Stark: Do you believe in miracles? The highly unlikely tale of the 2019 World Series champions

From SABR member Jayson Stark at The Athletic on October 31, 2019:

Do you believe in miracles? You should. Here’s all the proof you need that miracles happen in sports: The Washington Nationals just won the World Series. Just don’t try to explain how. That’s the miraculous part.

They just completed a journey unlike any that has been completed before. They just spent their season and their October doing things that no team has ever done. And then, for their final act – in a wild Game 7, on a shocking Wednesday evening in Houston – they won one more game they couldn’t possibly win, which finished off one of the greatest upsets in the history of the World Series. That’s all.

Do you believe in miracles? Well, when it’s the seventh game of the World Series and you’re getting one-hit in the seventh inning by a future Hall of Famer – against a 107-win juggernaut that needs just nine more outs to start comparing itself to the ’27 Yankees – you don’t need to consult the Win Probability charts to understand what a preposterous formula that is for winning that game, let alone that World Series.

Read the full article here (subscription required): https://theathletic.com/1339869/2019/10/31/stark-do-you-believe-in-miracles-the-highly-unlikely-tale-of-the-2019-world-series-champions/



Originally published: October 31, 2019. Last Updated: October 31, 2019.