Arizona, which was classified as an ‘underdog’, pulled off an upset by advancing to the World Series (WS) stage.
Arizona defeated the home team Philadelphia 4-2 in the final 7th game away game of the National League Championship Series (NLCS) held at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA on the 25th (Korean time). Arizona, with a series record of 4 wins and 3 losses, entered the World Series for the first time in 22 years since its first win in 2001.
Arizona once again brought to mind the saying, “Baseball never knows until the end,” as it produced surprise after surprise in this postseason. Arizona, which ranked second in the National League West Division with 84 wins, 78 losses, and a winning percentage of 0.519 in this regular season, barely advanced to the postseason after receiving the last 6th seed in the wild card.
However, they defeated Milwaukee, the winner of the National League Central Division, in the wild card game, and in the division series, they caused a surprise by beating the powerhouse LA Dodgers, who had won a whopping 100 games in the regular season and were crowned the Western Division, with three consecutive wins.
Arizona, which faced last year’s World Series runner-up Philadelphia in the NLCS, was initially evaluated as weak. However, when the lid was opened, the two-stroke balance was not easily broken, and in the end, after a close match that went all the way to the final 7th game, the underdog’s rebellion was realized, upsetting many expectations.
As Arizona advanced to the World Series for the first time in 22 years, the local atmosphere was reminiscent of a festival. Arizona’s Phoenix ABC broadcast covered the news of advancing to the World Series as breaking news, and the largest sporting goods retailer in Arizona began selling World Series-related goods.
In particular, the business hours of this business were 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., but on this day, the closing time was extended to midnight, and the next day’s business was said to start at 7 a.m., three hours earlier than usual.
The Arizona Phoenix ABC broadcast also showed Arizona advancing to and winning the 2001 World Series. This video also included a dynamic pitching scene from ‘BK’ Kim Byeong-hyeon 토토사이트(44), who was active as Arizona’s closing pitcher at the time.
In 2002, Byung-Hyun Kim, who was also in charge of the team’s closing role, displayed salty pitching with 8 wins, 3 losses, 36 saves, and an ERA of 2.04, and was honored with being selected as a Major League All-Star for the first time in his career. His nine-year major league career records include 394 games, 54 wins, 60 losses, 86 saves, and an earned run average of 4.42.
Thanks to this impressive performance, Kim Byeong-hyun’s photo is hung in the baseball museum located in Chase Field, the home stadium of Arizona Phoenix, and his name is still talked about in various media as the best closing pitcher in the club’s history.
The 2023 World Series, which pits Arizona, which is seeking its second World Series championship, and Texas, which is thirsty for its first championship since its founding, will be played with 4 wins out of 7 starting on the 28th.