Merrill Kelly on Saturday called his four-season detour to South Korea a Lost in Translation experience. When he made his World Series debut, it was Texas Rangers batters who were disoriented.
The 35-year-old right-hander pitched three-hit ball over seven innings, Ketel Marte extended his post-season hitting streak to a record 18 games and the Arizona Diamondbacks routed Texas 9-1 to even the World Series at one game apiece.
“At this point in my career, nothing is going to shock me,” Kelly said. “I think going over to Korea as a 26-year-old is way scarier than pitching in the big leagues or even in the World Series.”
Photo: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY
Kelly struck out nine, walked none and allowed his only run on Mitch Garver’s leadoff homer in the fifth on a sinker at the bottom of the strike zone. His 22 called strikes were the most for a Series pitcher since Stephen Strasburg in Game 6 for the 2019 Washington Nationals.
“I thought he might go nine innings today at one point,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said, contemplating what would have been the first complete game in the World Series since 2015. “But for that to happen, 89 pitches, you’ve got to jump him up probably another 35. I wasn’t going to let him throw 120 pitches.”
Gabriel Moreno hit a go-ahead homer in a two-run fourth against Jordan Montgomery, and Tommy Pham went 4 for 4 with a pair of doubles. Arizona batters broke it open late as the young Diamondbacks rebounded quickly from an agonizing defeat the night before.
Marte had a two-run single in a three-run eighth, snapping a tie for the longest post-season hitting streak with Derek Jeter, Manny Ramirez and Hank Bauer. Marte has a hit in every post-season game he has ever played.
A night after wasting a two-run, ninth-inning lead in a 6-5, 11-inning loss, Arizona outhit Texas 16-4 — the most hits for one team in a Series game in nine years.
Emmanuel Rivera also had a two-run single, and Taiwanese-American rookie Corbin Carroll had a pair of RBI singles. Lourdes Gurriel Jr and 38-year-old Evan Longoria each singled in a run for Arizona, which got its first World Series road win after four losses dating to 2001.
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