The Arizona Diamondbacks meet the Texas Rangers in a long shot World Series, a matchup that had 1,750 to 1 odds when wagering opened last fall. But in an era when 12 teams make the playoffs, sustained excellence over the six-month regular season has become a boarding pass, not the journey. The World Series opens Friday night at Globe Life Field. Major League Baseball has its third all-wild card meeting, a Grand Canyon vs. Lone Star finale of second-place teams played in air-conditioned ballparks under retractable roofs — potentially the first all-indoor World Series.