That declaration was mentioned several times in one form or another as John Carroll celebrated the official announcement as the 10th and newest member of the North Coast Athletic Conference. The Blue Streaks will begin play in the NCAC in the fall of 2025.

JCU made that official early Jan. 18, and it also ended the school’s more than three-decade association with the Ohio Athletic Conference, which began for a second time in 1989. The Blue Streaks were also members of the OAC from 1932 to 1949.

JCU said in a statement the move to the NCAC “is the latest step in John Carroll’s three-year, $100 million strategy to bolster the student experience, grow the academic portfolio, enhance the campus, and expand the institution’s reach.”

During a news conference on JCU’s campus, School President Al Miciak, Athletic Director Brian Polian, NCAC Executive Director Keri Alexander Luchowski and Wittenberg president Mike Frandsen gave statements as JCU began a new association and the NCAC welcomed its newest member.

The NCAC currently consists of nine full-time members — Ohio-based schools Denison, Hiram, Kenyon, Oberlin, Ohio Wesleyan, Wittenberg and Wooster, plus Indiana-based institutions Wabash and DePauw. JCU will make it a 10-team league in 2025.

Polian — named JCU’s AD last May — said there was no talk about JCU-to-the-NCAC when he interviewed for the post. Now that it’s official, he said it’s time to get to work expanding the JCU brand to the far reaches of the United States.

“The reality of it is higher (education) for schools like ours, the ground is shifting beneath our feet,” said Polian. “We’ve got to make sure we’re in position and in the best possible spot so that we can thrive for another 130 years. We need to open up our footprint. To do so is to be associated with schools that have that same profile.”

NCAC schools such as Oberlin, Kenyon and Denison have built a reputation and an alumni base that spans across the country. Miciak and Polian envision that happening at JCU.

“When you look at this decision outside of athletics, it makes more sense,” said Polian, who said JCU’s decision was “bold.”

“We are not afraid of bold. We’re going to be a national brand, and we have the courage and foresight to make that happen.”

All that being said, there are questions that remain about the move to the NCAC — most notably with a crosstown rivalry and football.

Miciak and Polian said they are hopeful JCU’s rivalry with Baldwin Wallace can continue with non-conference contests.

“My hope is to talk to (AD) Steve (Thompson) over at Baldwin Wallace and find a way to keep us competing,” said Polian. “For me, I think it’s really important that Carroll and Baldwin Wallace keep playing.”

From a football perspective, JCU’s move to the NCAC undoubtedly provides an easier path to the NCAA Division III playoffs. Since joining the OAC and competing with D-III football juggernaut Mount Union, the Blue Streaks have made the playoffs seven times.

The Blue Steaks made it in their first year in the OAC in 1989, then in 1997 and 2002, when it made the NCAA national semifinal round for the first time. Most recently, JCU made the postseason in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2018. In 2016, the program made the final four for a second time.

More on the move to the @NCAC pic.twitter.com/EOnw4e71du

— Brian Polian (@BrianPolian) January 18, 2024

Polian said anyone who believes JCU’s decision to leave the OAC was based on football first and foremost is incorrect.

“For those that think we are running away from Mount Union, we are not,” said Polian.

JCU men’s basketball coach Pete Moran — who played basketball at the school and helped lead the Blue Steaks to their only NCAA Division III Final Four appearance — said the news of his alma mater leaving the OAC was bittersweet.

“Although I am extremely excited to join a conference with a rich tradition in men’s basketball and competing against some of the winningest teams in the history of D-III basketball (Wooster and Wittenberg), I will also miss the relationships that we have made amongst OAC coaches and administrators,” said Moran. “These relationships have meant so much to me and my family over the years.”

JCU to the NCAC is the latest in the school’s three-year, $100 million strategy “to bolster the student experience, grow the academic portfolio, enhance the campus, and expand the institution’s reach.”

The centerpiece of that $100 million strategy is the construction of a state-of-the-art 100,000 square foot Athletic, Wellness and Event Center, scheduled to open in 2025.

The NCAC sponsors championships in 23 sports — 11 for men and 12 for women. JCU currently has 23 varsity sports for men and women.

That and other bowl possibilities are now on the table after a Jan. 9 announcement among four conferences and the creation of the Division III Opendorse Bowl Series.

