The Spire

Tony Alfonso ’24

Staff Writer

 If this World Series matchup shows us anything, it is that baseball is totally unpredictable. Going into the playoffs I thought it would be a Phillies-Astros WS, and though I was off by a game in each Championship series, that means I was off by a lot in baseball terms. I mean, who could have predicted that after Jose Altuve hit that homerun in game 5 to give the Astros the lead (and an eventual 3-2 series lead), that they would have gone completely cold in games 6 and 7? Who could have predicted that the Arizona Diamondbacks—a team who we thought was just a cool little story around the All Star break—would not only make it to the World Series, but clinch the pennant in Philadelphia of all places with a mascot that is literally named after what the fans are: “Phanatic.”

So, you might think that by the title I am discounting the adversity that the Rangers went through. I certainly do acknowledge it, but for three reasons, I find the Diamondbacks to be a more appealing option: 

1. History 

You might say that the history of the franchises in the World Series is irrelevant to the outcome of what is going on in the present, especially when each franchise hasn’t been to a WS in over a decade. But then why don’t you tell that to the fans? Then ask the players about the impact of the fans on them. If there is anything that we learned from Red October in Philadelphia it is that players are very much aware of their team’s history and what goes through the head of the fans, and on a historical level, the two franchises in the World Series are on different parts of the spectrum.  

The Diamondbacks met success in the earliest stages of their franchise, winning the World Series in just their fourth year of existence (2001). It couldn’t have been more magical for them as they walked off the greatest closer of all time in game 7. For the Diamondbacks, the World Series brings nothing but excitement—nostalgia of the great baseball stories. For the Rangers, they remember their two year run of going to the World Series in both 2010 and 2011. They lost to the Giants in 2010, but 2011 is the one that sticks with them – the one that gives them PTSD over a man named David Freese and the memory of being one out away in game six not once, but twice. 

2. Team of Destiny 

You can’t tell me that this 2023 Diamondbacks team doesn’t remind you of the 2017 Yankees. A wildcard team, a young star in Corbin Carroll, and a team that seemingly loves to have their back against the wall. The only difference between this Diamondbacks team and the Yankees is that they are a better version. Somehow, someway, they managed to win both games 6 and 7 in a rough environment in the NLCS where the Yankees fell cold back in Houston. They managed to get over the fact that their young star struggled a little bit in the postseason, and they silenced everybody in Philadelphia. There isn’t a true star on the team – they just have a cast of characters that know how to win. It is extremely hard to find, but in the history of baseball, that seems to be a solid formula for winning a World Series. 

3. They have the best fans in the World Series

If you have seen a game on TV, you know that sneakily the Diamondbacks have a rowdy fanbase. Watch the entire 2001 World Series. You’re not going to find a fanbase that is much better when its team makes it to the Fall Classic. And let’s be honest for a second: the Rangers’ fanbase is pretty tame. They say they want to win, but it never feels like they really mean it, probably because they’ve been disappointed to the highest degree in the past. Another reason may be because some of them became Astros fans. Whatever the reason is, it’s clear that the Rangers don’t have much of an advantage at Globe Life Park. That’s easy to judge just based on their series with Houston in the NLCS – they didn’t win a single game at home. To me, the Diamondbacks, along with that fanbase behind them, just wants it more, while the Rangers are cursed. And, in baseball, curses last much longer than 12 years.