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World Series and NFL set for rarity with same two cities battling in both leagues on same night
This almost never happens
By John Breech
Nov 3, 2022 at 3:06 pm ET • 3 min read
The NFL and the World Series have been played on the same day plenty of times throughout history, but it rarely ever goes down like this: For just the seventh time ever, the two leagues will be going head-to-head on a night where the opposing NFL teams and MLB teams are from the same cities.
Basically, it's going to be a crazy night for everyone in Philadelphia and Houston. The night will start with the first pitch of Game 5, which will be happening in Philadelphia at roughly 8:03 p.m. ET. Twelve minutes later, the NFL's Thursday night game between the Eagles and Texans will be kicking off from Houston.
The fifth game of the World Series wasn't originally scheduled for Thursday night, but after Game 3 got postponed due to rain Monday, the MLB had to quickly modify the World Series schedule, which pushed Game 5 from Wednesday to Thursday. With the series tied 2-2, this is obviously a pivotal game in the series.
Although it's rare to see two cities in this exact situation, it's not completely unprecedented. Here's a look at the five prior times where it's happened since 1960. It also happened once in 1932 (via ESPN Stats and Info).
Oct. 9, 1960: New York vs. Pittsburgh
World Series: Pirates at Yankees
NFL: Steelers at Giants
Notes: The Giants topped the Steelers, 27-24, in a thriller, but New York didn't complete the city sweep because the Pirates beat the Yankees, 3-2, in Game 4 of a series that the Pirates won in seven games.
Oct. 12, 1975: Boston vs. Cincinnati
World Series: Reds at Red Sox
NFL: Patriots at Bengals
Notes: The Bengals destroyed the Patriots, 27-10, on their way to a 6-0 start in 1975, and Cincinnati came up with the city sweep by beating the Red Sox, 3-2. To make things even better for the city of Cincinnati, the Reds ended up winning the World Series in seven games in a year during which the Bengals made the playoffs for just the third time in franchise history.
Oct. 16, 1988: Bay Area vs. Los Angeles
World Series: Athletics at Dodgers
NFL: 49ers at Rams
Notes: You don't have to count this one if you don't want, but we're counting it here. The 49ers beat the Rams, 24-21, but L.A. got the bigger win on the baseball diamond with the Dodgers beating the A's, 6-0, in Game 2. Although the Dodgers ended up winning the World Series, the Bay Area did get a title in 1988 with the 49ers winning the Super Bowl.
Nov. 1, 2009: New York vs. Philadelphia
World Series: Yankees at Phillies
NFL: Giants at Eagles
Notes: The last time Philadelphia was involved in one of these double-headers, things went well for the Eagles, but not so well for the Phillies. The Eagles thrashed the Giants, 40-17, but the Phillies ended up falling to the Yankees, 7-4, in Game 4 of a series they lost four games to two.
Oct. 23, 2011: Arlington/Dallas vs. St. Louis
World Series: Cardinals at Rangers
NFL: Rams at Cowboys
Notes: The Rangers and Cowboys did a Texas two-step on the city of St. Louis. First, the Cowboys beat the Rams, 34-7, and that was followed later in the day by the Rangers beating the Cardinals, 4-0, in Game 4. Of course, the Cardinals got the last laugh on everyone because they ended up winning the World Series in seven games.
In four of the five prior instances, the baseball team that won on the double-header night ended up winning the World Series. On the NFL side, three of the five teams that won eventually made the playoffs.
According to oddsmakers over at Caesars Sportsbook, there's a good chance we're going to see a split between the two cities Thursday night. In the World Series, the Astros are -160 moneyline favorites over the Phillies while the Eagles are 13.5-point favorites over the Texans.
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