The 2023 Diamondbacks are a good example to count on the underdog
Oct 26, 2023, 5:10 PM | Updated: Jan 31, 2024, 11:33 am
The Arizona Diamondbacks made the World Series as a surprise. That they made the playoffs at all, got past the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Wild Card round, swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS and won two road games in Philadelphia to close out a full seven-game NLCS went against every expectation.
Now, they are once again fighting against the odds in the World Series against the Texas Rangers.
The Diamondbacks have been doubted all season
Prior to the start of the season, the D-backs were +12500 to win the World Series. Arizona’s over/under win total was set at 75.5 games to begin 2023.
It was the humans as well as the machines who were counting out the Snakes.
The Diamondbacks were projected by ESPN’s analytical model to have an 18% shot of making the playoffs, and although The Ringer’s Zach Kram called Arizona his surprise team, he didn’t have them making the postseason.
The D-backs were +425 to make the playoffs entering the year, according to SportsOddsHistory.com.
By the All-Star break, the D-backs’ World Series odds had shortened to +2500, but as they cooled off during the dog days of August, the team’s odds grew to +4000 to win the World Series by the time they limped into the wild card series.
That was despite an 84-win regular season that outpaced the preseason win total figure by nearly double-digits.
The Diamondbacks were road underdogs against the Brewers, Dodgers and Phillies in each of their series. Only three wins of their 9-3 record this postseason came at Chase Field, a testament to how much they’ve overcome hostile environments.
As the World Series at Globe Life Park begins on the road for the D-backs again, they remain underdogs, according to FanDuel.
Games will be played Friday and Saturday in Arlington before the D-backs return to Chase Field for Game 3 on Monday.
