Pittsburgh Bettors Cash In as Pirates Complete Improbable Sweep of Dodgers in LA

The Los Angeles Dodgers (33-17) have been a huge favorite to win the World Series all year.  They currently sit at +475 in the WynnBET Sportsbook, and that still might be a good bet.  This team is loaded. Yet, they don’t sit at the top of the MLB standings. After the last three nights, they aren’t even atop the NL.   

Conversely, the Pittsburgh Pirates (22-27) are a scrappy team, with a few established young players and a rotating cast of up-and-comers, has-beens, and some that never-were.  For context, the Pirates are +3000 to just make the playoffs.  Yet, a team with no hope of playing in October took down the ultimate, World-Series or bust franchise.   

The Pirates found themselves in LA and took some inspiration from Lebron and his “not one, not two, not three" approach. They only won three, but that’s more than Lebron’s Heat did.  

Pittsburgh was a massive underdog in all three games of the series, so we did the math. If a bettor put $100 on the Buccos at the start of the series, took their winnings after each game, and bet it on the moneyline, they would be up just under $1,800 after three games!

This was the first time the Dodgers have been swept this year.  The last time they’ve been swept at all was June 2021, almost a full calendar year ago.  They haven’t been swept at home since 2018, and the last time the Pirates swept the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium was the year 2000.  That was before I was born.  

Last night, it was Josh VanMeter not John Vander Wal, with the first RBI. Bryan Reynolds showed why his All-Star game appearance from a year ago was no fluke, with a 2-run home run and a nice throw from centerfield to nail Gavin Lux at the plate. The biggest contribution though, came from an unlikely source. Rodolfo Castro came off the bench to record his first four RBI of the year and provided the much needed insurance.

Castro then recorded the final out to complete the six-game season series between Pittsburgh and LA and the Dodgers are thankful for that.  The Pirates went 5-1 in those games, all of which took place in May.  Maybe this is a great sign for the Pirates going forward and a springboard towards .500.  Maybe this is a sign that the Dodgers have a few chinks in their armor. Or maybe... this was just three really fun games out of 162 for a fanbase dying for any glimmer of hope.