Torey Lovullo dismisses luck factor in Diamondbacks' postseason run - "Nobody knows how hard we're working to make today happen"
Ahead of the World Series showdown between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Texas Rangers, D-backs manager Torey Lovullo discussed their unexpected success and the skepticism surrounding it. After defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in seven games of NLCS action, the Diamondbacks have one more challenge to pass to win it all for the first time since 2001 when they won the World Series by beating the New York Yankees.
In a media interaction, Torey Lovullo mentioned the hard work that goes behind to get where they are today:
"Nobody knows the magic that's sitting inside that clubhouse right now," Lovullo said via ESPN. "Nobody knows what we're capable of doing on a daily basis. Nobody knows how hard we're working to make today happen."
He further added about the external motivation that helps the team in a big way:
"It's our job to come here, stay motivated and stay focused, I don't think we need extra, but when you get extra, it's like a glass of iced tea. Add a little bit of honey and lemon to it, it tastes perfect. We hear those things, they're out there. Social media makes it happen really quick. And it's really my friends and my family that are dropping it in my lap."
Zac Gallen, the starting pitcher for Arizona in Game 1, mentioned that he uses the doubt of naysayers as fuel:
"If you're in any sort of competitive field and somebody tells you [that] you can't do something or they think somebody can do it better than you, I think that's kind of the main reason probably why you're where you are today."
Game 1 of the World Series is scheduled to take place on Friday, October 27, at 8:03 P.M. ET at Globe Life Field in Arlington.
Torey Lovullo's Diamondbacks postseason run
The Arizona Diamondbacks finished 84-78 in the regular season, second place in the NL West but good enough to secure a Wild Card spot. In the Wild Card round, they swept the Milwaukee Brewers and advanced to the divisional round matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Many expected them to be the underdogs against the star-studded Dodgers lineup. However, Lovullo's team not only won the NLDS series but swept the Dodgers 3-0 to everyone's surprise.
They faced the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS matchup and despite trailing for most of the series, they crawled their way to a Game 7 and eventually won the series to book their place in the World Series.