Arizona Diamondbacks Ketel Marte (30) became the star of the walk-off hit. He is showing unusual hitting on the baseball stage this fall.

Arizona won 2-1 in Game 3 of the 2023 Major League Baseball Postseason National League Championship Series (NLCS) against the Philadelphia Phillies held at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, USA on the 20th (Korean time).

Arizona lost both games 1 and 2 held in Philadelphia. In the first game, they lost 3-5, and in the second game, they were unable to stop Philadelphia from hitting hard and bowed. Merrill Kelly, who started as a starting pitcher, allowed 4 runs (4 earned) in 5⅔ innings. He had three hits in that time, all of which were solo home runs. Even the bullpen team that came up after Kelly couldn’t stop it. Rather, they gave up 6 more points and lost 0-10.

If they lost this day’s game, Arizona would truly be pushed to the edge. This is because if they lose just one more loss, they will fail to advance to the World Series.

However, Arizona succeeded in turning the situation around with a victory. The hero is Marte.

There was a fight between the starting pitchers of both teams. So, it was conducted as a pitcher’s battle. Philadelphia Ranger Suarez pitched well, allowing 3 hits, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts, and no runs in 5⅓ innings, while Arizona starter Brandon Pott also pitched well, allowing 2 hits, 9 strikeouts, and no runs in 5⅔ innings.

The tight 0-0 game was broken in the 7th inning. Ryan Thompson, who took the mound as Arizona’s third pitcher, took the mound at first base with no outs, and after being hit by Bom, he appeared to escape the crisis by catching Stott in a double play to shortstop. However, he committed a wild pitch with 2 outs and 3rd base on base, robbing him of the first run.

Arizona immediately launched a counterattack. In the bottom of the 7th inning, leadoff hitter Tommy Pham hit a single against replaced pitcher Orion Kerkering. He was immediately replaced by pinch runner Alec Thomas. Next, Gurriel Jr. hit a timely double with an RBI to level the score at 1-1.

The game was decided in the 9th inning. In the bottom of the 9th inning, leadoff hitter Gurriel Jr. advanced to second base with a walk and a stolen base. Then, Parvin Smith hit a single and advanced to second base due to defensive interference. With no outs on second and third base, Rivera hit a grounder to shortstop, and in the meantime, Gurriel, the runner on third base, ran home, but Trey Turner’s quick throw put him out at home.

Arizona was focused. With one out and runners on first and second base, Perdomo walked and the bases were loaded. Then, Marte came out to bat. Marte hit Craig Kimbrel’s two-pitch four-seam fastball for a single that fell in front of center field. Smith, the runner on third base, came home and achieved a thrilling walk-off victory. It was the third postseason-ending hit in Arizona history. It came out 22 years after 2001.

Marte, who debuted in the big league with the Seattle Mariners in 2015, wore an Arizona uniform through a trade after the 2016 season. His skills were in full bloom in Arizona. In particular, in 2018, he led the National League by hitting a whopping 12 triples. He then continued the 2019 season by hitting 9 triples, which was second in the National League. He was selected as an All-Star after playing in 144 games with a batting average of .329, 32 home runs, 92 RBI, and an OPS of 0.981, and finished fourth in National League Most Valuable Player (MVP) voting.메이저사이트

Marte, who signed a five-year contract with Arizona ahead of the 2018 season, signed a five-year extension ahead of the 2022 season. He is in the spotlight as a multi-player who can play defense in both the outfield and infield.

He played both shortstop and center field this season. He appeared in 150 games, the most since his big league debut, and batted 0.276 with 25 home runs, 82 RBI, 94 runs, 8 stolen bases, and an OPS of 0.843.

He is, more than anything, the hottest hitter in the postseason. He had a hit in all 12 games, including fall baseball in 2017. In this year’s postseason, he boasts a good hitting sense with a batting average of 0.371, 13 hits, 2 home runs, 5 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.046 in 8 games. Narrowing it down to the Championship Series, he is 6-for-13 (0.462 batting average) with three doubles.