Diamondbacks' Christian Walker hails team's resilience, says they expected to be in the World Series
While many did not believe they could, Christian Walker and the Arizona Diamondbacks are headed to the World Series. They defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 7 on Friday by a 4-2 score on the night.
Now, they will have their eyes set on the Texas Rangers as Game 1 is scheduled to kick off on Friday. However, they will likely be celebrating their World Series berth for the next few days.
D-backs slugger Christian Walker joined Jon Morosi after the game to talk about how tight-knit of a group this team is:
"This group, we had it in the plan the whole time."
Walker relished that the team plays at their best when their backs are against the wall. If somebody needs to step up when the time calls for it, a litany of players can do so.
The Diamondbacks had the worst record out of all teams in the postseason, but that did not matter in the end. They got hot at the right time; and sometimes, that is all you need in this sport.
On Friday, the team had multiple players who stepped up and showed out. Corbin Carroll, Gabriel Moreno, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Geraldo Perdomo all had two or more hits.
Nobody envisioned an Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Texas Rangers World Series, but Christian Walker did
Many around the league expected a World Series involving some of the regular season's dominant teams. However, the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers had their World Series aspirations cut short.
The D-backs were solely responsible for ending the Dodgers season as they swept them in surprising fashion in the NLDS. It was not a close series, as Arizona outscored Los Angeles 19-6.
The Rangers and Diamondbacks do not have a lot of history. Both teams have only faced each other 53 times, where Texas holds a slight advantage with a record of 28-23.
It will be quite the battle, as both teams have great pitching and a scrappy offense that does not seem to quit. Pitching will be the deciding factor in this series, as every run is important in the World Series.
Arizona may hold the advantage here as ace Max Scherzer is dealing with a cut on his thumb. However, it will not be enough to keep him out of the lineup.
Christian Walker will be one to watch in this series as he is 11-26 when playing the Rangers in Texas.