ARLINGTON, Texas — Gabriel Moreno may not have shown a lot of power for the Arizona Diamondbacks in the regular season, but the long ball has been a big part of his game once the postseason lights came on.
Gabriel Moreno is surprising power source for Arizona Diamondbacks
In the fourth inning of Saturday's World Series matchup between the Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers inside Globe Life Field, Moreno blasted his fourth run of the postseason to give Arizona a 1-0 lead.
According to a tweet from ESPN Stats & Info, Moreno has become just the eighth catcher with at least four home runs in a single postseason, making him just one shy of the single postseason record of five set by Cleveland's Sandy Alomar Jr. in 1997.
The 23-year-old Moreno was a big part of the franchise-changing trade between the Diamondbacks and Toronto Blue Jays during the offseason that also brought Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to the desert in exchange for Daulton Varsho. Plenty of Toronto fans (and media members apparently) believe that the deal is among the worst for the franchise in history in its early stages.
While the deal helped build the foundation that would push the Diamondbacks into the Fall Classic, Moreno's power has been an unexpected surprise for the franchise in October. He hit just seven home runs during the regular season, with his fourth of the regular season not being blasted until August 17, his 78th game of the year as was pointed out on X. Meanwhile, Moreno needed just 13 postseason matchups plus less than four innings to total four in the playoffs.
Moreno was 0-for-5 in Game 1 of the World Series, but certainly made his presence felt in the second game, taking Texas starter Jordan Montgomery deep and further extending his postseason power surge.