The four conferences involved are the Ohio Athletic Conference, North Coast Athletic Conference, Presidents’ Athletic Conference and Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. Each will be represented by their highest-ranked team to not make the NCAA D-III playoffs in a one-day, two-game series. The inaugural bowl series is set for Nov. 23, 2024, at Tom Benson Stadium at Hall of Fame Village in Canton.

For programs such as John Carroll of the OAC and Case Western Reserve of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference — and undoubtedly others — this is welcome news. With the D-III playoffs a 32-team field with 28 conference champions and just four at-large spots, postseason bids beyond the playoffs have been limited. Now, four more teams will play an additional game.

Case coach Greg Debeljak said talks of creating a bowl game between the OAC and the PAC had been in the works but the addition of the Heartland and NCAC only sweetens the deal.

“I’m glad it’s happening and that it’s expanded,” said Debeljak. “Thrilled it’s in Canton. That makes a lot of sense. It will feel like a true bowl game experience for the teams.”

For teams in the PAC, their regular-season schedule consists of all conference games so the addition of a bowl game might mean the most among the four conferences included in the announcement.

“This gives us outside competition against a really good team and a good way to measure our program against others,” said Debeljak, whose team was 7-3 last season and fourth in the competitive PAC.

Based on last season’s standings, here’s how the Opendorse Bowl Series might have looked:

• John Carroll was the runner-up in the OAC at 8-2.

• In the PAC, Carnegie Mellon was second at 9-1.

• In the NCAC, three teams tied for second at 7-3 — Denison, Wabash and Wittenberg. Those three were 1-1 against each other so extended tiebreaker(s) would have been used to choose a bowl representative.

• In the Heartland, Rose-Hulman at 7-3 was the runner-up based on its head-to-head win over Hanover, which was also 7-3.

Opendorse — an NIL company and athlete marketplace — will be the bowl games’ lead sponsor.

“I think I speak for all four conferences in expressing my excitement for this event,” said OAC commissioner Sarah Otey in a statement. “The four leagues have been considering bowl options for several years, but wanted to make sure we were able to deliver a special student-athlete experience and do so in a way that invests in our local communities. The opportunity to host an event like this at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium – and provide Division III student-athletes a chance to play in such an incredible venue – will be great for our conferences, the sport, and all of Division III.”

Prior to the mid-1980s, a Big Ten football program never played in the Cotton Bowl, which back then was regarded as a prestigious destination on New Year’s Day.

That was until the 1986 season, when Ohio State and Michigan tied for the Big Ten championship. The Wolverines and Buckeyes played their usual end-of-the-season rivalry in late November — this time at Ohio Stadium. Michigan needed a win to force a co-championship and with a head-to-head win would earn a spot in the Rose Bowl.

U-M quarterback Jim Harbaugh guaranteed a win before the game and delivered a 26-24 victory. The Buckeyes were awarded a nice consolation prize — a Jan. 1 spot in the Cotton Bowl against favored Texas A&M, the champion of the now-defunct Southwest Conference.

Getting to the Cotton was one of Coach Earle Bruce’s best coaching jobs during his time in Columbus. The Buckeyes faced a daunting non-conference schedule to start 1986. It lost the opener, 16-10, to Alabama in the Kickoff Classic in New Jersey then was hammered, 40-7, at Washington.

The next week, OSU — facing a possible 0-3 start — survived a scare against Colorado, 13-10, for its first win. The next week, Utah paid a visit and the Buckeyes won big, 64-6.

When Big Ten play began, OSU found its stride and won seven straight, including a win at No. 11 Iowa, 31-10. Against the Wolverines, the Buckeyes nearly rallied from a 26-17 deficit but kicker Matt Frantz missed wide left on a field goal in the final seconds.

The Buckeyes were led by All-America wide receiver Cris Carter, quarterback Jim Karsatos, defensive back Sonny Gordon, brothers John and Mike Sullivan of Lake Catholic and All-America linebacker Chris Spielman. On Bruce’s coaching staff was Urban Meyer, who was in his first year as an OSU assistant in charge of the tight ends.

The Cotton Bowl had been played 50 times before the 1987 Classic. Never had a Big Ten team kicked off in that game on Texas soil. The buildup leading up to the game had A&M faithful believing the Buckeyes didn’t belong. OSU had different ideas, and its defense delivered an impressive 28-12 victory.

