Corey Seager’s two-run home run gave the Texas Rangers the lead they needed to defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 3-1, in Game 3 of the World Series on Monday night. 

Seager, the man who gave his Rangers the opportunity to walk it off in Game 1 with a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth down two, continues to swing a hot bat. 

Diamondbacks starter Brandon Pfaadt hung an 87-mph changeup that was supposed to be on the outside corner, but ended up right in Seager’s wheelhouse inside. The sweet-swinging lefty turned his hands in quickly and launched the ball 114-mph off his bat and 421 feet down the right field line for a two-run homer. 

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The Rangers already got on the scoreboard first in the inning thanks to Marcus Semien’s RBI single that scored Nathaniel Lowe. But Seager’s bomb was all the insurance the Rangers needed to take down the team that scored nine runs two nights ago. 

The Rangers saw 39-year-old Max Scherzer get the start on Monday night, but unfortunately he wasn’t able to go as long as he wanted to due to injury. 

In the bottom of the second inning, Scherzer took a comebacker off his lower bat when Alek Thomas hit a grounder right back up the middle. Josh Jung would pick it up bare-handed and throw out Thomas to end the inning, but Scherzer appeared to have some back issues when he went out to pitch in the fourth inning. 

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While the third inning ended with Scherzer being just fine, he was noticeably grimacing when he tried to throw warmup pitches before that fourth frame. He ended his night allowing no runs, two hits, two walks and striking out one over three innings. 

Brandon Pfaadt #32 of the Arizona Diamondbacks pitches in the third inning against the Texas Rangers during Game Three of the World Series at Chase Field on October 30, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Texas needed the bullpen to pick up their starter, and Jon Gray was just the man for the job. Gray was rock solid coming out of the ‘pen after Scherzer had to end his night, delivering three innings of no-run ball, allowing just one hit and striking out three. 

Josh Sborz pitched a scoreless seventh inning, but the D-Backs finally got on the board against Aroldis Chapman in the eighth. 

Geraldo Perdomo was able to smack a ball to left field, which scored Emmanuel Rivera from second base to make it a 3-1 game. However, that was all they could muster in this one. 

Jose Leclerc finished things in the bottom of the ninth, getting Gabriel Moreno to ground out to Jung and striking out Christian Walker as well as Tommy Pham for a perfect 1-2-3 frame. 

Evan Carter #32 and Corey Seager #5 of the Texas Rangers celebrate after Seager hit a home run in the third inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks during Game Three of the World Series at Chase Field on October 30, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

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The Rangers and Diamondbacks will get back out on the field on Halloween night for Game 4, with pitching matchups still to be determined. 

Texas Rangers starter Max Scherzer can’t catch a break. 

The 39-year-old veteran left his World Series Game 3  start on Monday night with what appeared to be a back injury. And it may have come from a ground ball that hit off him at the end of the second inning. 

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With a runner on second base and two outs, Arizona Diamondbacks center fielder Alek Thomas hit one right back at Scherzer, who was hit in his lower back. Third baseman Josh Jung was quick to scoop it up bare-handed and got Thomas out at first.

He would return for the bottom of the third, but once he came out to throw his warm-up pitches for the fourth, he was visibly grimacing and had to walk off the mound. 

Scherzer shook his head all the way to the clubhouse as Jon Gray came out of the bullpen to take over on emergency notice.

Manager Bruce Bochy of the Texas Rangers relieves Max Scherzer due to injury in the fourth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks during Game 3 of the World Series at Chase Field on October 30, 2023, in Phoenix. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

It’s a tough situation for Scherzer, who fought hard to get back on the mound after suffering a strained teres major muscle, which led to him not pitching since Sept. 12 before finally returning in the ALCS against the Houston Astros. 

Scherzer’s injury was supposed to keep him on the bench for two months, but he worked hard to return and manager Bruce Bochy got him back out there right away. 

Scherzer struggled a bit, giving up seven earned runs in 6.2 innings against Houston. However, he was having a good night in Game 3 against the Diamondbacks.

Max Scherzer of the Texas Rangers walks off the field after the second inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks during Game 3 of the World Series at Chase Field on October 30, 2023, in Phoenix. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

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Scherzer’s night ended with just two hits and two walks allowed, no runs and one strikeout over three innings.

Frank Howard, a World Series champion, four-time All-Star and two-time home run champion, has died at the age of 87. 

The Washington Nationals were notified Monday by Howard’s family of his death. A cause was not disclosed.

“Growing up a baseball fan in Washington D.C., Frank Howard was my hero,” Nationals owner Mark Lerner said in a statement. “The towering home runs he hit into the stands at RFK Stadium gave him the nickname ‘Capital Punisher,’ but I’ll always remember him as a kind and gentle man. The entire Lerner family would like to offer our thoughts and condolences to Frank’s family during this difficult time. The world of baseball has truly lost a giant.”

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Howard was also nicknamed “Hondo,” a slugger that totaled 382 career home runs, with the first coming in 1958 when he debuted for the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

He spent his first seven seasons in MLB with the Dodgers, where his 6-foot-7 frame smashed baseballs, which led to winning the Rookie of the Year award in 1960 when he hit 23 homers with a .268 batting average over 117 games. 

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But Howard’s All-Star years came with the Washington Senators, reaching the prestigious game from 1968-1971, where he led the league in home runs in 1968 and 1970 with 44 dingers each season. 

Howard’s best season was in 1970, when he hit .283/.416/.546 with league leads in homers, RBI (126) and walks (132). He would finish fifth in MVP voting that year. 

New York Yankees coach Frank Howard laughs during introductions before the game on the Annual Old Timers Day at Yankee Stadium in New York on July 11, 1992. (Steve Crandall/Getty Images)

“Frank was a legendary figure in this town and a player that D.C. baseball fans truly admired,” Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said. “I had the utmost respect for him both as a ballplayer and as a human being, and it was always a pleasure seeing him at Nationals Park. He was generous with his time and was never afraid to pass along his knowledge and wisdom.”

Howard finished his playing career with the Detroit Tigers in 1973, but baseball would remain in his life for some time to come. 

“Hondo” went on to manage the San Diego Padres in 1981 and New York Mets in 1983, while also coaching for the Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Devils Rays over the years. 

Former Washington Senators player Frank Howard waves to the fans before he throws out the first pitch prior to the Washington Nationals hosting the St. Louis Cardinals in Game Four of the National League Division Series at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 11, 2012. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

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The Nationals welcomed Howard back to D.C. in 2005 to place him in their Ring of Honor.