PHOENIX — The Texas Rangers are World Series champions. They defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-0 in five games. The pitcher who recorded the final seven outs has ties to the DMV.
Josh Sborz was born in D.C., and attended McLean High School in Virginia, where he received all-state and All-Met honors twice. He played college ball for the University of Virginia, where he helped the Cavaliers win the College World Series Championship in 2015.
After college, he was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He spent a few years in the minor leagues before being called up to the majors in 2019. He was traded to the Rangers in 2021.
Sborz struck out four in 2 1/3 innings of one-hit relief for his first postseason save. He threw a called third strike past Ketel Marte for the final out, before jubilant Texas players rushed toward the mound to celebrate.
It’s the first title for the Rangers, whose history dates back to 1961 when they were the expansion Washington Senators. They moved to Texas for the 1972 season.
Now, after five stadiums, roughly two dozen managers and 10,033 games, the Rangers are finally champions.