The starting pitchers for Game 1 of the World Series are set. In one corner, Texas Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi will make his first career World Series start on Friday. In the other corner will be Arizona Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen, also making his first World Series start.
Eovaldi comes in with a 4-0 record and a 2.42 ERA this postseason. He enters this contest fresh off a victory in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series — a must-win for Texas — on Sunday in Houston. Eovaldi also recorded wins in his team’s wild-card and divisional-round clinchers.
“Nate’s had plenty of rest. He’s ready to go,” Texas manager Bruce Bochy said Wednesday of the right-hander.
This is not the native Texan’s first time playing in the Fall Classic. In the first three games of the 2018 World Series, Eovaldi pitched in relief when the Boston Red Sox played the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 33-year-old was on the mound for the final six innings of the marathon, 18-inning third game that Max Muncy ended with a home run.
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Gallen, by contrast, started the playoffs with wins in the wild-card and division series but lost both games he started in the National League Championship Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. He enters the World Series with a 5.24 ERA.
