Arizona Diamondbacks

Lore & Background

After a fifth-place finish in their inaugural season, the Diamondbacks made several off-season acquisitions, including future Hall of Fame pitcher Randy Johnson, who won four consecutive Cy Young Awards in his first four seasons with the team. In 1999, Arizona won 100 games and their first division championship. In 2001, they won the World Series over the three-time defending champion New York Yankees, becoming the fastest expansion team in MLB history to win the World Series and the first and only men's major professional sports team in Arizona to win a championship. 22 years later they won their second NLCS and returned to the World Series, losing to the Texas Rangers.

In Their Own Story

The air in the stadium is thick with heat, a familiar companion in the desert and the valley alike. On the mound, a Dodgers pitcher winds up, his eyes locked on the batter from Arizona who stands ready at the plate. The crowd noise is a singular roar, indistinguishable between blue and red, united only by the intensity of the moment. In the dugout, veterans watch silently, remembering the sweeps, the heartbreaks, and the triumphs that have defined their careers against this specific opponent. A strike is thrown, the bat cracks, and for a split second, the entire history of the division hangs in the balance of a single fly ball.

Reader's Guide

The Diamondbacks' first major league game was played against the Colorado Rockies on March 31, 1998, at Bank One Ballpark. The ballpark was renamed Chase Field in 2005. Since their debut, the Diamondbacks have won two Wild Card Series, five NL West division titles, two NL pennants, and the 2001 World Series. They were the fastest expansion franchise in baseball history to win a World Series. After beating the Philadelphia Phillies 4–2 in Game 7 of the 2023 NLCS, the Diamondbacks returned to the World Series for the first time since 2001 – against the Texas Rangers on October 27, 2023. They lost the series 4–1.

Did You Know?

• The Diamondbacks are one of the newest teams in MLB, along with the Tampa Bay Rays.
• They are the youngest team to win a World Series, doing so in their fourth season in 2001.
• Randy Johnson won four consecutive Cy Young Awards in his first four seasons with the Diamondbacks.
• The team's home ballpark was originally named Bank One Ballpark and was renamed Chase Field in 2005.