“We played against the 12th man, the waving white towels and in Texas,” said Spielman, who had two interceptions and was voted the game’s outstanding defensive player. “We adapted, we improvised, and we won.”

If the game felt different for those from Big Ten country and the folks from Texas, the Buckeyes did their part making this bowl matchup feel different as well. Bruce roamed the sideline in a suit and fedora and the team came out donned in red shoes.

The defense was different, too. It came out in multiple formations built to confuse A&M quarterback Kevin Murray. It worked as Murray threw a Cotton Bowl record five interceptions — all in the second half.

“It wasn’t what they were doing, it’s what we weren’t doing,” said Murray in the postgame. “Five intercepts. That’s enough turnovers to lose to the Sisters of the Poor. They didn’t whip us. We just didn’t move the ball.”

The game was a struggle on both sides in the first half but Karsatos’ 3-yard run in the second quarter gave the Buckeye a 7-6 halftime lead.

The second half started with a huge play by Spielman, who intercepted a Murray pass on the Aggies’ first possession of the third quarter and returned it 24 yards for a touchdown.

A Vince Workman (13 carries, 45 yards) touchdown run made it 21-6 but a Roger Vick TD run closed to gap to 21-12. Linebacker Michael Kee ended all A&M hopes by returning another pick for a TD — this one 49 yards — and the Buckeyes’ celebration began.

The Cotton Bowl win gave OSU a 10-3 mark, and it was ranked No. 7 in the final Associated Press poll. A&M finished 9-3 and was No. 13 in the final AP poll.

Ohio State has played in the Cotton Bowl just one other time — a 24-7 win over USC in 2017. Only three other Big Ten teams have played in the Cotton — Michigan State, Penn State and Wisconsin.

Missouri vs. Ohio State

What: Cotton Bowl

When: 8 p.m., Dec. 29

Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Records: Missouri 10-2; OSU 11-1

TV: ESPN

Only in big-time college football — where for decades national championships were once awarded by sports writers and polls — can less than 1 percent of members FBS programs qualify for the playoffs and a section of fans are upset expansion is on the way.

Since its inception in 2014, there have been some CFP snubs with the most notable being 11-1 TCU in 2014 and 12-1 Ohio State in 2018.

The omission of 13-0 Florida State to this season’s CFP is undoubtedly the biggest snub of all. Here’s the thing coming from this corner — 12-1 Alabama was better suited for the fourth and final playoff spot over the Seminoles.

That doesn’t mean FSU fans don’t deserve sympathy today. Seminole Nation and college football fans everywhere deserved better. But the College Football Playoff deserved this embarrassment of leaving the ‘Noles on the outside.

For a decade, the FBS dragged its feet with its playoff format and now it’s paying the price as for the first time an undefeated champion from a Power 5 conference has been snubbed. It’s a surprise it didn’t happen sooner.

Help is finally on the way. That’s because the four-team CFP will officially be dead very soon, and thank goodness. It’s been a decade of ridiculousness not having at least an eight-team playoff.

On the way beginning next season is a 12-team playoff with the top four teams receiving first-round byes. The remaining eight teams will be seeded from 5 to 12, with the 12 seed playing at the campus of the 5 seed. Other matchups would be the 11 seed playing at the 6, the 10 at the 7 and the 9 seed at the 8.

Here’s how a 12-team playoff would have looked this season:

Michigan, Washington, Texas and Alabama — in that order — would be  the top four seeds and have first-round byes. First-round matchups would be: 12 Oklahoma at 5 Florida State; 11 Ole Miss at 6 Georgia; 10 Penn State at 7 Ohio State; and 9 Missouri at 8 Oregon.

Old-school college football fans lament this, and the arguments against playoff expansion just don’t make sense. Here’s a few:

• The regular season will now be diminished.

• The regular season is the playoff. And my favorite …

• The regular season won’t be as important as the playoffs now.

Going forward, old-schoolers also lament the significance of big-time rivalry games such as Ohio State and Michigan. Many also insist conference championship games won’t ever be the same.

That’s fair but only to an extent. Had a 12-team playoff been in play this season, Georgia and Alabama could have both felt confident in making the playoff regardless of the outcome in the Dec. 2 SEC championship game. But to say the results of such games in the future will mean essentially nothing because both would have been playoff teams is ludicrous.

Try telling Alabama or Georgia players winning the SEC “means nothing.” Or that a first-round bye in the playoff “means nothing.” Or that securing a first-round home playoff game “means nothing.”

