Historical Moments:
1998: On March 31st with 50,179 fans overflowing Bank One Ballpark, the Arizona Diamondbacks
play the first regular season game in their franchise history, against the
Colorado Rockies. However, the Rockies win, 9-2, but not before Travis Lee collects
Arizona's first hit (a first-inning single), first homer, first run and
first RBI. The Diamondbacks would get their first win on April 4th with a
3-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants. There was not much success for the
first year team their best play comes during a 7-gam winning streak as August turned
into September. The D-backs would go on to finish in last place with a typical
65-97 expansion record.
1999: To be more competitive the Diamondbacks add several key acquisitions, which is highlighted
by the Free Agent signing of Randy Johnson, once of the most dominating
pitchers in the history of baseball. Another key acquisition was OF Luis Gonzalez
whose early 37-game hitting streak helps set the pace for the Diamondbacks
to battle for the pennant race. The Diamondbacks were a team that refused to
quit and this was exemplified on 3 consecutive nights in May when the Diamondbacks
won games against the Montreal Expos on walk off Homers. On May 10th it was
2B Jay Bell, On May 11th it was Luis Gonzales, and on May 12th it was 3B Matt
Williams. By the middle of the season it was clear the Diamondbacks were for real,
with Randy Johnson well on his way to picking up the Cy Young Award. The Diamondbacks
would not only challenge for the Western Division Title, but they would
win it by a comfortable 14-game spread with an impressive 100-62 record, becoming
the fastest expansion team to make the playoffs. The Diamondbacks would
go on to face the New York Mets in the NLDS. In the team's first post-season game,
ant the BOB, Arizona drops an 8-4 decision to the Mets, with Edgardo Alfonzo's
9-inning grand slam, his second homer of the day, making the difference.
The next night the Diamondbacks will notch their first postseason win thanks
to a 4 hit effort by Todd Stottlemyre. However the D-Backs would lose the series
in 4 games when Todd Pratt playing in place of an injured Mike Piazza hit a
series ending walk of homer in the 10th inning just out of reach of Gold Glover
CF Steve Finley's valiant try.
2000: In April Randy Johnson pitches what might have been the best first month in baseball
history, going 6-0 with a 0.91 ERA, including 3complete games and a pair of
shutouts. Johnson would go on to win his 2nd straight Cy Young, and would also
record his 3,000th career strike out. The Diamondbacks would also add more potency
their pitching with the midseason acquisition of Curt Schilling for the Philadelphia
Phillies. However, Schilling would only pitch mediocre baseball in the
final 2 months of the season as the injury-depleted line up struggled all season.
The D-Backs would go on to finish in 3rd Place with an 85-77 record. Seeing
it as a disappointment, the team fires Manager Buck Showalter, and replaces
him with broadcaster Bob Brenley.
2001: With Curt Schilling in camp for a full-season and healthy he gave the Diamondbacks
one of the most pwerful1-2 pitching combinations in baseball history. Along with
Randy Johnson, the two ace pitchers dominate the NL all season finishing 1-2
in almost every major pitching category. While Schilling fell just 7 short of
300 strikeouts, The Big Unit would come within 11 of the all-time record with
372. The two would go on to finish 1-2 n the Cy Young voting with Johnson getting
the nod the earn his 3rd straight Cy Young. While Johnson, and Schilling were
dominating NL hitters Luis Gonzalez was having a career year smacking 57 homers,
and driving in 142 runs, both were good enough for 3rd in the NL. Also helping
to improve the offense was newly acquired Mark Grace, whose steady 1B and hitting
helped get the D-Backs into playoff contention. The Diamondbacks pull out
in front in August, and over the final 6-weeks of the season held the San Francisco
Giants at arms length to claim the Division Title by 2 games with a 92-70
record. In the NLDS the Diamondbacks would face the St. Louis Cardinals. The
Diamondbacks would get off to a good start as Curt Schilling pitched a complete
game 3-hit shutout to earn the D-backs a 1-0 victory in Game 1. Randy Johnson
would struggle in Game 2 and the series shifted to St. Louis tied at 1 apiece.
