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.
Infielder/outfielder Ezequiel Duran and left-hander Brock Burke were added to the active roster before Game 4 on Tuesday night. García and Scherzer are ineligible to return.
García, the AL Championship Series MVP, has a moderate strain of his left oblique, according to Manager Bruce Bochy. Scherzer, who had been in line to pitch a possible Game 7, has a muscle spasm in the right side of his back.
García grabbed his left side while coming out of the batter’s box on his flyout against Luis Frías in the eighth inning. When García got to first base, he bent over and put both hands on his knees.
García hit a team-high .323 in the postseason with eight homers and a major league-record 22 RBI, one more than David Freese had for the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals. García was 3 for 10 in the World Series with two RBI, including an 11th-inning home run off Miguel Castro that gave Texas a 6-5 win in Friday’s opener.
He hit .357 with five homers and 15 RBI in the ALCS against Houston.
Travis Jankowski started in right field and was in the No. 9 slot of the batting order Tuesday after replacing García in the eighth inning of Game 3. Jankowski hit .263 with one homer and 30 RBI in his first season with the Rangers.
“Travis has had a really nice year for us in his role,” 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 Josh Jung. Leody Taveras moved up to 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 was pretty locked up when he walked in today. He’s on the table getting looked at, trying to get loose some. But he’s not feeling well,” Bochy said.
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 AL Championship Series against Houston, going 0-1 with a 9.45 ERA. Scherzer allowed five runs over four innings and took the loss in Game 3, and then gave up two runs in 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.”
TV: The fears of this year’s World Series between the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks becoming the least-viewed Fall Classic in TV history are becoming a reality.
Games 2 and 3 are the least-watched on record according to Nielsen. Monday’s 3-1 victory by the Rangers averaged 8.13 million on Fox, according to fast national figures. Saturday’s 9-1 Diamondbacks’ win averaged 8.15 million.
Before this year, the least-watched World Series game was Game 3 in 2020 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays, which averaged 8.34 million.
Game 1 was also the least-watched World Series opener recorded. The three-game average of 8.48 million is on pace to become the least-viewed Series ever, fewer than the 9.79 million in 2020 that watched the Dodgers beat the Rays in six games.
Last year’s series — when the Houston Astros beat the Philadelphia Phillies in six games — had an 11.76 million average.
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