Young D'Backs Catcher Closing in on Playoff Immortality
The Arizona Diamondbacks evened up the World Series on Saturday night via a 9-1 win over the Texas Rangers.
Now, the Snakes are just three wins away from the organization's second World Series title (2001).
Tommy Pham went 4-for-4 in the win and Merrill Kelly tossed 7.0 dominant innings, but young catcher Gabriel Moreno also provided some thump by popping a home run.
That home run helped Moreno close in on some playoff history as well.
Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:
Gabriel Moreno’s 4 HR are tied for 2nd-most as a catcher in a single postseason, behind only:
1997 Sandy Alomar Jr.: 5
Yes, there's an extra round in the playoffs now so there's more chances to accumulate counting stats, but it's still been a great October for the 23-year-old, who was traded to Arizona last offseason.
It's also been a surprising run for Moreno, who only hit seven homers this regular season (in 341 at-bats). He's hitting .250 this postseason while hitting in the middle of the order.
In the regular season, he hit .284 with the seven homers and 50 RBI. He also stole six bases.
He was acquired from the Blue Jays along with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in a trade for Daulton Varsho.
Game 3 of the World Series will be played on Monday night as the series shifts back to Arizona. First pitch is set for 8:03 p.m. ET as veteran right-hander Max Scherzer pitches against rookie Brandon Pfaadt.
Scherzer is 0-1 with a 9.45 ERA this playoffs while Pfaadt is 0-0 with a 2.70.
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