50 Fun Facts About Arizona Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks began play in which season?

The Diamondbacks played their first game in 1998, three years after Major League Baseball awarded the expansion franchise to Phoenix in March 1995.

How much was the expansion fee Arizona paid to join Major League Baseball?

Arizona paid a $130 million expansion fee, the price Major League Baseball set for each of the two clubs it added in its late-1990s expansion.

Which Phoenix Suns owner assembled the group that landed the Diamondbacks franchise?

Jerry Colangelo, who became the Suns' general manager at 28 in 1968, led the ownership group awarded the Arizona franchise in March 1995.

The Diamondbacks, youngest team ever to win a World Series, did so in which season of their existence?

Arizona won the 2001 World Series in its 4th season, beating the three-time defending champion Yankees in seven games.

Which ex-Yankees manager was hired by Arizona two years before its first game?

Buck Showalter, hired in November 1995, managed the Diamondbacks through their first three seasons before being fired after 2000.

Which pitcher started the Diamondbacks' first regular-season game on March 31, 1998?

Andy Benes, a free-agent signing from the Cardinals, started and lost the Diamondbacks' 9-2 opening-night defeat.

The Diamondbacks' home opened under what name?

The stadium opened as Bank One Ballpark under a naming-rights deal with the bank, and carried that name until a 2005 rebranding.

Chase Field was the first U.S. stadium to pair a retractable roof with what playing surface?

Natural grass grew under Chase Field's retractable roof from its opening until the club switched to a synthetic surface for the 2019 season.

Which player was the first to hit a home run into the Chase Field swimming pool?

Mark Grace, then with the Cubs, hit the first homer into the pool in May of the ballpark's inaugural season; he later played three years for Arizona.

Which team infuriated Arizona by celebrating a 2013 division clinch with a swim in the Chase Field pool?

The Los Angeles Dodgers clinched the 2013 NL West at Chase Field and jumped into the pool, drawing public complaints from Arizona's front office.

The Diamondbacks won 100 games and their first division title in which season?

In 1999 Arizona went 100-62 and won the NL West, an improvement of 35 wins on its 65-97 debut season.

Randy Johnson won how many consecutive Cy Young Awards with Arizona from 1999?

Only Greg Maddux has matched four in a row; Johnson won five in all, one of them with Seattle.

Randy Johnson's nickname was what?

The Big Unit nickname came from Expos teammate Tim Raines, who collided with the 6-foot-10 Johnson during batting practice in 1988 and blurted out 'You're a big unit.'

In May 2004 Randy Johnson threw a perfect game for Arizona at what age, the oldest ever to do so?

Randy Johnson was 40 years old when he retired all 27 Braves on May 18, 2004, the 17th perfect game in major league history.

The 2001 World Series went to a Game 7 played on what then-record late date?

Game 7 fell on November 4 because the September 11 attacks had pushed the schedule back a week; it was the first World Series to reach November.

Which Yankees closer gave up the bases-loaded bloop single that ended the 2001 World Series?

Mariano Rivera, protecting a 2-1 lead in the ninth inning of Game 7, gave up the single that scored the winning run.

Which Diamondbacks closer gave up game-tying homers with one out left in Games 4 and 5 of the 2001 World Series?

Byung-hyun Kim, the 22-year-old submariner, surrendered two-out, ninth-inning homers to Tino Martinez and Scott Brosius on consecutive nights at Yankee Stadium.

Which two pitchers shared the 2001 World Series MVP award?

Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling shared the award: Johnson went 3-0, winning Game 7 in relief a day after starting Game 6, while Schilling started three games.

Arizona's left fielder tied an MLB record in April 2001 with how many home runs in the month?

The 13 homers in April 2001 tied the record for that month at the time; Arizona's left fielder finished the season with 57.

Who managed the Diamondbacks to the 2001 title in his first season, straight from the broadcast booth?

Bob Brenly, a former catcher working as a Fox TV analyst, was hired for 2001 and won the title in his first season as a manager.

The Diamondbacks' original colour scheme featured purple, black, copper and which fourth colour?

Teal joined purple, black and copper in the original palette, worn from the inaugural season until the 2007 rebrand.

The red shade Arizona adopted in 2007 is named after which place?

Sedona red, paired with Sonoran sand and black, replaced the original palette for the 2007 season as part of a full rebrand.

The Diamondbacks' 2021 City Connect jerseys carried which Spanish word across the chest?

Serpientes, Spanish for 'serpents', ran across the chest of the 2021 City Connect jersey, with the leading 'S' drawn as a rattlesnake.

The Diamondbacks' bobcat mascot Baxter, introduced in 2000, takes his name from what?

The 'BOB' nickname of the ballpark inspired both the bobcat species and the Baxter name when the mascot debuted in June 2000.

Which sinkerballer won the 2006 NL Cy Young Award for Arizona?

Brandon Webb went 16-8 with a 3.10 ERA over 235 innings in 2006, beating Trevor Hoffman in the Cy Young vote.

The division-winning 2007 Diamondbacks were swept in the NLCS by which wild-card team?

