Arizona Diamondbacks, powered by 20 former Reno Aces, are headed to the World Series

The Arizona Diamondbacks, powered by 20 former Reno Aces, are headed to the World Series are beating the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 7 of the NLCS on Tuesday night.

The Diamondbacks, who opened the season at 125-1 odds of winning the World Series, are one of the most unlikely teams in MLB history to reach the Fall Classic.

Arizona finished 16 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West and were the final NL wild card team in the newly expanded playoffs, besting the Chicago Cubs by one game. Had the Diamondbacks played in the American League, it would have missed the playoffs by a full five games.

Arizona's 84 wins are the third fewest for a World Series participant, ahead of the 83-win Cardinals in 2016 and 82-win Mets in 1973. The Diamondbacks were outscored by 15 runs this season, the second-worst run differential for a World Series participant ahead of only the 1987 Twins (minus-20).

But Arizona has buzzed through the playoffs, sweeping the Brewers, 2-0, in the wild-card round; sweeping the Dodgers, 3-0, in the divisional round; and overcoming 2-0 and 3-2 deficits to beat the Phillies, 4-3, in the championship series. The team was largely powered by former Reno Aces, the team's Triple-A franchise.

Corbin Carroll, who played 33 games in Reno in 2022, went 3-for-4 with two runs, two RBIs and two steals in the Game 7 win. Ketel Marte, the NLCS MVP who set an MLB record with a hit in his first 16 playoff games, played 70 games with the Aces in 2017. Game 7 starter Brandon Pfaadt made 22 starts for Reno over the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Against the Phillies, he allowed two runs over four innings while striking out seven. He got the game's biggest out, striking out Johan Rojas with the bases loaded to end the fourth. At the time, Arizona trailed, 2-1.

Pfaadt was asked after the game to describe the journey of being in Reno three months ago and now playing in the World Series.

"You really can't," Pfaadt said. "It's unbelievable. To think that was three months ago and now that we're here, it's unbelievable. I think (I was) just being competitive and going out there and pitching my ballgame. The coaching staff has been great to help me get to where I want to be. It's been a long journey, but it's all paying off."

Another former Ace, Kevin Ginkel, came up big in relief for Arizona in Game 7. With runners on first and second with one out and Arizona leading 4-2 in the seventh inning, Ginkel entered the game to face Trea Turner and Bryce Harper, the Phillies' two best hitters. He got both to fly out to center to end the rally before striking out the side in the bottom of the eighth. Gabriel Moreno, who had a brief two-game rehab stint with the Aces this season, also was key in Game 7, going 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Other former featured Reno players to play a big role in Arizona's playoff run include starting position players Geraldo Perdomo, Alek Thomas and Christian Walker, who was the 2017 Pacific Coast League MVP with the Aces.

Arizona will face Texas in the World Series starting Friday. Both teams lost 100-plus games two seasons ago before rapid turnarounds have delivered them to this moment. Texas has never won a World Series; Arizona won the 2001 World Series, its only appearance in the Fall Classic.