To the surprise of probably no one, the Diamondbacks announced that Zac Gallen will start game 1 of the World Series on Friday Night.
The Diamondbacks announce that Zac Gallen will start Game 1 of the World Series pic.twitter.com/9SzBSJx8n7
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) October 25, 2023
Gallen has been the ace of the team all year long, and that has been no different in the playoffs.
However, there is a question on whether Merrill Kelly should’ve gotten the start because of his postseason success. Gallen is the ace, but the Phillies destroyed him in Game 1 and 5. Every fastball he threw had Diamondbacks fans tensing up. He allowed a lot of homers. That doesn’t stack up well versus a Rangers team that crushed long balls the entire series against the Astros.
It was inevitable that Zac Gallen would pitch Game 1. I wish there would’ve been a discussion because he was the third-best starter in the NLCS. Kelly got crushed in Game 2 but was dominant in Game 6. Brandon Pfaadt was dominant in Games 3 and 7. However, I’m sure the Diamondbacks front office and Torey Lovullo thought about this extensively. They made the choice they determined was best for the D-backs. I think Gallen will be fantastic, but I just don’t know if he should be trusted with the game-one start, not after how he played versus the Phillies.
Zac Gallen was dying for a pool party after the Diamondbacks advanced to the World Series
