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Arizona Diamondbacks
Team History |
| Arizona
Diamondbacks Merchandise |
The Arizona Diamondbacks
are a professional Major League Baseball team. The Diamondbacks are
based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Arizona Diamondbacks play in the Western
Division of the National League. The team gets its name from the poisonous
Diamondback rattle snake that is found in the Southwestern US. The
Arizona Diamondbacks were founded in 1998 as an expansion of the National
League. The Diamondbacks home ballpark is Bank One Ballpark, while
the uniform colors worn by their players are, purple, teal, and black.
The logo design for the Arizona Diamondbacks is an "A" with
one leg of the "A" alternating triangles to suggest a diamondback
rattlesnake. An alternate logo is a script "D" in the shape
of a snake. Since their inception the Diamondbacks have won three
Division Titles in 1999, 2001, 2002; One National League Pennant in
2001; Also one World Series Championship in 2001. On 31st of March,
1998, the Arizona Diamondbacks play their first game against the Colorado
Rockies. The Bank One Ballpark is sold out. Colorado wins, 9-2, but
not before Travis Lee collects Arizona's first hit, a first-inning
single, first homer, first run and first RBI. Arizona celebrated its
first victory on 4th of April, 1998, a 3-2 win over San Francisco
that evens Andy Benes' record at 1-1. April, 9th, a 3-1 win over Houston
gives the Diamondbacks their seventh consecutive victory, equaling
the longest winning streak by any expansion team in history. Jay Bell
is named National League Player-of-the-Week, becoming the first Diamondback
ever to win the award. Before the season ends, he will be joined by
Matt Williams, twice, Randy Johnson, twice, and Steve Finley. Williams
was also National League Player-of-the-Month for April and Johnson
was Pitcher-of-the-Month for July. June, 25th, 1999, Bank One Ballpark
plays host to its first no-hitter as St. Louis' Jose Jimenez out duels
the Diamondbacks' Randy Johnson, 1-0. The game's only run scores on
Thomas Howard's single in the top of the ninth inning. The Diamondbacks
notch win No. 100 of the year in the season finale. Bernard Gilkey
and Rod Barajas hit back-to-back home runs in a 10-3 win over San
Diego at Bank One Ballpark. After leading the major leagues in strikeouts,
innings pitched and complete games, Randy Johnson gives the Arizona
franchise its first major individual trophy by winning his second
Cy Young Award. In 2000, Randy Johnson compiles what might have been
the best first month in baseball history, going 6-0 with an 0.91 ERA,
three complete games and a pair of shutouts. Diamondbacks set a club
record by winning nine consecutive games. They also turn the first
triple play in club history in the fifth inning of their game against
the St. Louis Cardinals with Mark McGwire at the plate. Randy Johnson
records the 3,000th strikeout of his career in Miami. In 2001, Luis
Gonzalez earns his second National League Player of the Month Award
for batting .417 with 12 home runs and 35 RBIs. He also won the award
in April. Randy Johnson is the National League's starting pitcher
at the All-Star Game in Seattle. It is the Big Unit's second straight
starting assignment and his eighth trip to the Midsummer Classic.
Curt Schilling becomes the Diamondbacks' first-ever 20-game winner.
The Diamondbacks beat the Brewers, 5-0, to clinch at least a tie for
the NL West crown. The Giants fall to the Dodgers later that night,
giving the D-Backs their second division title in three years. The
Diamondbacks defeat the Braves in Game 5 of the National League Championship
Series (NLCS) for their first National League (NL) pennant and trip
to the World Series. After three dramatic losses in New York, the
Diamondbacks return home and beat the Yankees, 15-2, to set up a decisive
Game 7. Luis Gonzalez's soft single to left field scores Jay Bell
and caps a two-run ninth-inning comeback as the Diamondbacks beat
the Yankees, 3-2, to become the quickest expansion team ever to win
a World Series.
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