Striking similarities between Game 1 this year and '01 World Series
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It was Yankees catcher Yogi Berra who coined the phrase “déjà vu all over again.” On Friday night, D-backs fans might have been feeling just that.
Arizona’s walk-off 6-5 loss to Texas in Game 1 of the 2023 World Series hearkened back to 2001, the last time the D-backs made it this far. It’s easy to see why; so far, there have been some remarkable parallels between the two Fall Classics.
Former President George W. Bush, who was on hand to throw out the ceremonial first pitch to open the 2023 World Series on Friday night, did the same for Game 3 of the 2001 Series -- the first contest to be played at Yankee Stadium that year. And in Game 4 in the 2001 Series, things played out incredibly similarly to the instant-classic '23 Game 1.
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How about Corey Seager’s no-doubt two-run shot playing the role of Tino Martinez’s game-tying ninth-inning homer in 2001, 22 years later? And Adolis García’s walk-off dinger Friday night in the 11th sure looked like Derek Jeter’s opposite-field walk-off homer just over the right-field fence in the 10th inning in '01.
While things might feel eerily similar for D-backs fans, there’s certainly some consolation: Remember how the 2001 World Series ended? The Arizona faithful definitely won’t forget.