A tale as old as time. The team with all the history of winning versus the team who has defied logic and reason to get to where they are at. This isn’t David against Goliath, but something more complex. This isn’t just an underdog story because of a talent disparity or lesser expectations, but a story of overcoming history that sets a preemptive disadvantage. Even without a side of true fandom, the story engages us, as it forces us to decide who we root for. You either side with the dynasty, the winners, and the force that cannot be reckoned with. You respect their innate greatness and honor the consistency of success because it is so rare. Or, you throw all your chips in and are not afraid to be hurt. You play with fire and ride or die with the destiny, believing in the feel good story and knowing that if a sports team can defy odds and change the landscape, then maybe so can you. The realist versus the dreamer. The straight bet versus the parlay. The Destiny versus the Dynasty.
This story is not something we are unaccustomed to, though. In fact, it is one of the core rivalries in the storied history of both this nation and sports. Hell, the United States of America is built on a consortium of 13 unproven, unknown colonies who banded together in a revolution against the dynastic British Empire. In this case, destiny won.
Or maybe we turn the clock forward a bit to 1980, when the US Olympic hockey team shocked the world when its crew of college kids took down the four-time defending gold medalist Soviet Union hockey team. The Soviets hadn’t lost an olympic hockey game since 1968 before that day, and yet, again, the dynasty fell.
How about those 2017-18 Philadelphia Eagles? Led by a backup quarterback in Nick Foles, the birds rolled into the 2018 Super Bowl to face none other than Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. To say the Eagles were underdogs would be a misrepresentation of the word, as not only did they lack advantage in Vegas, but the belief in the team was solely for the hatred of the Patriots or the hope for history to be made. But, once again, destiny prevailed.
Surely, there have been other examples of this rivalry where destiny lost. The upstart Atlanta Falcons blew a 28-3 lead to the Patriots in the Super Bowl just one year prior to the Eagles run. The most recent NBA Finals saw the Boston Celtics return for the first time since 2010 to face the Golden State Warriors, who are widely considered as one of the greatest basketball dynasties ever assembled. The Warriors only cemented that legacy with a dismembering of Boston’s finest.
Even the 2014 Kansas City Royals, who helped define the new-age bullpen and moneyball tactics with their incredible run to the World Series, couldn’t get past the even-year juggernaut that was the 2010’s San Francisco Giants’ teams.
The moral of this story, though, is that both sides are remarkable because both sides are memorable. Teams of destiny are the building blocks of some of the wildest sports memories and they fill our cups with joyous, speechless and unforgettable moments. Dynasties are legacies cemented and provide us with the symbol of greatness, longevity, and sustainable success in sport. Is it inherently wrong to root for either one?
This brings us to the Phillies and the Astros. These two are the perfect main characters in yet another classic chapter of this never-ending novel.
The Phillies entered the 2022 MLB Postseason with as much uncertainty as any playoff team the sport has ever seen. As the first ever six-seed in the National League and the 2nd-worst record of any team to make the 2022 postseason, they were lucky to participate in the first place. The Phillies have endured a manager change, an injury to their best player, and beginning the month of June eight games below .500. Yet, here they are. Against all odds, Here. They. Are. They have taken down two different division champions, including the reigning World Series champions, and have now put themselves in the position to be four games away from claiming the crown.
The Astros entered the 2022 MLB Postseason with almost the exact opposite narration. They dominated the regular season, they dominated the AL West, and they dominated the American League. Their lone moment of serious doubt was in Game 1 of the ALDS, and that was immediately erased by Yordan Alvarez’s shot heard ’round the world. The Astros have appeared in the last six American League title rounds and now embark on their fourth World Series in those six seasons. The Astros have lost ONE game since the start of October and have won seven straight heading into the World Series, having yet to lose a postseason game.
This is the Phillies first trip to the World Series since 2008, their first trip to the postseason since 2009. They have two teams in their division who won north of 100 games and finished 14 games out of first place. Their 87 wins are tied for fifth-lowest of any team in MLB history to win a pennant. Their 19-win differential between them and the Astros is the largest differential between World Series opponents since 1906. The Astros will throw two starters who will both finish inside the top five in AL Cy Young Award voting along with a bullpen that has allowed two earned runs this entire postseason. And, don’t forget, that almost the entire Astros team has been in this moment and on this stage before. Everything tells you, logically, that the Astros SHOULD win this series. But…
That feeling in your gut tells you “What IF?”
What if Bryce Harper plays at a level never seen before by a superstar on this stage? What if Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler are the better starting pitcher duo in this series and not Justin Verlander and Framber Valdez? What if THIS Phillies team has some unexplainable, undeniable, majestic force that guides them like a well-timed gust of wind and no amount of logic and reason could stop this team from winning?
It can’t be explained. Yet, unless you are an Astros fan, it will be more painful than rewarding to root against the Phillies this series. Throw aside any allegations of cheating or any other notions one may have about this Houston Astros team. I promise you, that isn’t what this is about. This is about that feeling in your gut that you cannot deny. It’s the feel-good story that hits deeper than your traditional underdog plot-line. It’s about the reason why you cheered for the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks to beat the Yankees. It’s about why you cheered for this exact same Houston Astros team back in 2017 before they became the juggernaut.
It’s the same reason why you cheered against the New England Patriots.
So, when it hits 8:03 ET on Friday Night, and you turn your TV on to watch this year’s rendition of the Fall Classic, you’ll be watching a story you have seen so many times before. It might look different, have different characters, even display some different colors. But, assure yourself this: this isn’t just Phillies and Astros, this is more. This is Nick Foles and Tom Brady. This is USA and the Soviet Union. This is the 13 Colonies and the British Empire.
This… is Destiny and Dynasty.
