Diamondbacks’ comeback turns to heartbreak as Paul Sewald falters late

Arizona, down 3-2 in the top of the ninth inning against the Texas Rangers, scored three runs to take a 5-3 lead before turning the ball over to closer Paul Sewald to seal both the game and the series. Instead, Sewald blew his first save opportunity of the season, and despite being pulled after allowing the tying run to score, Juan Morillo surrendered the winning run on his first pitch in a 6-5 walk-off loss.

The collapse struck a nerve among fans because Sewald had been perfect in save opportunities entering the night. Still, lingering concerns remained around his command and pitch location. The closer relies on only two pitches: a fastball and a sweeper.  His fastball, which averages just 91.5 mph, generates enough spin to make it difficult for hitters to track, while his sweeper features sharp movement at around 85 mph.

The issue, however, is that both pitches are thrown in the strike zone more than 50% of the time, according to Baseball Savant. Too often, fans felt, Sewald flirted with danger by leaving fastballs elevated or catching too much of the plate.

On Wednesday, those fears came true — and the ending felt hauntingly familiar.

Many fans pointed to the similarities between Wednesday’s loss and the D-Backs’ Game 1 defeat in the 2023 World Series against the same Rangers team, in the same stadium and in the same inning, when Sewald also lost a late 5-3 lead before Texas walked it off in extra innings after Corey Seager’s game-tying homer.

Wednesday’s loss does not carry World Series stakes, but it further fueled frustration for a team already struggling to keep pace in the National League West. Arizona entered the series searching for momentum during an offensive skid, only for what could have been a statement win to instead become a crushing series loss.

Now, the bigger concern is whether Wednesday’s collapse becomes a one-game setback or permanent anxiety surrounding Sewald in close games moving forward.