A MARTE PART-AY IN PHOENIX!
When the Diamondbacks needed Ketel Marte to step up and deliver on Thursday afternoon, the 30-year-old hailing from Nizao, Dominican Republic, did just that, and became a postseason hero for Arizona — by walking off the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series — to cut the D-Backs’ NLCS deficit down to 2-1.
WALK US OFF KETEL!!! pic.twitter.com/kEwDXVGXpO
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) October 19, 2023
“It feels great obviously,” said Marte shortly after the 2-1 Game 3 victory at Chase Field. “I’ve been battling, and I consider myself a grinder. To come up and come back and give the team a win, it’s just the most important thing.”
Overall, the Diamondbacks compiled nine hits in Game 3 with 13 total bases — three of those hits came off the bat of Marte (two doubles, and the game-winning single). So in other words, Game 3 of the 2023 NLCS will be looked back on and remembered as the Ketel Marte Game.
“He has an unbelievable heartbeat,” said Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo about Marte. “He loves to be in that moment. He is one of our best players for a reason.”
“He just has the heart of a lion. He wants to get the job done and be the main guy to help his team win a baseball game.”
Ketel Marte following Game 3 of the NLCS during a postgame on-the-field interview – Image Credit: Arizona Diamondbacks/MLB
The main guy indeed — Marte is batting .371 (13-35) this postseason with two HR, five RBI, a stolen base and a walk. Furthermore, he has recorded a hit in each postseason game played throughout his career, dating back to the 2017 National League Wild Card and 2017 National League Division Series — which marks a 12-game hitting streak.
The only players in MLB history to have a 12-game hitting streak to start out their postseason career, according to MLB researcher/reporter Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports):
1995-1996: Marquis Grissom (15)
1976-1980: Greg Luzinski (13)
2017-2023: Ketel Marte (12)
2010: Elvis Andrus (12)
2002: Darin Erstad (12)
Marte went on to say: “I’m seeing the ball good. I’ve been working hard the whole year. That’s the player I am. I’m not surprised.”
Robert Rizzo is a journalist and editor of Latino Sports – Email: RobertRiz994@gmail.com
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Julio Pabón
October 20, 2023 at 11:18 pm
Thanks, I missed the game and needed to see what happened?