PHOENIX – Texas Rangers slugger Adolis García and pitcher Max Scherzer will miss the rest of the World Series after getting hurt in Game 3 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
García, the AL Championship Series MVP, has a moderate strain of his left oblique. Scherzer, who had been in line to pitch a possible Game 7, has a muscle spasm on the right side of his back.
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They were replaced on the active roster by infielder/outfielder Ezequiel Durán and left-hander Brock Burke before the Rangers won 11-7 on Tuesday night to take a 3-1 World Series lead.
“They’ve worked their entire lives to be on this stage and be in this moment and they’ve both suffered injuries that are going to take them out of that," Rangers general manager Chris Young said. ”I have great empathy for them in terms of that."
García grabbed his left side while coming out of the batter’s box on his flyout against Luis Frías in the eighth inning Monday.
“Adolis did everything he could today," Young said. ”He came in, was the first guy in today. He got as much treatment as possible. He went down to the cage and gave it a go, and it was very clear he was in pain. It’s not something that’s going to get any better over the next five to seven days. I think it would be a more significant timeline if this were the regular season. Made the decision pretty easy."
García hit .323 in the postseason with eight homers and a major league-record 22 RBIs, one more than David Freese had for the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals. García was 3 for 10 in the World Series with two RBIs, including an 11th-inning home run off Miguel Castro that gave Texas a 6-5 win in Friday’s opener. He also threw out Christian Walker at the plate from right field in Game 3.
The two-time All-Star batted .357 with five homers and 15 RBIs in the ALCS against Houston, a big league record for RBIs in one postseason series. He homered in five straight games, tied for the second-longest streak in postseason history, before going 0 for 3 with a walk in Game 2 of the World Series.
Travis Jankowski started in right field and was in the No. 9 slot in the batting order. He singled and scored in the second and hit a two-run double in the third in his first Series at-bats.
Jankowski hit .263 with one homer and 30 RBIs in his first season with the Rangers.
“Travis has had a really nice year for us in his role,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “Got pressed into a starting role there for a while when we had our injuries and really picked us up when we needed it. Solid all around. Smart player. Good defender. Speed. He’s a guy that can handle the bat. He can bunt. He does a good job putting the ball in play.”
Mitch Garver moved from fifth to third in the order, where García had been. Josh Jung moved from eighth to fifth, and Nathaniel Lowe moved from seventh to sixth, flipping with Jung. Leody Taveras moved up to eighth.
Durán last played on Sept. 29. Burke, appearing for the first time since Game 2 of the Division Series on Oct. 8, was charged with three runs in the eighth.
Scherzer left Game 3 after three innings. Asked after the game whether he was taking a muscle relaxant or something stronger, Scherzer responded: “All of the above.”
“He received a full day of treatment and there was no progress,” Young said. “Our medical team has extreme concern in terms of his ability to recover over the next few days.”
Acquired from the New York Mets on July 30, Scherzer strained a muscle in his right shoulder on Sept. 12 and returned to make two starts in the ALCS against Houston, going 0-1 with a 9.45 ERA. He allowed five runs over four innings and took the loss in Game 3, then gave up two runs over 2 2/3 innings in a no-decision in Game 7.
He was pitching Monday with a cut on his right thumb covered with cotton and Super Glue, what he termed Sunday as “a little arts and crafts in the training room.”
Scherzer is 1-0 with a 3.72 ERA in four World Series starts, getting a no-decision for Detroit against San Francisco in Game 4 in 2012, winning the 2019 opener for Washington at Houston and getting a no-decision in the Game 7 win that year after getting scratched from a scheduled Game 5 start because of an irritated nerve near his neck.
“He’s honest, he’s open and he’s authentic,” Young said. “He gives us as much information as he possibly can provide, and wants us to make the best decision. But he doesn’t fight once the decision’s made. He understands that we try to do what’s best for the team. He understood completely."
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb