A strange day

D-Backs 9, Rangers 1 (Arizona tied the World Series, 1-1)

After three scoreless innings, the D-Backs attacked left-hander Jordan Montgomery, starting one of his four rallies to beat the Rangers 9-1 this Saturday and tie the World Series at one victory. Merrill Kelly once again pitched a gem of a pitch in this fascinating October with the D-Backs: he threw seven innings of three hits, with nine strikeouts and did not walk anyone. His only sin, if you could call it that, was throwing a 93 mph inside sinker that Mitch Garver crushed for a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning.

If you watched the game until the sixth inning and then went to rest, you at least enjoyed two-thirds of a game dominated by the pitchers. Then, in the final three innings, that story changed: the D-Backs scored four runs on Montgomery. And then what he'd feared since these playoffs began happened: Texas' bullpen collapsed. Arizona scored seven runs (two, three, and two, respectively) in the final three innings. End of story.

A strange day

So how did it feel like another game without home runs from Cuban Adolis García? Yes, it was really strange. Since last Thursday, when the Rangers played Game 4 of the American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros, “El Bombi” had hit a home run in every game before being named MVP.