his impact in the ALCS. In Game 2, he pitched 6 innings giving up only 3 runs and 5 hits. Then in Game 6, he pitched 6.1 innings, giving up only 5 hits and 2 runs leading to Rangers’ 9-2 win. Adolis Garcia’s grand slam rightfully received deserved attention but the elite pitching of Eovaldi cannot be discounted.

So it’s understandable why the Texas Rangers would want to go with Eovaldi this time. And if we go back a little, he boasted an impressive ERA of 1.29 in the Division Series while it was 1.35. in the Wild Card Series. No wonder the Rangers want Eovaldi to continue his exceptional performance as they battle it out with the franchise-slaying Arizona Diamondbacks.

How the Lone Star State Has Pitched in the Postseason

At 4.28, a rather high number, the Texas Rangers’ overall ERA for 2023 could have used some work. Yet in the postseason the team has considerably improved their pitching with the postseason ERA ranking at 3.67. Where hitting is concerned, however, they’re near the top across every metric.

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But perhaps the Rangers can rest easy knowing that the D-Backs’ pitching is lacking too. With a postseason ERA of 3.23, they’re only marginally better than Texas. So in a way, this is a match-up between two average pitching teams who have relied on their hitting prowess.

Even so, this might be an even match-up. Instead of David vs Goliath, this is no doubt a battle of heavyweights with equal reach but different styles. Will the Southpaw Texas Rangers prevail or will the Copper State Diamondbacks sting them like a bee?

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