Rivalry games and championship games will always mean something, not “nothing.”

CFP expansion also means more games late in the regular season will have playoff implications. That’s not an opinion. It’s a fact. How an expanded playoff greatly devalues the regular season, rivalry games and championship games make zero to little sense.

First-round byes will be a huge factor starting next season. Having a week off will be an advantage all coaches will want.

Most importantly, a team such as 2023 Florida State won’t ever get snubbed from a playoff spot ever again.

Tell me how that’s a bad thing.

According to reports, QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson — who started Cleveland’s last two games — remains in concussion protocol. That scenario could leave Coach Kevin Stefanski no choice but to start longtime veteran Joe Flacco, who was signed last week.

If that happens, it could bring back memories of Cleveland’s 1988 season, when the team played four quarterbacks after starter Bernie Kosar was lost for the season. The Browns went through Mike Pagel, Gary Danielson and finally Don Strock but gave few excuses. They finished the season 10-6 and made the AFC playoffs as a wild-card team.

The 7-4 Browns are two games back of the 9-3 Ravens in the AFC North, and tied for second in the division with the Steelers. If the season ended today, Cleveland would the No. 6 seed in the playoffs.

The game Dec. 3 at 4:25 p.m. at SoFi Stadium in L.A. has huge playoff implications for both teams. The Rams — at one point 3-6 but now 5-6 — are in a three-way tie with the Packers and Saints and are a half-game out of the last wild-card spot in the NFC.

L.A. has rode the arm of Super Bowl-winning QB Matthew Stafford all season. If Flacco gets the nod, it will be a rare matchup of Super Bowl-winning QBs.

Flacco, 38, is among several Super Bowl-winning QBs in franchise history rostered by the Browns. Others include Trent Dilfer, who won a Super Bowl with the Ravens in 2000 before signing with the Browns in 2005, and Mark Rypien, who guided the Redskins to the Super Bowl crown before joining Cleveland in 1994.

Now the question is if Flacco still has the physical tools to rekindle any of his past glory — or at the very least do enough to get the Browns a much-needed victory over the Rams.

Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt believes the answer is yes. Speaking to reporters Nov. 30 from L.A. (where the Browns have practiced all week), Van Pelt has been impressed with Flacco, who took first-team snaps Nov. 29 and 30. Asked if Flacco’s arm strength is good enough to make all the throws necessary of an NFL QB, Van Pelt said:

“There’s no question. If you put it on a scale of 1 to 5, I’d say he’s a 5,” said Van Pelt about Flacco’s arm strength. “His ball flight, the velocity on the ball at every level of the field is very impressive. The guys got excited. He threw some balls against the scout team last week and the guys in the back were kind of fired up. … The accuracy, the velocity, the footwork, and everything he showed yesterday.”

Getting Flacco in sync with the Browns’ playbook has been a rush job by necessity, and Van Pelt said the veteran QB has been a quick-learner under difficult circumstances.

“It is a challenge but we’re fortunate to have Joe, who’s an established veteran who’s been in multiple systems,” said Van Pelt. “That allows him to kind of easily translate his terms into our terms. There are some crossover terms he’s used in different systems. That definitely helps.”

Browns at Rams

When: 4:25 p.m., Dec. 3

Where: SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles

Records: Browns 7-4, Rams 5-6

TV: WJW; Radio: WKRK-FM 92.3, WNCX-FM 98.5, WKNR-AM 850

The Villa Angela-St. Joseph and John Carroll product was named one of 25 modern-era player semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024. The list was trimmed to 25 from 173 nominees.

In 2018, Fletcher was nominated for the 2019 Pro Football Hall of Fame class but he did not make the list of 25.

He told The News-Herald not making that list was “disappointing,” adding, “I felt like I was a first-ballot Hall of Famer.”

While the disappointment of not making the Hall five years ago was there for Fletcher, he vowed at the time to remain patient.

“It’s going to happen,” Fletcher told The News-Herald. “I can’t wait for it to happen because I deserve it. I was a Hall of Famer. I left it on the field, so I’m looking forward to that day.”

He’s hoping for good news when the 2024 class is announced in February.

While at JCU, Fletcher was a Division III All-America linebacker but the 1998 graduate of the school went undrafted. He  bucked the odds and made the St. Louis Rams’ roster as a street free agent.

