They were always the Kings of Arlington. But now, the Texas Rangers are the Kings of the Lone Star State. Better yet, the Kings of the American League.
With the Rangers 11-4 victory over the Houston Astros this past Monday night in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, Texas clinched the American League pennant, and officially punched their ticket to the 2023 World Series — marking their first appearance in the Fall Classic since 2011, and third in franchise history (2010, 2011, and 2023).
How the #ALCS was won.
(MLB x @BudweiserUSA) pic.twitter.com/MhQUN7WmbS
— MLB (@MLB) October 24, 2023
There is nowhere else to begin, but with the man of the ALCS, the one and only, Adolis García. The 30-year-old, born in Ciego de Avila, Cuba, known by many as El Bombi, was a one man wrecking crew against Houston all series long — slashing .357/.400/.893 across the seven ALCS games with 10 hits (five for home runs), and compiled 15 RBI — the most RBI recorded by a single player in a postseason series throughout MLB history.
Adolis.
García.#ALCS pic.twitter.com/He88YTgeMB— MLB (@MLB) October 24, 2023
Deservingly so, García was named the 2023 ALCS MVP during the Rangers ALCS postgame celebration, and received his hardware on the championship stage.
“I want to say thank God, thanks to my family, and to all the fans,” García said as his teammates and coaches surrounded him. “This team right here is family and they push me everyday to play hard… If it’s not for all the love from my teammates, this can’t be possible. Thank you.”
“There’s no denying it: October is different,” García added later in his postgame presser. “In every sense: The emotions, the fans, it’s all different. But I feel good. Thanks to God, I’ve been able to control my emotions and try to do what I always do.”
Adolis García raises ALCS MVP trophy on championship stage following Texas winning the 2023 American League pennant – Image Credit: MLB
Furthermore, Texas’ manager Bruce Bochy, a future Hall of Famer, who has coached and been around countless MLB legends throughout his playing and managerial career, could not speak higher on García, stating: “He’s one of our guys, I’ll start with that. We’re not surprised about what he did. I’ve seen him do it during the year. This guy’s incredibly talented.”
“What he did is truly amazing — He’s just a talented guy. I’m not surprised by anything. Defensively, offensively we’re lucky to have him.”
Likewise, Rangers shortstop Corey Seager had a similar response when asked about García: “He’s a bad man, isn’t he? To be able to come in to this atmosphere, get booed every at-bat and do what he did was very special. It was really fun to watch.”
There are two players in MLB postseason history with seven or more home runs and 20 or more RBI in a single postseason: Corey Seager and Adolís García – Image Credit: MLB
Lastly, and on a unique note, the last five American League Championship Series Most Valuable Player awards, dating back to 2019, went to players of Latin America/Caribbean origin:
2023: Adolis García, Texas Rangers – Ciego de Avila, Cuba 🇨🇺
2022: Jeremy Peña, Houston Astros – Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 🇩🇴
2021: Yordan Álvarez, Houston Astros – Las Tunas, Cuba 🇨🇺
2020: Randy Arozarena, Tampa Bay Rays – Havana, Cuba 🇨🇺
2019: José Altuve, Houston Astros – Maracay, Venezuela 🇻🇪
Your 2023 ALCS MVP Adolis García – Image Credit: MLB
It’s clear as day, Latinos dominate the sport in each stage of the baseball season, no matter the circumstances — as we continue to witness their winning impact on a consistent basis starting from spring training, and in the World Baseball Classic (for those who participate), to the 162-game regular season, and especially now, in the October postseason.
Robert Rizzo is a journalist and editor of Latino Sports – Email: RobertRiz994@gmail.com
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