Only $740,000 ‘Cuban Bomber’ hits 5 straight home runs + a single PS record 22 RBIs to lead TEX fall surge
The Cuban Bomber has emerged as one of the biggest heroes of Major League Baseball’s fall season.
Texas defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-5 in Game 1 of the World Series on Monday (Aug. 28) at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, behind a walk-off home run by Adolis Garcia (30) in the bottom of the 11th inning.
Texas trailed 3-5 in the bottom of the ninth inning when Corey Seager hit a game-tying two-run shot to send the game to extra innings.
Then, with one out in the bottom of the 11th inning, Garcia, on a 3B1S count, drove a low 96.7-mph sinker right down the middle of the plate off reliever Miguel Castro for a solo shot that just cleared the right field fence. With a 25-degree launch angle, 106.4 mph fastball and 373 feet of travel, Arizona right fielder Corbin Carroll stretched his glove over the fence but couldn’t reach it.
Garcia threw his right hand up in the air and roared around first base as the clothesline-like shot cleared the fence. He tossed off his helmet before crossing the plate and ran into the arms of his teammates, who surrounded home plate to welcome him home. The 42,472 Texas fans went wild, cheering him on.온라인카지노
Garcia’s teammates prepare to greet him as he rounds the bases and reaches home plate after hitting a solo shot in the 11th inning of extra innings. AP
Texas, which entered fall ball with a 90-72 record and the second AL wild-card spot, is looking to continue its run to the World Series behind Garcia’s explosive bat. This is Garcia’s first postseason appearance.
In the ALCS against the Houston Astros, Garcia went on a tear, leading the Astros to a dramatic 4-3 victory and earning Series MVP honors. In the ALCS, he batted .357 (10-for-28) with five home runs and 15 RBIs. The 15 RBIs are the most ever in a single postseason series.
Garcia, who went 3-for-4 with a home run and one RBI in Game 1, extended his hitting streak to seven games since Game 2 of the ALCS and his home run streak to five games since Game 4 of the ALCS. The five-game homer streak is tied for second in postseason history behind Daniel Murphy of the New York Mets in 2015 (six games) and tied with Giancarlo Stanton of the New York Yankees in 2020 and Carlos Beltran of Houston in 2004.
Garcia also added two RBIs, a single in the first inning and a walk-off single in the 11th, giving him 22 RBIs this postseason, breaking the franchise record for most RBIs in a single postseason. He surpassed the previous mark of 21 set by David Freese of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011. In 13 postseason games, he has already blasted eight home runs.
Texas players celebrate with water after Garciaga’s walk-off home run in the 11th inning of extra innings. AP
Garcia was born in Cuba in 1993. After playing in Cuba’s national league, he joined the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball in 2016 and appeared in four first-team games before fleeing Cuba for the United States and joining the St. Louis Cardinals in February 2017. He made his major league debut in 2018, but it wasn’t until he moved to Texas that he rose to stardom. In December 2019, St. Louis acquired Kim Kwang-hyun and needed to make room on the 40-man roster, so they cut Garcia. Texas picked up Garcia after he was designated for assignment (DFA) by St. Louis.
Garcia appeared in just three games in the 2020 shortened season, his first with the club, and his status was uncertain before the 2021 season. After a series of minor league assignments and DFAs, he broke out in spring training in March 2021, hitting .375 with three home runs and 13 RBIs, earning a promotion to the major leagues 12 days after the season opened.
He hit 31 home runs in 149 games that year, fully establishing himself as a mainstay. After hitting .250 with 27 homers and 101 RBIs in 156 games in 2022, he hit .245 with 39 homers, 107 RBIs, and an OPS of .836 in 148 games this season, both career highs.
Garcia’s salary for the season is $7.476 million, just above the major league minimum ($720,000). He just completed his third full-time season, making him salary-adjustment-eligible, so he can expect a significant raise this offseason.
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