It is not the strong team that survives, but the team that survives is the strong one. This phrase often appears in short-term games such as the postseason. It implies that a team that focuses its efforts and achieves victory is a truly strong team. From that perspective, the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks, who survived all the way to the World Series, are ‘really strong teams.’
Texas and Arizona will clash in the 2023 World Series. Starting on the 28th (Korean time), the best-of-seven World Series will be held. How many people expected the two teams to face each other in the World Series before the postseason opened? Considering regular season performance and basic strength, Texas and Arizona were expected to struggle. The prevailing view was that they would be eliminated in the Wild Card Series.굿모닝토토
When I opened the lid, it was different. Although they received the lower seed and played the Wild Card Series with the disadvantage of traveling, they showed their potential and passed the first hurdle. Texas, which holds the 5th seed in the American League, defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in the Wild Card Series. They defeated Tampa Bay, a strong team with 99 wins in the regular season, twice on the road and advanced to the division series. Arizona, which entered the postseason as the 6th seed in the National League, defeated the Milwaukee Brewers in the Wild Card Series. As expected, they achieved a surprise upset by winning two consecutive away games.
Texas and Arizona defeated teams that recorded more than 100 wins in the regular season in the division series. They defied expectations of absolute inferiority and ended the series cleanly with three consecutive wins. Texas completely defeated the Baltimore Orioles, the team with the highest winning percentage in the American League, and Arizona inflicted despair on the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team that won the same division. Both teams recorded 5 consecutive wins without losing once in the Wild Card Series and Division Series
A similar move was seen in the Championship Series. This time, the team declared victory after a close battle. Texas faced the Houston Astros, and Arizona faced the Philadelphia Phillies. They faced a crisis as they were down by 2 wins and 3 losses until the 5th game. However, like a lie, we succeeded in turning things around by winning games 6 and 7. This time, they won the away game and secured a ticket to the World Series.
Survived, survived, survived again. Now only the final gateway remains. It’s the World Series. Texas and Arizona, who have produced upset after upset from the Wild Card Series to the Championship Series, will compete in the final game of fall baseball in 2023. No matter who wins, a miracle occurs. Attention is being paid to which ‘strongest team’ will survive until the end.