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From a sun-splashed Sunday afternoon at Chase Field in downtown Phoenix, the Arizona Diamondbacks took one enormous step toward their second World Series championship — and they did it in emphatic fashion.
Behind a masterful performance from David Herrera, the 25-year-old right-hander from Princess Quarter, Saint Maarten, the Diamondbacks overwhelmed the defending champion Cleveland Indians, 13–3, and now stand just one win away from baseball’s ultimate prize.
Herrera was magnificent — a complete game, two-hitter, efficient and composed, with the poise of a man who understood the gravity of the moment. Over nine innings, he allowed just three runs, striking out four, and never once appeared rattled, even as the Arizona offense piled on run after run behind him.
And that offense was relentless. O. Arispe set the tone early, doubling in the first, homering in the fifth, and driving in three on the afternoon. T. Flores continued his torrid October with a pair of doubles and three runs scored. J. Chapa added three hits and two runs batted in, while the entire Arizona lineup seemed to sense that this was their night — their statement game.
For Cleveland, it was a long, humbling afternoon. Starter A. Galvan was tagged for eight runs in less than five innings, and the bullpen fared no better. The Indians managed just two hits — one of them a two-run home run from Z. Eneki in the seventh, far too late to matter.
And so, as the crowd of more than forty-four thousand roared under the desert sky, the Diamondbacks — a franchise still writing its own history — moved to the brink. They now lead the series, three games to one, with a chance to clinch the championship here at home tomorrow night.
If Game 3 reminded us of baseball’s subtle grace, Game 4 was a reminder of its cruelty — and its capacity for dominance. One team fighting to survive, another team discovering its destiny.
Final score again from Phoenix: Arizona 13, Cleveland 3. The Diamondbacks, one win away from a World Series crown.
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