One season later, Fletcher was a Super Bowl champion and starting linebacker for the Rams. Not only did Fletcher stick with the Rams, he became one of the NFL’s best defensive players of his era and top ironman.

Fletcher started 215 consecutive games, the most by a linebacker in NFL history. He played in 256 games during 16 seasons with the Rams, Buffalo and Washington.

One of Fletcher’s contemporaries — Ravens Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis — was the standard during both player’s era. Fletcher’s career stats are right there with Lewis.

Fletcher’s 2,038 career tackles are second all-time in NFL history to Lewis. His 1,384 career solo tackles are also second all-time to Lewis. Fletcher also had 39 carer sacks, 23 interceptions, 19 forced fumbles and 12 fumble recoveries.

Next, the 25 semifinalists will be trimmed to 15 players. The 2024 class will be announced ahead of Super Bowl LVIII in February, and will be enshrined in Canton in August.

Other notables on the Nov. 28 list include running back Eddie George, tight end Antonio Gates, wide receiver Hines Ward and others.

If named a Hall of Famer, Fletcher would be the second individual from John Carroll to be enshrined in Canton, joining the late former Dolphins coach Don Shula, the winningest coach in NFL history and a Harvey graduate.

On Nov. 18 in the championship game of the Susquehanna Tip Off Tournament, the guard trio of Luke Chicone (Mentor), Luke Frazier (Lake Catholic) and Chase Toppin dazzled in an 83-73 win over host Susquehanna.

Chicone (24 points), Frazier (24) and Toppin (16) combined for 64 of the Blue Streaks’ 83 points — or 77% of their team’s offensive production. Together, they shot 24 of 44 (54.5%) from the floor.

“We’re working great together,” said Frazier in a phone interview. “(Chicone) is off to great start, and a guy like Chase brings effort and energy every night, and he always has the ability to score for us.”

Frazier’s 24 points is a season-high, and he’s also expanded his game through four games with his rebounding ability. Frazier entered the game averaging just under 10 rebounds a game and added seven more against Susquehanna. He has 35 boards in four games.

“My goal is to try and get 10 rebounds a game,” said Frazier.

Against Susquehanna, it wasn’t as easy as the double-digit result might indicate.

JCU (4-0) trailed by one at halftime, 35-34, but — according to Frazier — an emphasis on defensive pressure helped the Blue Streaks outscore their opponent, 49-38, in the second half.

“I think our team is getting a lot better,” said Frazier, who made 10 of 19 shots from the floor and 3 of 4 from the free-throw line. “The last two games, we’re moving the ball, and the offense is flowing. We’re a little stagnant in the first half, but we came out in the second with a lot of fire. Our main focus was defensively playing better.”

The Blue Streaks’ defense allowed just six points to Susquehanna in the first eight minutes of the second half. That allowed the offense to go on a 21-6 run that turned that one-point deficit into a 14-point lead.

• JCU’s record-setting season in women’s soccer continued Nov. 18 as the squad defeated No. 14-ranked Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1-0, in a Sweet 16 matchup.

Avon grad Meredith Coloain’s goal in the 56th minute was the game-winner.

NDCL graduate Madeline Martin Kosier was a force in net with 11 saves. Kosier was named the Ohio Athletic Conference Goalkeeper of the Year and the OAC Freshman of the Year.

On Nov. 19, JCU’s bid to get to the Final Four ended in a 1-0 to No. 5-ranked Messiah University in an Elite Eight matchup.

The Blue Streaks’ season ended at 16-2-5 this season. JCU in the Elite Eight was the farthest the program has ever advanced in the NCAA Tournament.

Mobley also had 10 rebounds and five assists, and rookie Craig Porter scored a career-best 12 points in 16 minutes for Cleveland, which returned home after a 2-2 West Coast trip. Jarrett Allen had 10 points and five blocked shots.

Cavaliers shooting guard Donovan Mitchell, who is averaging 29.2 points, did not play because of a right hamstring strain.

Cade Cunningham had 20 points and eight assists, and Kevin Knox II had 11 points and 11 rebounds for Detroit. The Pistons have the worst record in the league at 2-11, last winning on Oct. 28 against Chicago.

The Cavaliers improved to 1-1 in East Group A, while Detroit is 0-3. The Pistons have lost six in a row to Cleveland at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and six straight overall in the series.

