In a disappointing turn of events for the Arizona Diamondbacks, their loss to the Texas Rangers in Game 1 of the 2023 World Series brought back haunting memories for fans of the franchise. The Diamondbacks surrendered a game-tying home run in the ninth inning, reiterating an unfortunate trend that has plagued the team throughout their history.

This was only the second time the Diamondbacks had advanced to the World Series, but they have already found themselves making history of the wrong kind. In fact, in four all-time road games in the World Series, the Diamondbacks have now allowed a game-tying home run in the ninth inning or later in three of them. To put this in perspective, the rest of baseball has only had eight such games in its entire history.

The haunting echoes of 2001 resurfaced, as two of those game-changing home runs occurred during that year's World Series. In Game 4, relief pitcher Byung-Hyun Kim allowed a home run that led the New York Yankees to tie the series at 2-2. The following night, in Game 5, Kim was once again on the mound when he gave up the game-tying home run to Scott Brosius. The Yankees eventually won that game in extra innings and went on to claim their fourth straight World Series title.

Fast forward to the present, and history seemed to repeat itself in Game 1 of the 2023 Fall Classic. This time, it was closer Paul Sewald who allowed the critical game-tying home run to Texas' Corey Seager. The momentum swung drastically as the Rangers capitalized on the opportunity and eventually sealed the victory with a walk-off homer in the 11th inning by Adolis García.

Sewald's difficulty in handling left-handed power hitters in disadvantageous matchups became evident when Seager connected with a high fastball and converted the 5-3 lead into a 5-5 tie. Although Sewald managed to recover and strike out Marcus Semien, the damage was done.

Questions arose post-game regarding the decision-making process by Arizona manager Torey Lovullo. When asked if intentionally walking Seager crossed his mind, Lovullo acknowledged the Texas lineup's overall strength and the absence of a soft underbelly. Ultimately, Lovullo chose to trust Sewald's ability to make pitches and bring their closer into the game. In hindsight, the decision may be questionable, but Lovullo stood by his mindset in the moment.

Unsurprisingly, Lovullo was also asked to reflect on the memories of the 2001 World Series and Kim's role in the Diamondbacks' missed opportunities, brought back to the surface by Seager's homer. Lovullo dismissively acknowledged that while there may be connections for some fans, the current players were not old enough to remember the events of that time. He emphasized that the 2001 and 2023 squads share only the uniform and the unfortunate history of squandered ninth-inning leads in World Series games.

Ultimately, the Diamondbacks will need to regroup and find a way to bounce back from this Game 1 setback. As they aim to defy their franchise's misfortunate trend, they can draw inspiration from their own history, specifically their 2001 World Series triumph. The road ahead may appear challenging, but with determination, the Diamondbacks have the potential to rewrite the narrative and create a different outcome in the remainder of the series.