The Cardinals came into last night’s game with a well-deserved reputation of Hottest Team In Baseball. They won 17 in a row in September, turning a close Wild Card race into a non-race Wild Card gathering. They went from barely above .500 at the beginning of September to a 90-win team on the strength of that win streak, with Nolan Arenado rounding into shape, joining Paul Goldschmidt as theoretical offensive threats who now had become actual offensive threats.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, were the second best team in baseball in the regular season. By run differential, they were number one, but regardless, they had a great season (for a second place team). And while they weren’t just as hot as the Cardinals down the stretch, they were pretty damn close:
There’s a difference between 19-3 and 17-3, but it’s not a big one. Give the Dodgers two more games, and they probably hit 19-3 too. If those two games are against the Padres, they get to 20-2. Don’t ask me how, but we all know it’s true.
The Cardinals have Devil Magic on their side. The Dodgers have overall skill at baseball. So who won?
Naturally, it was [FILL IN WINNING TEAM].
We should have known that [WINNER] would prevail, because that’s how baseball works. You should always bet on [TALENT/THE HOT HAND]. How many times have we seen this happen since becoming baseball fans? Two teams meet, one that should be better and one that’s on fire, and the [BETTER/HOTTER] one comes out ahead. Giants fans in particular know this from the 20[12 WORLD SERIES/14 DIVISION SERIES], when they prevailed over the [TIGERS/NATIONALS} because they were [BETTER/HOTTER].
While the game was on, it was tense and dramatic. Way too long, sure, and some of us had to be up early in the morning and had to write about it before it was over, but it was a good game. Watching it, it felt like either team could win, but in retrospect, of course it was [WINNER]. For inning after inning, the two pitching staffs were shutting down the other team, evenly matched in a 1-1 duel that for some reason took 4 goddamn hours to get to the 9th inning, but you knew in the end the [DODGERS/CARDINALS] were going to take it.
There was just no avoiding it. There was a lot of talent in the other dugout, sure, but when you’re as [GOOD/HOT] as the [DODGERS/CARDINALS], you’re going to find a way to win. There’s just something about [AN ANDREW FRIEDMAN TEAM/THE MYSTIQUE OF THE CARDINALS UNIFORM] that means that you just know, at the end of the night, they’re going to come out on top on the biggest stage.
I mean, can you even imagine the [CARDINALS/DODGERS] winning that game? It’s a preposterous thought now, with the benefit of hindsight. Were the baseball gods going to deny us a Giants/[DODGERS/CARDINALS] matchup? These two historic rivals were destined to meet in the playoffs this year, just like in [1951 AND 1962/1987, 2002, 2012, AND 2014], [AND I KNOW THAT THOSE SERIES ARE OFTEN COUNTED AS REGULAR SEASON SERIES, BUT THEY FILLED A SIMILAR PURPOSE TO THIS UPCOMING ONE, SO I’M COUNTING THEM/THREE OF WHICH WERE COOL].
So what do we take away from this? Mostly that narratives are powerful things. You may think that you can fight them, but as the [DODGERS/CARDINALS] showed us last night, there’s always a team of destiny that is going to advance. Whether that team [WON 106 GAMES/HAD A 17-GAME WINNING STREAK] during the regular season or just snuck their way in, they’re going to be a formidable opponent. But so will the Giants. You don’t get the best record in baseball by accident, and here’s to a great series against a tough opponent.
Everyone thinks I’m classy now, right? Good.
Man, I really hope the Giants beat the shit out of the [DODGERS/CARDINALS].
This is some of your best work