The Texas Rangers, who have been linked to Korean players such as Park Chan-ho, Choo Shin-soo and Yang Hyun-jong, are one step closer to winning their first World Series since their founding in 1961. This would not have been possible without Cuban outfielder Adolis Garcia, 30, who set the record for most RBIs in a single postseason with a home run in five consecutive games, but it would not have been possible without Korean pitcher Kwang-hyun Kim.

Kim broke into the major leagues in December 2019 when he signed a two-year, $8 million guaranteed contract with the St. Louis Cardinals. When the Cardinals added Kwang-hyun to their 40-man roster, one player was missing. Garcia. Texas picked up Garcia, who had been designated for assignment (DFA) and was pending release. It was a bargain for cash considerations.

According to The Athletic in May 2021, Texas president John Daniels, who acquired Garcia at the time, said the amount was $100,000. At the 2019 exchange rate, that's about $116 million in our money. Garcia hit 32 home runs in Triple-A in 2019, but mostly with his fastball, showing a clear weakness against changeups. His lack of command led to countless strikeouts, and St. Louis didn't see much potential in Garcia.

Texas also gave up on Garcia once. They DFA'd him in February 2021 to make room on the 40-man roster for pitcher Mike Foltynevich, a free agent signing. After clearing waivers because 29 other teams didn't want him, Garcia was assigned to Texas' minor league affiliate. But when he was called up to the big leagues in mid-April of that year, he fulfilled his potential and became a 31-homer outfielder who was named an All-Star. 카지노사이트가이드

This year, he had a career-high season. In 148 games, he batted .245 (136-for-555) with 39 home runs, 107 RBIs, and an OPS of .836. Picked up the momentum and exploded in fall ball. In 13 games, he is 3-for-5 (20-for-56) with eight homers, 22 RBIs, and a 1.204 OPS. He has had a breakout fall, homering in five straight games, including Games 4-7 of the American League Championship Series and Game 1 of the World Series on Sunday.

In Game 1 of the World Series, he ended the game himself with a solo home run over the right field fence in the bottom of the 11th inning of a 5-5 tie. In leading Texas to a World Series sweep, he set a new franchise record with 22 RBIs in a single postseason. He followed up his ALCS MVP honors by going 3-for-4 with a game-winning home run and two RBIs in Game 1 of the World Series.

What a turnaround for Garcia, who had been on the disabled list twice before. Texas general manager Chris Young, who designated Garcia for assignment before the season two years ago, was asked about it in his official press conference before Game 1. "He was developing," Young said, "but we didn't know if he was consistent enough to be a good player in the major leagues. "He wasn't good enough to make the 40-man roster at the time," Young recalled.

"But we saw Garcia's incredible work ethic, energy, and passion for continuous improvement. We wanted him to stay with our organization, even though he was DFA'd." "We don't always make good decisions, and sometimes we get lucky and things work out. Garcia didn't get called up by another team, he stayed with us, and he got a chance to go back to the big leagues, and the rest is history."

Texas manager Bruce Bochy is equally pleased with Garcia's performance. "He's been really good since the end of the season. "He's been really good since the end of the season. He's been very poised, very controlled, very emotional, and it's really fun to watch. Shortstop Corey Seager, who hit a dramatic game-winning two-run homer in the ninth inning, also praised Garcia, saying, "Special players shine in moments like this, and he's been doing that all season. It's been a lot of fun to watch him."

"I'm really happy to have the opportunity to play in the World Series," Garcia said. "I've worked so hard to get to this point. I'm happy and grateful. I'm excited to be a part of Major League Baseball postseason history. I think today's home run is the best accomplishment for me," he said, adding that he hopes to have many more moments like this in the future.