This Year's Super Bowl Matchup Mirrors the World Series Matchup From a Decade Ago
On Sunday, both the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs clinched their spots in the Super Bowl. It will be the third time in four years that Kansas City has played in the big game (2019 season vs. SF, 2020 season vs. TB, 2022 season vs. PHI). They are seeking their third title in that time period.
For the 49ers, it will be their second appearance in that time frame. They lost to the Chiefs in the 2019 season. The game was played in 2020 right before the pandemic shut everything down.
While the football game and the surrounding storylines are cool, this also gives us a chance to tie it back into baseball.
As the Chiefs and 49ers meet in 2024, it reminds us that exactly a decade ago, Kansas City (Royals) and San Francisco (Giants) met on the diamond for a championship.
In that series, the Giants won in seven games, capturing the title four-games-to-three. It was the last of the three titles won in San Francisco for then-manager Bruce Bochy. Madison Bumgarner was named the World Series MVP. Pablo Sandoval hit a robust .429 for San Fran.
As for the Royals, the loss certainly stung, but that appearance in the Fall Classic revitalized the community from a baseball perspective, and the Royals went onto win the World Series the following year by defeating the New York Mets.
That is Kansas City's last appearance in the playoffs.
We'll see who gets the better end of this Super Bowl, and then it's off to spring training.
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