I think we can all agree that the MLB Postseason hasn’t played out like anyone expected.
Three 100-win teams – the AL East champion Baltimore Orioles, NL East champion Atlanta Braves and NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers, failed to make it past the Divisional Series. The Braves won one game of their NLDS clash against the Philadelphia Phillies, nearly coming back in another, but were the only 100-win team to not get swept.
One of those surprise Divisional Series teams was the Arizona Diamondbacks, a Wild Card team from the NL West faced with a tough challenge of eliminating the Dodgers.
Arizona swept their division rivals in three games – an 11-2 road victory in Game 1, then identical, 4-2 results in Games 2 and 3.
The Diamondbacks face another wild card team, the Phillies, with a trip to the World Series on the line. The NCLS is where some of pro baseball’s brightest stars shines – and Arizona is turning to one of its brightest stars in hopes he delivers his team a crucial, 1-0 series advantage.
On Friday, Oct. 13, the Diamondbacks announced former UNC baseball standout Zac Gallen as their Game 1 NLCS starter.
Just how good has Gallen been this year? You can look at just the postseason alone, but his whole campaign has been that of a NL Cy Young (top pitcher) Award Winner).
He was an instrumental part in helping Arizona win its first Postseason action since 2017, when it beat the Colorado Rockies in the NL Wild Card Game. On Wednesday, Oct. 4 in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series against the NL Central Champion Milwaukee Brewers, Gallen earned the series-clinching win by striking out four batters, allowing just five hits and two earned runs over six innings.
Gallen pitched three years for the Diamond Heels (2014-2016), compiling a 14-13 win-loss record, 3.36 earned run average and 231 strikeouts over 260 innings.
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