Detroit rookie Ausar Thompson had nine points and 10 rebounds, and Jaden Ivey and Isaiah Stewart each scored 11 points. Stewart grabbed 10 boards as the Pistons’ starting frontcourt combined for 31 rebounds.

Strus scored 13 in the first quarter and ignited the sellout crowd in the second with a thunderous slam over Thompson. Cleveland made 17 of its first 23 shots and built a 16-point lead before carrying a 59-45 advantage into the half.

Detroit pulled to 75-71 late in the third, but Garland buried a 3-pointer to quell the threat. Garland had 10 points in the quarter and Cunningham had five points and three assists.

The Pistons were without starting center Jalen Duren, who missed his third straight game with a sore right ankle. Swingman Joe Harris sat out his sixth in a row with a right shoulder sprain.

Up next

Pistons: Visit Toronto on Sunday afternoon.

Cavaliers: Host NBA champion Denver on Sunday night.

Once his drive cleared the right-field wall in the bottom of the 11th, two innings after Corey Seager’s tying two-run homer, García thrust his right arm high into the air as he started a trot around the bases that ended with him being mobbed at home plate — and a 6-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks to start this surprise World Series of wild-card teams on Oct. 27.

“He’s on another planet,” Rangers rookie Josh Jung said. “Every time he steps into the box it’s like, grab your popcorn. … I have no words. It’s just like, wow.”

Miguel Castro entered to face García with one out, and the Cuban slugger known as El Bombi drove a 3-1 sinker the other way into the second row of seats beyond a leaping Corbin Carroll. It was García’s second RBI of the game, setting a record for most in one postseason with 22.

García has homered in five consecutive games, tied for the second-longest streak in postseason history, and he delivered the first walk-off homer in the World Series since Max Muncy connected leading off the 18th inning of Game 3 for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018 against Boston and Nathan Eovaldi — who started for the Rangers in this one.

“It was an exciting moment,” García said. “I was just looking to the dugout, looking at all my (happy) teammates.”

García, the AL Championship Series MVP, also had an RBI single in the first following rookie Evan Carter’s run-scoring double. He finished with three hits and reached base five times.

He was hit on the left hand by a 92 mph fastball in the ninth but shook it off and promptly stole second base.

“I got lucky that it’s nothing worse,” García said.

In the first extra-inning game of this postseason, Texas became the first team to win a World Series game when trailing by multiple runs in the ninth since the 2015 Kansas City Royals in their clinching Game 5 against the New York Mets.

Game 2 is Saturday night in Texas, with Merrill Kelly scheduled to pitch for Arizona against Jordan Montgomery.

Seager tied it in the ninth when he drove closer Paul Sewald’s fastball deep into the right-field stands with one out after the inning began with No. 9 hitter Leody Taveras drawing a walk.

“Everyone just started jumping for joy,” García said. “We were able to exhale.”

Normally pretty stoic, Seager had another emphatic show of emotion this postseason, immediately turning and yelling toward the dugout with the ball headed for the seats. He thrust both arms into the air when he rounded first base.

“He might have turned it up a notch, to be honest. He saved us there,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. “You can see it in him. He gets everybody fired up.”

José Leclerc retired all six batters he faced for the win, and five Texas relievers combined for 6 1/3 scoreless innings.

The blown save for Sewald, first in seven chances this postseason, was the first glaring blip for a Diamondbacks bullpen that’s been brilliant in October.

“It’s frustrating. This is how the game goes sometimes. And we’ve got to find a way to be resilient and adaptable and come out with a clean mind and do our best,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. “I have every reason to believe we will. We’ve done it a lot this year.”

Seager’s tying shot was similar to the solo homer he hit in Game 7 of the ALCS at Houston four nights earlier, and the reaction was as well. That one put the Rangers ahead to stay in the series clincher, with the All-Star shortstop giving a massive hand slap to third base coach Tony Beasley and jumping in the dugout with his teammates.

“Very emotional times. He hit those balls so hard. If I did that, I’d be screaming, too,” Texas second baseman Marcus Semien said.

“This is fun. This is playoffs. This is kind of what it’s all about,” Seager said. “It was a cool moment, for sure.”

Game 1 of the World Series went to extra innings for the second year in a row — which had never happened. Unlike the regular season, there are no automatic runners placed at second base to start extra innings in the postseason.

