10 fun facts from G2: Pham joins Pujols as only players to do this

ARLINGTON -- World Series Game 2 may not have had as much drama as Game 1, but it still provided plenty of fascinating context. From a four-hit game by Tommy Pham to a sparkling outing by Merrill Kelly, there are a lot of fun notes.

Let’s dig in. Here’s a look at 10 stats and facts from Game 2:

1) After a home run in Game 1, Pham produced again on Saturday, becoming the 18th player in World Series history to go 4-for-4 in a game. He was the first to do so since Pablo Sandoval in his three-homer performance in Game 1 in 2012. The only other instances in the Wild Card era were Matt Holliday (2007) and Tim Salmon (2002), each in a Game 2.

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2) Pham now has three career postseason games with at least four hits, tied with Albert Pujols for most in postseason history. Two have been in 2023, making him the sixth player with multiple such games in a single postseason. He joined Kiké Hernández (2021), Eddie Rosario (2021), Pujols (2011), George Brett (1985) and Robin Yount (1982). Pujols is the only one of that group with three.

3) The D-backs combined for 16 hits, the most in a World Series game since the Giants had 16 in 2014 Game 4. The only other team to reach that mark in the last 20 World Series was the Red Sox, with 17 in 2007 Game 1.

4) They also barely struck out, doing so just twice at the plate. The D-backs became the third team to strike out two or fewer times in a World Series game in the Wild Card era, joining the 2010 Rangers in Game 2 (two) and 2002 Angels in Game 2 (none). Only five other teams have had at least 15 hits and two or fewer strikeouts in a Fall Classic game: those '02 Angels in Game 2, the 1987 Twins in Game 6, 1928 Yankees in Game 4, 1912 Giants in Game 7 and 1910 A’s in Game 3.

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5) Gabriel Moreno hit his fourth homer of the postseason in the fourth inning. That’s tied for the second-most as a catcher in a single postseason, behind only Sandy Alomar Jr.’s five (1997). It was the D-backs’ 12th home run by a player age 23 or younger, breaking a tie with the 2015 Cubs for the most in a single postseason.

6) Speaking of his youth, at 23 years and 256 days, Moreno became the fifth-youngest player with a World Series home run as a catcher. He was older than only 1970 Game 2 Johnny Bench (22 y, 308 d), 1934 Game 5 Bill DeLancey (22 y, 313 d), 1964 Game 5 Tim McCarver (22 y, 362 d) and 2010 Game 4 Buster Posey (23 y, 218 d). Posey’s was also in Texas against the Rangers.

7) Ketel Marte was 0-for-4 before an eighth-inning single extended his hitting streak to 18 games, the longest in postseason history. He broke a tie with Manny Ramírez (2003-04), Derek Jeter (1998-99) and Hank Bauer (1956-58). And Marte has done this to start his postseason career.

8) It wasn’t all hits, though. The D-backs became the first team with three sacrifice bunts in a World Series game since the Cardinals in Game 5 of the 2011 World Series, also in Texas. They were the first team to win a World Series game with at least three sacrifice bunts since the A's in 1974 Game 1. Only one team had a game with three this year in the regular season: the D-backs, on May 6.

9) As great as the offense was, so was Kelly, who went seven innings with nine strikeouts and no walks. Only four pitchers have had more strikeouts with no walks in a World Series game: 2017 Clayton Kershaw (11), 1949 Don Newcombe (11), 2009 Cliff Lee (10) and 1903 Deacon Phillippe (10) -- all in Game 1s. Phillippe’s was the first World Series game.

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10) With the split in Arlington, this is the 11th consecutive World Series that will not end in a sweep, with the last one coming by the Giants in 2012. Eleven consecutive World Series without a sweep is the second-longest stretch in World Series history, behind a 12-year streak from 1977-88 that saw no teams record a World Series sweep.