The Arizona Diamondbacks aren’t supposed to be still playing.
But here they are, dancing late into October with a World Series matchup on deck against the Texas Rangers — Game 1 can be seen on FOX and the FOX Sports App.
Arizona’s run is legendary, especially for bettors.
The Diamondbacks started the season at +12500 to win the title, making them one of the biggest underdogs ever to make the World Series. This means Arizona backers who put $10 on the team to win the World Series before the season will cash a ticket worth $1,250 if the Snakes can win it all.
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Let’s dive into the team’s improbable season from a betting perspective.
At the conclusion of the 2023 regular season, Arizona had won 84 games and lost 78. It was tied for the worst record of any team that made the playoffs, finishing 16 games behind the 100-62 Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.
But that was then, and this postseason is now.
The D-backs started their playoff run with a wild-card date against the NL Central-winning Brewers. Milwaukee was a big favorite to win that series at -180. Arizona sat at +150.
Just a few days later, the D-backs had swept the Brewers on the road in two games.
Next, it was L.A. in the NLDS — a nightmare matchup for Arizona.
How much of a nightmare? Over the past four regular seasons, the Diamondbacks were 15-46 against the Dodgers.
But again … that was then.
The Dodgers entered the NLDS as heavy -210 favorites — the D-backs entered as +175 underdogs — but shockingly, Arizona steamrolled L.A. in three games, outscoring it 19-6 during a three-game sweep, landing an NLCS matchup with the defending league champion Philadelphia Phillies.
Arizona — could you have guessed? — was once again the underdog entering the series at +145. Philly was favored at -170.
However, after going down 2-0 in that series, the D-backs won four of the next five, including Games 6 and 7 in Philadelphia, to earn their first World Series berth since 2001.
“Once you get into the big dance, anything can happen,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said before Tuesday’s Game 7 win at Philly. “Throw it all out the window. The teams that get in deserve to be in.”
Entering the Fall Classic, Arizona is once again the underdog, as Texas — which beat Houston in Game 7 of the ALCS on Monday night — is the -170 betting favorite. The D-backs come in at +145.
In addition, Major League Baseball has its third all-wild card meeting, a Grand Canyon vs. Lone Star finale of second-place teams played in air-conditioned ballparks under retractable roofs — potentially the first all-indoor Fall Classic.
Both prior all-wild card matchups went seven games. The Los Angeles Angels beat the San Francisco Giants in 2002, and Bruce Bochy’s Giants defeated the Kansas City Royals in 2014 for their third title in five years.
Texas and the Diamondbacks are both two years removed from last-place finishes and 100-loss seasons.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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