Eovaldi set for 1st career World Series start with Rangers, Gallen expected for Diamondbacks
Nathan Eovaldi will start Game 1 of the World Series for the Texas Rangers on Friday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Eovaldi, a Texas native who signed with the Rangers last offseason, will make his first career World Series start. The right-hander is 4-0 with a 2.42 ERA in his four starts this postseason, including the AL Wild Card Series and AL Division Series clinchers, and the must-win Game 6 of the AL Championship Series at Houston on Sunday night.
"Nate's had plenty of rest, he's ready to go," Texas manager Bruce Bochy said Wednesday when announcing Eovaldi as the starter for the World Series opener.
The Diamondbacks, who were flying to Texas the day after clinching the NL pennant in Philadelphia, also are also expected to go with an All-Star right-hander. Zac Gallen, who is 2-2 with a 5.24 ERA in his first postseason, started Arizona's openers in both the NLDS and NLCS.
Bochy didn't say who would start Game 2, though Eovaldi and left-hander Jordan Montgomery have been the key starters for Texas this postseason. Montgomery is 3-0, including the Game 7 victory in Houston with 2 1/3 innings in relief on Monday night.
The 33-year-old Eovaldi is 8-3 with a 2.87 ERA in 15 career postseason games, including 10 starts.
Eovaldi's only previous World Series was with the Red Sox in 2018, when he made relief appearances in each of the first three games against the Dodgers. He pitched the final six innings of the 18-inning third game, when Max Muncy led off the bottom of the 18th for the Dodgers with the game-ending homer.