Arizona Diamondbacks win National League pennant, head to World Series
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From left, Ketel Marte, Christian Walker, Emmanuel Rivera and Tommy Pham celebrate their Game 7 win Photo: Elsa/Getty Images
The Arizona Diamondbacks are headed to the World Series after defeating the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night.
State of play: In an epic Game 7 matchup, Arizona beat the Phillies 4-2 in Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park to clinch the National League pennant for the second time in franchise history.
- The D-Backs jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning, only to see the Phillies tie it up with a solo homer from Alec Bohm an inning later to take a 2-1 lead
- Corbin Carroll and Gabriel Moreno hit a pair of RBI singles in the fifth to retake the lead for Arizona, and Carroll added another run in the seventh with a sacrifice fly.
- Paul Sewald closed it out in the ninth, getting Philly's Jake Cave to fly out to right field for the final out.
Zoom out: The National League Championship Series looked like it was going to be over quickly after the Phillies took the first two games, including a 10-0 whupping in Game 2.
- But Arizona evened up the series at home, then managed to snag the last two wins in Philadelphia, where home-field advantage had helped the Phillies rack up a 12-2 postseason record over the past two years heading into the NLCS.
What's next: The D-Backs will face the Texas Rangers in the World Series.
- Texas beat the Houston Astros — the reigning World Series champs who beat the Phillies in last year's Fall Classic — in a decisive Game 7 win on Monday night.
- Game 1 of the World Series is Friday at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
- The series comes to Phoenix on Monday for Game 3.
Why it matters: The D-Backs' improbable run to the National League crown is one of the great success stories in the franchise's 26-year history, rivaled only by their epic World Series win in 2001.
- This was their third trip to the NLCS and their second to the World Series.
- Tuesday night's win was only the second Game 7 in team history. The first ended with the D-Backs celebrating their World Series title over the Yankees.
Between the lines: Arizona went 3-1 against the Rangers this season and go into the World Series with a three-game win streak against them.
- Yes, but: The high-powered Rangers are on a tear, having scored 39 runs in their seven games against Houston. The D-Backs scored 21 against Philly.
Context: Arizona began its season with modest expectations, and to say the D-Backs exceeded them would be the understatement of the year.
- They were anticipated to improve upon last year's 74-88 season — a 22-win leap from their dismal 2021 campaign — but weren't viewed as a contender for a playoff spot.
Of note: Preseason betting odds had Arizona as the 11th likeliest of the 15 NL teams to get to the World Series.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that the Arizona Diamondbacks franchise is 26 years old, not 23.
