Corey Seager’s huge home run in Game 1 of the World Series to tie the game in the ninth inning completely changed the game, bringing the Rangers back to life after being down most of the game. It was fitting that Seager is the one to deliver the blow, as he has been Texas’s best hitter all year.
What made the home run even more impressive was that it came off Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald, who hadn’t blown a save all postseason. However, Rangers hitting coach Donnie Ecker said the highlight was a result of Seager’s preparation, as the team viewed Sewald’s fastball as a similar pitch to that of Astros pitcher Christian Javier.
“On Wednesday we had a big meeting on how he actually ... we just called him Christian Javier the whole time,” Ecker said, via Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci. “We just treated him like Javier. Kind of talked about it on Wednesday, how outlier the look is, and he shows up on Friday.”
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Sewald’s fastball is known for being tough to hit due to its rising action, but according to Verducci, Texas realized that the pitch had similar properties to that of Javier. The Rangers had just faced Javier, scoring three runs off him in the first inning of Game 7 of the ALCS, so they kept with the same approach.
In preparation, Texas hit off a pitching machine that used foam balls, which sink less than normal baseballs, thus mimicking Sewald’s fastball better. All that led up to the moment when Seager ambushed Sewald on the first at bat, tying the game and changing the momentum in the World Series.
The Rangers went on to win Friday’s game 6–5 in extra innings.