It sent the Rockies to their only World Series and gave the young division rivals a grudge.

Which former Dodgers World Series hero managed Arizona to the 2011 NL West title?

Kirk Gibson took over as interim manager in July 2010 and was named NL Manager of the Year after the 2011 division title.

Paul Goldschmidt was drafted by Arizona in which round of the 2009 draft?

Goldschmidt went in the Eighth round out of Texas State in 2009 and won the 2022 NL MVP with St. Louis after a December 2018 trade.

Which manager led Arizona to the 2017 wild card and the 2023 pennant?

Torey Lovullo, hired from the Red Sox bench in late 2016, was NL Manager of the Year in 2017 and took the 2023 team to the World Series.

The Diamondbacks reached the 2023 World Series by winning NLCS Game 7 on the road against whom?

Arizona won Game 7 of the NLCS 4-2 at Citizens Bank Park, beating the Philadelphia Phillies after trailing the series 2-0.

The Diamondbacks lost the 2023 World Series in five games to which team?

The Texas Rangers won their first championship by taking the final three games in Phoenix; Corey Seager was Series MVP for the second time.

Which outfielder won the 2023 NL Rookie of the Year as the first rookie ever with 20 homers and 50 steals?

Corbin Carroll hit 25 homers and stole 54 bases in 2023 and was the unanimous choice for NL Rookie of the Year.

Who holds the Diamondbacks' career records for hits, home runs and RBIs?

Luis Gonzalez left after 2006 with 1,337 hits, 224 home runs and 774 RBIs in eight Arizona seasons, all franchise records at the time.

Which closer holds the Diamondbacks' career saves record with 98?

José Valverde, nicknamed 'Papa Grande', saved 98 games for Arizona from 2003 to 2007, including a league-leading 47 in 2007.

Which pitcher holds the Diamondbacks' WHIP mark of 1.04 and won the 2001 Roberto Clemente Award?

Curt Schilling posted a 1.04 WHIP across four Arizona seasons and won the 2001 Roberto Clemente Award for his charity work against ALS.

Which broadcaster, son of Reds voice Marty, called Diamondbacks games on TV for their first nine seasons?

Thom Brennaman was the Diamondbacks' original TV play-by-play voice for nine seasons before joining his father Marty on Reds broadcasts in 2007.

The Diamondbacks' first general manager was the son of which broadcasting legend?

Joe Garagiola Jr. built the 2001 champions; his father, a longtime Phoenix resident, occasionally did colour commentary.

In 2011 the Diamondbacks moved spring training from Tucson to near which Phoenix suburb?

Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, on tribal land beside Scottsdale, opened in 2011 and is shared with one National League West rival.

Who modelled the first prototype Diamondbacks uniforms in 1995, before the club had a roster?

Phoenix Suns stars modelled the prototypes because the same ownership group ran both franchises out of downtown Phoenix.

The Diamondbacks are one of two teams to have entered MLB in the 1998 expansion; which is the other?

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays joined the American League the same year Arizona entered the National League; the club dropped 'Devil' from its name in 2008.

Which pitcher signed a six-year, $206.5M contract with Arizona in December 2015?

Zack Greinke's $206.5 million deal carried the highest average annual salary in baseball history at the time; he was traded to Houston in July 2019.

How many did Randy Johnson strike out in seven relief innings on 19 July 2001, a record for a relief stint?

Randy Johnson struck out 16 Padres in seven innings of 'relief' when the game, suspended by a power failure the night before, resumed at Qualcomm Stadium.

Which pitcher threw a 149-pitch no-hitter for Arizona at Tropicana Field in June 2010?

Edwin Jackson walked eight but allowed no hits on June 25, 2010, the second no-hitter in Diamondbacks history after the 2004 perfect game.

The Diamondbacks' 2013 black 'Arizona' alternate jersey was a tribute to victims of what?

Nineteen Granite Mountain Hotshots died fighting the blaze that June.

Which player was the first Diamondback to record a hit, run, homer and RBI, all in the 1998 opener?

Travis Lee, the first baseman signed as a loophole free agent in 1996, had the franchise's first hit and first home run in the opener.

Which team did the Diamondbacks sweep on the road in the 2023 Wild Card Series?

Arizona beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-3 and 5-2 at American Family Field, its first postseason series win since the 2007 Division Series.

Which first baseman won three straight Gold Gloves for Arizona from 2022 to 2024?

Christian Walker won the NL Gold Glove at first base in 2022, 2023 and 2024 before signing with Houston as a free agent.

In the Diamondbacks' original logo, what represented the crossbar of the italicized letter 'A'?

A snake's tongue, drawn as a forked flick, formed the crossbar of the italic 'A' that served as the primary logo from the club's debut until 2006.

Which Diamondback won his third straight National League stolen-base crown with 72 steals?

Tony Womack, acquired from Pittsburgh, stole 72 bases in his first Arizona season, his third straight NL stolen-base title after two with the Pirates.

Which Diamondbacks skipper was named NL Manager of the Year in 2007?

Bob Melvin won the 2007 award after Arizona went 90-72 and took the NL West despite being outscored over the season.