ARLINGTON, Texas — As his team’s first World Series appearance in two decades dawned, Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen found his joy cut with some frustration. So many people seemed to see an 84-win, sixth seed that didn’t deserve to be here. He saw a roster he believed the sport had been begging to watch for some three decades.
“I don’t see how it’s bad for the sport,” he said. “I would hope that everybody wants everyone to compete. Nobody wants rebuilding and tanking. That’s all I’ve heard for the last whatever years. I’ve also heard that people don’t love strikeouts. They love small ball, put the ball on the ground, run, steal. We do all that stuff, too. So why don’t you like this team? This team embodies a lot of those principles. We don’t just line up and try and hit three-run home runs. I don’t quite understand why there’s not more that resonates with that.”
Well, maybe this team will resonate a bit more after a decidedly old-school 9–1 victory in Game 2 to even the series with the Rangers and guarantee that winter will not begin for at least three more games. Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly tossed seven brilliant innings, mixing his six pitches and topping out at 94.3 mph. Geraldo Perdomo stole a base and Arizona executed three sacrifice bunts for the first time in a Fall Classic game since the Cardinals did it in 2011. The Diamondbacks also strung together singles, made productive outs and generally gave traditionalists something to celebrate.