Trailing 2-1 in Game 3, Craig Counsell who only hit 4 homers in the regular season
smack a 3-run Homer in the 7th Inning to give the Diamondbacks a 5-3 win. However,
the Cards would bounce back again, and would send the series back to Arizona
for a decisive 5th game. Once aging Schilling dominated the Cardinals allowing
jut 1 run in 9 innings, but the Snakes needed a 2-out RBI single in the bottom
of the 9th from Tony Womack to bring home the series-winning run. In
the NLCS the Diamondbacks would face the Atlanta Braves. With Johns, and Schilling
winning a total of 3 games the D-backs would take the series in 5 games.
Light hitting Craig Counsell who's 4 RBI in Game 4 proved to be the back breaker
was named LCS MVP.
2001: In the World Series the 4-year old Arizona Diamondbacks would take on the 26-time
World Champion New York Yankees. In the Diamondbacks previous 3 season the Yankees,
had been crowned World Champions at the end of each season. The odds appeared
against the upstart team from the desert, but their 1-2 pitching punch of
Randy Johnson, and Curt Schilling would prove to be an equalizer. Schilling and
Johnson would shut down the Yankees in the first 2 games at the BOB, and would
go to New York up 2-0 in the series. After the Yanks edged them 2-1 in Game 3
the D-backs put the ball in the hands of Schilling for Game 4. Schilling would
shutdown the Yanks, and with the score 3-1 in the 9th Inning the D-backs appeared
to have a stranglehold on the series. However, Snakes closer Byung-Hyun Kim
would yield a 2-out game tying HR, and would give up another 2-out blast in the
9th to allow the Yankees to tie the series at 2 games apiece. In Game 5 Miguel
Batista would shut down the Yankees all game long and gave the D-backs a 2-0 lead
heading to the 9th. However, Kim would melt down again allowing another game
tying HR, as the Yankees rallied to take the game in extra inning and take a
3-2 series lead. After losing 2 straight heartbreakers to the Yankees the Diamondbacks
returned to the desert trailing 3 games to 2. A lesser team would already
be mentally out of the series, but with Johnson, and Schilling on the mound
the D-backs knew they had a fighting chance. Due to the September 11th terrorist
attacks the series would enter November for the first time, and it was already
shaping up as one of the best Fall Classic of all-time. In Game 6 the D-backs
would slaughter the Yankees 15-2, which allowed Randy Johnson to converse some
of his energy just in case he was needed for the decisive Game 7. The 7th game
would feature a match up of Curt Schilling and Roger Clemens. The two aces pitchers
would duel scoreless until the 6th Inning when the D-backs gained a 1-0 advantage.
However, the Yankees would rally and would take a 2-1 lead in the 8th
Inning off a tiring Curt Shilling. Already leading 2-1 the Yankees had a runner
on 2nd, and 2 -outs Randy Johnson was brought in to keep Arizona in the game.
Johnson would freeze the runner at 2nd, and would retire the Yanks in order in
the 9th Inning to give the D-backs a fighting chance down 2-1. However, with Mariano
Rivera baseball's most dominant closer on the mound, a comeback still looked
like a long shot. Mark Grace would lead off the 9th with a sharp single up
the middle; Pinch Runner David DeLucci would replace him at 1st. Damian Miller
up to bunt, hits the ball to hard but Rivera throw was in the dirt, and Arizona
had runners on 1st and 2nd with nobody out. After Jay Bell failed bunt forces
DeLucci, at 3rd Tony Womack comes up with his 2nd big hit of the season smacking
a double down the RF line to tie the game and put the winning run on 3rd. After
Craig Counsell is hit by a pitch the bases were loaded for Luis Gonzalez with
1 out. Gonzo who came through out the season came through again with a bloop
single to center to send Jay Bell home with series winning run, giving the 4-year
old Diamondbacks their first World Series Championship. Randy Johnson who became
the first pitcher to win 3 World Series game in 33 years, and Curt Schilling
spilt Series MVP honors.
