Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen and Texas Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi will start Game 1 of the World Series on Friday in Arlington, Texas.
Eovaldi is 4-0 with a 2.42 ERA in four starts during the 2023 postseason. He won Game 6 of the American League Championship Series on Sunday by throwing 6 1/3 innings of two-run ball during a 9-2 victory over the Houston Astros.
Texas manager Bruce Bochy said Wednesday, “It just makes sense to give (Eovaldi) the ball. That’s about it.”
Eovaldi, 33, went 12-5 with a 3.63 ERA in 25 regular-season starts this year. He then beat the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 2 of an AL wild-card series and defeated the Baltimore Orioles in Game 3 of an AL Division Series prior to besting the Astros in Games 2 and 6 of the ALCS. He has struck out 28 while issuing just four walks in 26 postseason innings.
Eovaldi also owns an impressive career record against the Diamondbacks: 3-0 with a 2.78 ERA in eight appearances (five starts).
Gallen, 28, is 2-2 with a 5.24 ERA in four games this postseason.
He surrendered nine runs on 14 hits — including five homers — over 11 innings in a pair of losses to the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Championship Series.
Arizona, however, dispatched Philadelphia in seven games to advance to its second World Series appearance in franchise history.
Gallen posted a 17-9 record with a 3.47 ERA in 34 games (all starts) this season. He led the Diamondbacks staff in wins, strikeouts (220) and innings pitched (210).
He struck out 11 batters and allowed one run in six innings of a 6-3 victory over Texas on Aug. 22. He is 1-1 with a 3.57 ERA in three career appearances (all starts) vs. the Rangers.
–Field Level Media
