WS 4: Texas 11, Diamondbacks 7

Texas   – 055 000 010 – 11 11  0
Arizona – 000 100 042 -  7 12  1

After making history by becoming the first team to score 5+ runs in consecutive innings in a World Series game, Texas went on to beat Arizona 11-7 in Game 4 and is now one win away from its first championship.

Texas was without Adolis García's bat in its lineup, but that hardly mattered on Tuesday evening. The AL champs hit for the cycle in the second inning, grabbing a 5-0 lead. Josh Jung doubled and after Nathaniel Lowe struck out, the Diamondbacks went to the pen. Miguel Castro relieved starter Joe Mantiply (1.1-1-1-1-1, 28) and got the second out. But then Leody Taveras walked and Travis Jankowski singled in one run. Marcus Semien tripled into the left field corner (the ball got past Lourdes Gurriel, who stumbled after it). Kyle Nelson took over on the mound and for some reason, Arizona decided to pitch to Corey Seager. The soon-to-be-named WS MVP crushed a 1-0 pitch to deep center. When his third home run of the WS landed 431 feet away, Texas led 5-0.

With one out in the third, Jung got things started again. He singled to left, Lowe grounded a single to center. The Diamondbacks tried their luck with another pitcher: Luis Frías. Jonah Heim reached on an infield error by first baseman Christian Walker, who bobbled a ground ball and ended up unable to make a play. Frías struck out Taveras but, again, that third was elusive. Jankowski doubled home two runs and Semien hit a three-run dong to left.

Texas led 10-0, having scored all 10 runs with two outs. The only team to score more runs with two outs in a WS game is the 2007 Red Sox, with 11 in Game 1. The Dodgers also scored 11 two-out runs in Game 3 of the 2020 NLCS.

The Yankees are the only other team to score 5+ runs in two innings of a World Series game (Game 2 in 1936 and Game 5 in 1961).

No one is watching this World Series. Game 1 was the least-watched WS opener since records have been kept (AP: "since at least 1969"). Games 2 and 3 were the least-watched games ever, according to Nielsen records. . . . I fear this state of affairs may inspire Rob "I Hate Baseball" Manfred to invent some more shitass gimmicks to fuck up the game and make even more loyal fans turn away from the game they loved.

After three innings, I was busy with trick-or-treaters and although I checked in on the game a few times, I never went back to my scorecard. I'm assuming the final score made the game seem a lot closer than it was. Texas is now 10-0 on the road in this postseason, which is a record; the 1937-42 and 1996-97 Yankees had each won nine.

No team had hit for the cycle in a World Series inning since Atlanta did it in 1991 -- in the fourth and eighth innings (!) of Game 5. Texas also homered in its 16th consecutive postseason game (all this season), the third-longest streak of all-time. They can tie Arizona (2007-23) at 17 games tonight. The 2019-22 Yankees hold the record at 23 games.

Sarah Langs has a few more "fun facts" (which have been slightly rewritten):

Corey Seager has homered in consecutive WS games. At least one player has homered in back-to-back games in each of the last eight World Series. The last time it didn't happen was 2015.

Texas is the 10th team to hit for the cycle in a World Series inning. During the regular season, it happened 19 times, but none of those were by Texas.

Texas had 10 runs by the end of the third inning. That's the third-most runs scored through the first three innings of a World Series game, behind only the 2001 Diamondbacks (Game 6, against the MFY!) and the 1968 Tigers (Game 6), with 12 each.

Texas is also 10-0 when they score first this postseason. That's tied for the longest win streak within a single postseason when scoring first, along with the 2004 Red Sox, 2018 Red Sox, 2012 Giants, 2017 Astros, and 1998 Yankees.

Ketel Marte's postseason hitting streak is now at 20 games. With 16 straight this postseason, Marte broke a tie with Alcides Escobar at 15 in 2015 for the longest single-postseason hitting streak. Marte has also (of course) reached base in all 20 postseason games he has played. That's the third-longest on-base streak to start a postseason career, behind only Boog Powell (25 games, 1966-71) and Daniel Murphy (21, 2015-17).