2002: Coming of their World Championship the dynamic duo of Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling
were unhitable again finishing 1-2 in Cy Young race, with Johnson emerging
with his record tying 4-straight Cy Young. The D-backs would win the NL West
for the 3rd time in 4 years by posting a solid 98-64 record. However, as the season
wound down the Diamondbacks postseason heroes from the year before Craig Counsell
and Luis Gonzales were lost to injury. Playing without their leading offensive
player in Gonzales the Diamondbacks were swept in 3 straight games by the
St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS.
2003: The Diamondbacks would find themselves behind the eightball early as their dynamic
duo of Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling struggled before going on the disabled
list. Despite neither ace posting winning record or winning 10 games the D-Backs
would stay in the race for the wild car until September, as rookie Brandon
Webb helped fill the void left by the struggles of Schilling and Johnson, with
a solid 2.84 ERA. However, Webb himself would struggle in the final month as the
Diamondbacks faded, finishing in 3rd place with a record of 84-78.
2004: To bolster their offense the Diamondbacks acquired Richie Sexson from the Milwaukee
Brewers for Lyle Overbay, Junior Spivey, Craig Counsell and Chad Moeller. Sexson
would get off to a good start with 9 homer runs in April. However as the first
month came to a close Sexson would suffer a shoulder injury. After missing
3 weeks he would attempt to comeback only to injury it worse which would lead
to season ending surgery, limiting him to just 23 games. Sexson would not be the
only injury the Diamondbacks would suffer as Luis Gonzalez would later be lost
to an elbow injury, as the Diamondbacks roster began to take on a Triple A feel.
Except of course when Randy Johnson pitched as a year after he was felled by
injury he was the Unit of old surpassing 4000 career strike outs early in the
season, and pitching a Perfect Game against the Atlanta Braves on May 18th. When
Johnson threw his perfect game the D-Backs were struggling with a 15-23 record,
and no idea just how bad things were about to get. After a win the following
day the Diamondbacks would win just 2 of their next 12. Things would only get
worse in June as they endured an 11-game losing streak, which would cost Manager
Bob Brenley his job. Under replacement Al Pedrique things would only get worse
as the D-Backs lost 19 of their first 21 including 14 straight completing a
dreadful 5-23 July. The Diamondbacks would go on to finish in last place with a
miserable 51-111 record. Despite the horrible record Randy Johnson managed a solid
season with a 16-14 record and 2.60 ERA with a league high 290 strike outs.
As the disastrous season wound down the Diamondbacks began to make drastic changes
as CEO Jerry Colangelo was replaced by former Super Agent Jeffrey Moorad.
2005: After losing 111 games there was no place else to go but up as the Diamondbacks who
under went an ownership change also changed the team on the field as they allowed
Richie Sexson to sign with the Seattle Mariners while reacquiring Craig Counsell
and signing slugger Troy Glaus. To reshape the pitching staff the Diamondbacks
would sign Shawn Estes and Russ Ortiz while trading Randy Johnson to the
New York Yankees for Javier Vazquez, and minor league prospect Dioner Navarro
who they later traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Shawn Green. However, the
off season was not without its own embarrassment as the search for a new Manager
ended up blowing up in GM Joe Garagiola Jr's face after Wally Backman was hired
and fired within in a few days after a background check revealed legal and
financial troubles in Backman's face that the organization found too embarrassing.
Eventually the Diamondbacks would settler on Bob Melvin recently fired by the
Seattle Mariners as their new skipper. Under Melvin the new Diamondbacks would
play solid winning baseball in April as they were also bolstered by the return
of Luis Gonzalez who would hit 24 homers with 79 RBI as the Diamondbacks used
the home run ball to their advantage as newcomers Glaus and Tony Clark each slugged
more than 30, while Shawn Green and Chad Tracy were each over 20, as the
D-Backs were 30-22 at the end of May. However, a June swoon would strike at an
inopportune time as the Diamondbacks won just 9 of 28 games. Despite playing sub
.500 ball the Diamondbacks were in the race as the entire NL Western Division
struggled with all 5 teams below .500 for most of the final two months, as August
saw the Diamondbacks struggle again as their pitching was often exposed as
their weak underbelly. On September 20th the Diamondbacks sat in 3rd place with
a 67-83 record as all hope for a division title was all but lost. However, the
D-Backs would not give up as they hung in as long as possible sweeping the Los
Angeles Dodgers twice and taking 2 of 3 against the eventually Division Champion
San Diego Padres, as they finished strong winning 10 of their last 12 games
to get 2nd place with a 77-85 record that marked a 26-game improvement.
