After nearly seven rollicking months of baseball, the day is finally here: The Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers are set to kick off the 119th World Series on Friday night, with first pitch from Globe Life Park in Arlington set for 8:03 p.m. ET. It’s not the matchup just about anyone expected — the 84-win D-backs are among the most improbable pennant winners ever, while the Rangers seemed dead in the water after a September swoon cost them the AL West — but both of these teams have proven they’re no flukes over three rugged postseason rounds. Who will come out on top and take home title? We’ll begin to find out on Friday night, as Arizona sends Zac Gallen (17-9, 3.47 ERA) to the mound against red-hot Rangers righty Nathan Eovaldi (12-5, 3.63).
Texas is a -170 favorite to win Game 1 on the moneyline at DraftKings Sportsbook, with the D-backs coming in at +142. The run total is set at 8.5.
The Rangers have submitted their starting nine for tonight’s game, so let’s see how they’ll line up against Gallen.
Rangers starting lineup, World Series Game 1, Oct. 27
Rangers starting lineup for World Series Game 1, October 27 vs. Arizona pic.twitter.com/3z6wphVLub
— Texas Rangers PR (@TXRangersPR) October 27, 2023
Not much reason for Bruce Bochy to mix things up after 20 combined runs across Games 6 and 7. Evan Carter will continue to bat third, with Mitch Garver DHing once again and Jonah Heim batting ahead of Nathaniel Lowe.
