Rangers Regain World Series Lead With Game 3 Win Despite Max Scherzer’s Injury

Three takeaways from Texas’s 3–1 win in Arizona.

The Rangers pulled back ahead in the World Series with a 3–1 win over the Diamondbacks in Monday’s Game 3.

Texas scored all three of its runs with two outs in the third inning. That included a two-run shot from Corey Seager, who continues to look like one of the most powerful, dangerous hitters in this series.

Here are three quick takeaways.

Rangers ably navigate a surprise pitching change

The Rangers hoped to get length from starter Max Scherzer in Game 3 before planning to lean on the bullpen in Game 4. They instead had to pull him early due to injury.

The veteran was hit by a comebacker on the final play of the second inning. He pitched the third and threw a few warm-up pitches before the start of the fourth. But he then called for a trainer and left the mound. It took less than two minutes for the Rangers to announce the cause was back tightness. (Scherzer has struggled with back issues before—including when he was a last-minute scratch due to spasms before a start in the World Series in 2019.) Texas replaced him with Jon Gray, the scheduled starter for Game 4, who went on to provide three scoreless innings of relief.

It was only his third appearance of the postseason and covered more innings than his previous two outings combined. 

Gray has struck out eight hitters and allowed just one run in 5 2/3 innings of relief work during the playoffs :: Rob Schumacher/USA TODAY Network

This was Scherzer’s third start since returning from a strained shoulder muscle that sidelined him in September. He’d struggled in the previous two. But he looked sharper in Game 3: He threw three scoreless innings and was able to incorporate his changeup more than he had in his earlier postseason outings. The Rangers were obviously still able to walk away with the win without him thanks to a sterling performance from Gray. But it does complicate the road ahead for them—both for Game 4, which will now have to be more of a true bullpen game, and potentially beyond, if the series goes the distance and Scherzer remains a question mark.

There’s one more spot to watch from the Rangers on the injury front. Star outfielder Adolis García exited the game in the eighth with left side tightness and was visibly in pain after the last swing of his final plate appearance.

Scherzer said his back locked up and spasmed, and he is unsure of his status for the rest of the series as of now. García underwent an MRI, the results of which are unknown.

A missed stop sign—and missed opportunity—for the D-Backs

There’s an old idea that you only notice a third base coach if he does something wrong. But that’s not quite right: You only notice a third-base coach if he or his runner does something wrong.

The D-Backs’ slumping first baseman Christian Walker got on with a double in the second inning. He entered Monday hitting 8-for-48 in the playoffs so far; the crowd gave him a standing ovation for his first plate appearance à la Trea Turner and was excited to be rewarded with that double. The next hitter, Tommy Pham, followed with a deep single. D-Backs third-base coach Tony Perezchica motioned for Walker to advance to third—and then put on the stop sign.

But Walker missed it. He kept going and was nailed easily at the plate.

Christian Walker is thrown out by Adolis Garcia after blowing through the stop sign! 😮🛑

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/wXM9RbieFp

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 31, 2023

“I feel like that was a huge momentum swing,” said Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo. “You’re looking at first and third, potentially, and no outs. And a lot of people liked to play out the next set of circumstances—a pop-up and a ground ball off the pitcher’s arm. But who knows? The timing, everything would have been different; we may have scored a bunch of runs. You just don’t know what would have happened. The outcome would have been totally different.”

That blunder didn’t cost the Diamondbacks the game. Arizona’s inability to hit Gray or do much with the rest of the Texas bullpen proved more damning. But if Walker had stayed at third, the D-Backs would’ve had men on the corners with no outs instead of a man on first with one out, and who knows what might have happened from there?

Evan Carter keeps shining

The 21-year-old Rangers left fielder has been a force this October. Still just seven weeks into his big-league career, he continues to look poised beyond his years at the plate. He was 2-for-3 with a walk on Monday. (Both hits were singles.) That makes him one of only 10 rookies to have 17 or more hits in a single postseason. He’s younger than all of them save Miguel Cabrera.