2006: As some of the Diamondbacks top prospects like Connor Jackson began to establish
themselves as the foundation of the future, players like Troy Glaus were dealt
away to the Toronto Blue Jays for Orlando Hudson, as the D-Backs got younger and
more talented. One player having a break out year was Brandon Webb who posted
a 16-8 record and a 3.10 ERA to earn Cy Young honors in the National League. However,
the season was not smooth sailing as after Webb the Diamondbacks struggle
to find any consistent pitching, as Orlando Hernandez who was acquired in the
off-season for Javier Vasquez struggled, before being traded to the New York
Mets in May. Ironically the D-Backs would later acquire El Duque's brother Livan
Hernandez from the Washington Nationals; Livan would pitch well down the stretch
posting an ERA of 3.76 with a record of 4-5 in 10 games. Meanwhile the Diamondbacks
had to deal with a steroids scandal when reliever Jason Grimsley was busted
for receiving Human Growth Hormone in a FBI sting. Grimsley would retire
from baseball, as accusations of players named in a FBI interview hung like a dark
cloud over the D-Backs during June, as the Diamondbacks who were in first place
lost 20 of 23 games in June. The Diamondbacks would never fully recover as
they ended up stumbling their way to a 76-86 record that had them tied at the
bottom of the NL Western Division.
2007: With Brandon Webb anchoring a solid pitching staff that featured the return of Randy
Johnson, who was reacquired from the New York Yankees. the Diamondbacks entered
the season with a new look featuring a red and black color scheme, and renewed
hope. Early on the D-Backs played well starting the season with wins in seven
of their first nine games. However, inconsistency marked the next month, as
two five game losing streaks sandwiching a six game winning streak had their fortunes
going up and down. Johnson, who won four Cy Youngs would not see much action
as a sore back limited him to just 10 games, in which he posted a 4-3 record.
Meanwhile, the young stars came into their own, as the team became affectionately
known as the "Baby Backs" rose to the top of the NL West powered by an
8-game winning streak. One young pitcher who rose to be one of the Diamondbacks
most reliable starters was Micah Owings, as he often delivered the winning hit
in his own starts, becoming the first pitcher since the DH era to have two four
hit games in the same season. The Diamondbacks being so young still had fits
of losing as they struggled heading into the All-Star Break, but an 8-game winning
streak at the end of July helped lift the Diamondbacks again, as they were
in first or close to first place most of the season. The Diamondbacks would go
on to win the division with a 90-72 record that was actually the best mark in the
mediocre National League. In the NLDS against the Chicago Cubs, the Diamondbacks
were a slight underdog as the Cubs entered the playoffs as the sentimental
favorite. However, the young D-Backs were not much for sentimentally as Brandon
Webb pitched a solid game giving the D-Backs a 3-1 win in the opener. In Game
2 it was the young Backs offense that led the way, as Chris Young erased an early
2-0 Cubs lead with a 3-run home run in the 2nd Inning, as the Diamondbacks
took a 2-0 series lead with an 8-4 win. Young would strike again as the series
shifted to Wrigley Field, hitting a lead off homer as the D-Backs completed the
sweep with a 5-1 win behind Livan Hernandez. In the NLCS against the streaking
Colorado Rockies, the Diamondbacks found themselves in an early hole as Jeff Francis
out dueled Brandon Webb to give the Rockies a 5-1 win in Game 1. Needing
a win in Game 2 the D-Backs battled the Rockies into extra innings, however, closer
Jose Valverde who saved 47 games during the regular season lost control of
the strike zone as he walked three straight hitters in the 11th inning to force
home the winning run as the Rockies took a 2-0 series lead with a 3-2 win. As
the series shifted to Colorado the Diamondbacks could not get back on track as
the Rockies continued to steam roll through the National League completing a
four game sweep by silencing the Diamondbacks bats. |
