The Diamondbacks have become one of the worst spring training teams in history to win the pennant after beating the Phillies in Philadelphia in Game 7 on Tuesday night.
Arizona entered the season as +12500 underdogs to win the World Series with a win total of just 75.5. Their odds to even make the playoffs was at a consensus of +430, meaning a $100 bet would have won $430 for making the Wild Card round.
Longest Preseason World Series Odds, Make Final — Since 1985
+ 1991 ATL 200-1 — L
+ 2008 TB 150-1 — L
+ 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝐀𝐑𝐈 𝟏𝟐𝟓-𝟏 (𝐈𝐅 𝐖𝐈𝐍!)
+ 2006 DET 100-1 — L
+ 1991 MIN 80-1 — W
+ 2007 COL 75-1 — L
+ 2003 FLA 75-1 — W
+ 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝐓𝐄𝐗 𝟓𝟎-𝟏
+ 1987 MIN 50-1 — W pic.twitter.com/3lZfWW1dZh— Evan Abrams (@EvanHAbrams) October 24, 2023
If the Diamondbacks pull the upset off against the Rangers, they'd become — easily — the longest team to ever win the World Series. As it stands, they're the third-longest team in history to win a pennant in either league, behind the 1991 Atlanta Braves and the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays.
Diamondbacks NL pennant bettors were paid out with ridiculous +5000 odds if you had waited that long without hedging. A $100 bettor would have won $5,000.
Meanwhile, the Rangers are among the longest teams to make it to the World Series, too. Texas had been a preseason +5000 underdog to win it all, good for the eighth-longest team to ever win a pennant.
