The World Series Outcome Was Astonishing-and, Frankly, Obscene

"It's an astonishing outcome for a team that has been the center of years of discourse about whether they have "ruined" baseball by acquiring so many of the game's best players and putting them on the game's biggest payroll. They haven't, for the record. But the Dodgers are eminently hateable villains now, even though Shohei Ohtani's smile and skill make him impossible to dislike."

"The Dodgers are villains because it absolutely sucks to watch a baseball team have this many dumb, bullshit things go right for itself at the exact right moment. There is "making your own luck," and there is living the charmed life that the Dodgers lived in this World Series. As a fan of a baseball team that is neither competently run nor trying on an ownership level to win championships, I don't resent the Dodgers for being an attractive destination for the best players."

The Los Angeles Dodgers secured a 5-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays to become the first repeat World Series champions in 25 years. The roster combines high-profile free-agent signings — including Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Freddie Freeman, and Mookie Betts — with homegrown talent developed through a strong minor-league system, exemplified by catcher Will Smith. The team's success generated intense resentment because an extraordinary sequence of favorable events and timely outcomes amplified perceptions of unfair advantage. Observers characterize the postseason run as unusually fortunate, with many specific moments swinging decisively in the Dodgers' favor.

Read at Slate Magazine