2023 NLCS: Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Philadelphia Phillies

Kimbrel might be a good pitcher, but he absolutely terrorises the fanbases of every team he is on.

ATL
SDP
BOS
CHW
CHC
LAD
PHI

I don't know about ATL and SDP, but the rest of them I saw much talk online of "how is this man still playing for our team". It was so rough having him on the Dodgers

that one was outside the zone as well

look how sweaty craigs arm is. i thought the stadium was air conditioned

Sorry, terrorises not a good word to use about baseball right now, my bad

that was K-Rod's thing too I remember a couple of those seasons in Milwaukee I'd swear his ERA was like 5+ but when you look it up it's 2.5

I actually hitched my ride to the Phillies because I feel that fan base deserves it this year. But when Kimbrel is pitching I seen to root against him

Wasn't expecting that

fuck me

ohhh shit

But Arizona is now in the lead

Good game

When a local station was showing one of Moreno's HR earlier in the playoff, the newscaster said "Jays fans, you might want to close your eyes."

Everybody (Dbacks Back, Alright) 🎵

lol felicity

The 80s were the best

Marsh validated

the fix is in

I know they're a great feel-good story, but I really would rather not end up with Arizona in the WS.

i'm a schwarbeilever

He really is something in the playoffs

alright here we go

looks likely the astros are there so whatever, lets go dbags

Oh lord trea, that was the one

Nooooo trea

It could not end like that

:(

Astros Phillies would be good, Astros Diamondbacks would just be weird

Wow

Whatever, I might not have liked the results but this was a great day of baseball

OTM

yeah both those games ruled

I actually cannot believe the 2023 diamondbacks are about to play a game 5 NLCS game. What a baseball thing to happen

what’s bill p gonna write now - too many lead changes in these playoff games?

Oooooh no they’re calling out kimbrel by name on the speakers with the post game hahaha. That’s got to hurt

great save

(xpost) Joe? He was right on before today--today was what he was clamoring for, I'm pretty sure..

Baxter has a message for all of us following this game

https://content.mlb.com/assets/images/2/7/2/259179272/cuts/1280x1024/cut.jpg

The only good thing about Arizona in the WS for me is that it will force me to up my Immaculate Grid game.

As an NL-west guy and therefore someone with the most reason to not want the dbags in the World Series, I don’t understand how you could not want it! Assuming they keep playing this way, and assuming the astros don’t win it, it’d be an incredibly fun fall classic

if it's them in Astros they better win, scrappy underdog team humiliated by dominant postseason force is not really fun to watch

it is definitely not fall in phoenix. the dbacks are a team against god.

Agreed

To frogs, but probably to you as well 龜

It would be a long explanation, a few hundred words--I knew this would puzzle people so I was thinking it through in advance--but the short version is that I get that it's baseball, that baseball playoffs aren't like the playoffs in any other sport, and that the world's decided I'm supposed to just grab on and enjoy the spectacle. But I have this quaint notion that whoever wins, I should be able to make a credible case to myself that it's one of the best, I don't know, half-dozen teams in baseball. Your earliest impressions are the ones that are hardest to let go, and--primarily because of the limited playoff schedule, obviously--for the longest time starting in 1970, that was true. Even when you get to a team like the '87 Twins, it at least felt like a team, with a couple of Hall of Famers and a bunch of Hall of the Good/Very Good-types. (Like the Giants of the 2010s, winning a second title made the first feel more legitimate.)

I just don't get anything out of the D-Backs. They won 84 games and were outscored.

(Yes--that's the short version.)

Maybe, with their young guys, it's the beginning of a great team. Maybe I'll see them differently in a year or two.

Fair enough. As a kid, I get excited by the concept of chaos and the young bucks setting themselves and the sport on fire as they challenge every rhyme and reason just by continuing to win. As mentioned on another thread, I do think wins are devalued by the current play off format, but essential to any sport is the idea that the worst team could beat the best team at any moment, and I would think most would agree that when that happens? You get some of the most entertaining games possible. When that happens on the biggest stage, well, we’re in for a treat.

Also, it’s not like we have any of the best teams in baseball left around this post season, so whatever, let the “worst” one win it

(Like the Giants of the 2010s, winning a second title made the first feel more legitimate.)

♥️

And then something I never expected, they did it again in 2014. Astonishing really. Bochy really did push all the right buttons

I get the appeal. I watched G2 of the '73 Series, one of the wildest and craziest (and messiest) ever. And if the 82-win Mets had won that series--they came within one game of doing so--I probably would adjusted to the current climate a lot sooner.

This is all a pipe dream, the Phillies are going to take this. Good story, like so many that came before.

Also FWIW, I do think the 2023 DBacks are a good team. They lead the NL west until July, after which they made some great trades (Sewald, Pham), not giving up in a division filled with the Dodgers, competing at that time Giants, and the "who knows?" billion dollar Padres. They bet on themselves without being foolish (A la Angels) and it's paying off. I don't think they're merely getting lucky. I don't think their wins are undeserved. I think they're a team that was smart with there resources, and that have superstar quality that is all popping off at the right time (truly, the only secret to post season success)