Arizona had a 4-3 lead after Tommy Pham hit a tiebreaking homer leading off the fourth. An inning later, Ketel Marte’s RBI double matched a record by stretching his postseason hitting streak to 17 games. Marte is the only player to get a hit in each of his first 17 postseason games.

Carroll hit a two-run triple for the Diamondbacks and dashed home on Marte’s grounder in the third. Texas tied it in the bottom half when Zac Gallen walked Mitch Garver with the bases loaded.

Gallen made it through five innings with a gritty effort for Arizona after the NL All-Star starter trailed 2-0 only four batters into the game. He equaled his season high with four walks.

Ryan Thompson, Joe Mantiply and Kevin Ginkel each pitched a scoreless inning before Sewald entered.

Two seasons after both teams lost more than 100 games, the Diamondbacks and Rangers are matched up in the third all-wild card World Series — and first since 2014.

These runnin’ Diamondbacks had four stolen bases, and their 20 this postseason are the most by any team since the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays set the record with 24. Arizona even had quite a rarity in its three-run third inning, when it had a sacrifice bunt, a triple and a stolen base.

Eovaldi’s eight strikeouts were the most by a Texas pitcher in a World Series game, but the big right-hander allowed five runs over 4 2/3 innings after giving up only five runs total while winning his first four starts this postseason.

Both teams got this far after having to win Games 6 and 7 of their respective League Championship Series on the road, which had never happened in both LCS matchups since those series expanded to a best-of-seven format in 1985.

“It’s going to be a really good series,” García said.

Now and then

Evan Longoria’s single for Arizona in the third matched his hit total in the 2008 World Series, when as a rookie with the Rays he finished 1 for 20. He became the first position player in MLB history to appear in a World Series 15 years after first playing in the Fall Classic. He also became the fourth player with a World Series hit at both age 23 or younger AND 38 or older. The others: Eddie Murray, Pee Wee Reese and Willie Mays.

Do you one better

García’s walk-off homer came 12 years to the day after David Freese hit a game-ending shot in the 11th inning for the St. Louis Cardinals against Texas in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series. That was the game when Texas was twice within one strike of winning the title before Freese tied the game with a two-out triple in the ninth. Freese had 21 RBIs that postseason, the record García broke.

Up next

Kelly, a 35-year-old right-hander, is 2-1 with a 2.65 ERA in three postseason starts.

Montgomery pitches for the Rangers on normal rest after the left-hander threw 2 1/3 innings Monday in relief to win Game 7 of the ALCS against Houston. The 30-year-old trade-deadline acquisition and pending free agent is 3-0 with a 2.16 ERA this postseason.

In 2021, Amherst residents Alan and Stephanie Thompson and Chuck Daughtery decided to join forces with businesses in downtown Amherst to spruce up Halloween in the area. Their Lorain County Comic Show and Food Drive was the first attraction with trick-or-treaters invited to visit the businesses.

It was a popular hit, and they are hoping for the same on Oct. 28.

The comic book show is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 255 Park Avenue in Amherst. Trick or treat is from 4 to 5 p.m. The more than 10 vendors at the show will be passing out candy as well. Doors open at 9:30 a.m. for those bringing food donations only.

Among other vendors are Eric Anderson of Comics Are Go in Sheffield and Jamie Stewart of Phat Daddy’s Comic’s and Collectibles in Amherst.

According to Daugherty and Thompson, the show will feature “tens of thousands of comic books, collectibles and prizes.” Items there will vary from expensive collector comics to affordable ones.

Admission is free but to be eligible for the items to be raffled, a non-perishable food item is required. The more food items, the more tickets a person gets.  Parking is also free.

The first food drive for the first Lorain County Comic Show in 2019 collected enough items to feed more than 1,000 meals, according to the Thompsons. The 2020 show was cancelled because of COVID-19 but it came back in a big way in 2021 as enough food was donated to provide more than 15,000 meals.

Thompson and Daugherty originally began the Lorain County Comic Show in Amherst during the spring but moved it to Halloween to try something different and continue the food drive to benefit the community.

On Oct. 28, the weather forecast could not be better for this time of the year. Temperatures are expected to be in the mid-70s with little to no threat of rain.

Downtown Amherst features several restaurants, boutiques, a single-screen movie theater with discounted ticket prices and a bowling alley.