The 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) World Series can be summarized as an “upset” – a lower-seeded uprising.
The American League (AL) champion Texas Rangers and the National League (NL) champion Arizona Diamondbacks were the last teams in their respective divisions to lose more than 100 games in a season just two years ago.
In the major leagues, Arizona (52-110, .321 winning percentage) was tied for last place with the Baltimore Orioles in 2021, while Texas (60-102, .370 winning percentage) was 28th just above them.
According to MLB.com on Saturday, this is the first time that two teams have reached the World Series two years after finishing with 100 losses.
Only the 1914 Boston Braves (Atlanta’s predecessor), 1967 Boston Red Sox, 1969 New York Mets, and 2008 Tampa Bay Rays have reached the World Series after a 100-loss season the year before.
Of those, only the Braves and Mets went on to win a championship ring.
If either Texas or Arizona wins this year’s World Series, it will be the first time in 54 years since 1969.
Other records reflect the “underdog” mentality of both teams.
Last year, Texas (68-94, .420 winning percentage) and Arizona 온라인카지노 (74-88, .457 winning percentage) had a combined winning percentage of 0.438 (142-182), the second-lowest in World Series history.
The 1991 Atlanta Braves and Minnesota Twins’ previous season’s combined winning percentage of 0.429 ranked last.
Separately, Texas has the third-lowest prior season winning percentage (0.420) among all World Series teams. Arizona (0.457) is tied for 17th.
Expanding the scope to the three seasons prior, Texas and Arizona rank fourth (150-234-0.391) and fifth (151-233-0.393), respectively.
The trajectories the two teams have taken this season to overcome those deficits are similar.
After an early and mid-season surge that saw them tied for the AL and NL West lead as of July 1, they adjusted and finished the regular season in second place in the division.
Texas and Arizona, who began fall baseball with the wild-card game, each faced 100-win teams in the division series.
But the momentum was not lost. Texas defeated Baltimore (101 wins and 61 losses) and Arizona swept the Los Angeles Dodgers (100 wins and 62 losses).
In the Championship Series (best-of-seven), both teams also defeated last year’s division champions, the Houston Astros (AL) and Philadelphia Phillies (NL), in seven-game thrillers.
Texas and Arizona both came back from three games down to win Games 6 and 7. It’s the first time that both teams have come from behind to overturn a 3-2 deficit in both leagues. 온라인카지노사이트