ARLINGTON, Texas — What number of body blows does it take to maintain the Diamondbacks down on the mat?
Their opponents have yet to seek out out.
The dramatic fashion through which the Rangers beat the Diamondbacks in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday night had the sensation of a comeback that might have lasting effects.
But 24 hours later, the Diamondbacks had simply shrugged it off and were heading home with the series tied at one.
Behind a gem from Merrill Kelly and a scrappy lineup that kept adding on late, the Diamondbacks ran away with a 9-1 win over the Rangers in Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday night at Globe Life Field.
Kelly shut down the Rangers’ potent lineup with seven sterling innings through which he struck out nine and walked none.
His only blemish was a solo home run off the bat of Mitch Garver within the fifth inning, but he otherwise cruised.
The fitting-hander retired the primary 11 batters he faced and the last seven to silence the sellout crowd of 42,500 for many of the night.
The Diamondbacks pounded out 16 hits while build up a lead that was large enough that the Rangers couldn’t erase it against the Arizona bullpen like they’d the night before.
Seven of their runs and eight of their hits got here across the ultimate three innings, turning a 4-1 lead right into a blowout.
While the Diamondbacks had come inside two outs of taking Game 1 on Friday night — only to see Corey Seager and Adolis Garcia deliver game-tying and game-winning home runs within the ninth and eleventh innings, respectively — they didn’t allow it to demoralize them.
The 84-win team that crashed the postseason just by attending to the Fall Classic are going to make a series out of it.
Ex-Met Tommy Pham spearheaded the offensive attack Saturday with 4 hits, including a pair of doubles, and scored two runs.
Ketel Marte broke the sport open within the eighth inning with a two-run single that made it 6-1.
It prolonged Marte’s postseason hitting streak to 18 games, setting an MLB record that was previously shared by Derek Jeter, Manny Ramirez and Hank Bauer.
Jordan Montgomery, the large lefty who was shipped out of The Bronx last summer after the Yankees determined he wouldn’t be a part of their postseason rotation, needed to grind for many of the night.
Making his fifth start of those playoffs — plus a 2 ¹/₃-inning relief appearance in Game 7 of the ALCS last Monday — Montgomery was not as sharp while giving up 4 runs across six-plus innings.
On an evening when his velocity was down and he only generated two swings-and-misses, Montgomery had held the Diamondbacks to 2 runs through six innings.
But he got here back out for the seventh at 70 pitches and promptly allowed an Alek Thomas double and Evan Longoria single that made it 3-1 and knocked Montgomery out of the sport.
One other former Yankees left-hander, Andrew Heaney, entered in relief and allowed the inherited runner to attain on Corbin Carroll’s single that put the Diamondbacks up, 4-1.
Gabriel Moreno, the young catcher who continues to appear to be a stud after coming over from the Blue Jays in an offseason trade, smoked a house run into the visiting bullpen to present the Diamondbacks a 1-0 lead within the fourth inning.
One out later, Pham picked up his second hit of the sport with a double down the first-base line.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who got here with Moreno from Toronto for Daulton Varsho, followed with a single to left that doubled the lead.