History of the Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks, one of the two newest teams in major league baseball, was established as a National League expansion team in 1998. The idea for a major league baseball team in Arizona started in 1993 with Jerry Colangelo, the main owner of the Phoenix Suns basketball team. He organized a group to bring major league baseball to Arizona and two years later, the group's request for an MLB franchise was granted. Three years later, in 1998, the Diamondbacks started playing in Phoenix.

1998-1999

The Diamondbacks started playing at Chase Field in 1998. Their first season, under the leadership of manager Buck Showalter, was a disappointing one, with 65 wins and 97 losses. Showalter quickly turned the team around and in 1999, they had 100 wins and 62 losses. They won the National League West division title but they lost the NL division series to the New York Mets.

2000-2009

Although the Diamondbacks had a winning season in 2000, they didn't get to the playoffs. Bob Brenly took over as manager in 2001. That season was a strong one for the Diamondbacks, partly due to an outstanding pitching rotation led by Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. That year, they again won the NL West division title with 92 wins and 70 losses. They defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS and then went on to defeat the Atlanta Braves in the National League pennant race. The young team faced the veteran New York Yankees in the World Series and, to the surprise of many baseball fans, they defeated the Yankees to win their first World Series.

The Diamondbacks won the NL West division title again in 2002 with 98 wins and 64 losses. They faced the Cardinals in the NLDS, but they lost the series in three games. They had another winning season in 2003, but no postseason play.

In 2004, the Diamondbacks finished with 51 wins and 111 losses, the worst record in major league baseball that year. The terrible 2004 season led to Colangelo selling his holdings in the team and the hiring of a new manager, Wally Backman, who lasted for only ten days. Bob Melvin, who at the time was the bench coach for the team, was promoted to manager.

The Diamondbacks' new owners began to rebuild the team with free agents and trades. Randy Johnson was traded to the Yankees, and new players on the team included Javier Vazquez, Shawn Green and Jose Cruz. The changes improved the Diamondbacks' record to 77-85 in 2005, and in second place in the NL West division. They fell back again in 2006, finishing fourth in the NL West division with 76 wins and 86 losses.

The 2007 season started on a good note for the Diamondbacks with the return of Randy Johnson. He joined 2006 Cy Young award winner Brandon Webb, giving the team a strong pitching rotation. Young hitters, including Conor Jackson and Stephen Drew, rounded out the team.

The revitalized Diamondbacks finished the 2007 season with a 90-72 record and their fourth NL West division title. They then defeated the Chicago Cubs in the NLDS in three straight games, but they were swept in the NL Championship series by the Colorado Rockies. Melvin was named the NL Manager of the Year in 2007.

Although the Diamondbacks had a winning season in 2008, they were no match for the Los Angeles Dodgers once Manny Ramirez was added to the Dodgers' lineup. The Diamondbacks finished the season in second place in the NL West division, with a record of 82-80.

After a poor start in 2009, with just 12 wins to 17 losses, Melvin was replaced as manager by A.J. Hinch. Hinch was no more successful than Melvin and the Diamondbacks finished the decade with 70 wins and 92 losses.

2010-2018

Hinch continued to manage the Diamondbacks in 2010, but he was replaced after the team lost 48 games, while winning just 31. Kirk Gibson took over, but he, too, was unsuccessful, and the team finished the season with 65 wins and 97 losses.

Gibson turned the Diamondbacks into a winning team again in 2011, leading them to 94 wins and 68 losses. He became the team's second NL Manager of the Year. They then went to the postseason and lost the NLDS to the Milwaukee Brewers in five games. The 2011 season introduced Diamondbacks fans to first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who would be a valuable member of the team and fan favorite through 2018.

In 2012 and 2013, the Diamondbacks finished with 81 wins and 81 losses, and in third place in the NL West division in 2012, and in second place in 2013. The 2014 season was much worse, with 64 wins and 98 losses and a last place finish in the division. That failure led to the end of Kirk Gibson's career as manager of the Diamondbacks.

The Diamondbacks started the 2015 season with a new manager, Chip Hale, and hopes for a return to winning seasons. Hale, however, was also unsuccessful in leading the team to victories in 2015 and 2016. Even the signing of ace pitcher Zack Greinke in 2016 didn't help the team. The Diamondbacks finished in third place in the NL West division in 2015 with 79 wins and 83 losses, and in fourth place in 2016 with 69 wins and 93 losses.

After the Diamondbacks' poor year in 2016, Hale was replaced in 2017 by Torey Lovullo. Lovullo made an immediate impact on the team, leading them to a complete turnaround in 2017. They finished with 93 wins and 69 losses and a second place finish in the NL West division, and Lovullo was named the NL Manager of the Year. The Diamondbacks won a Wild Card spot in 2017, and they defeated the Rockies in the Wild Card game. They faced another rival division team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, in the NLDS and they were swept in three games.

Lovullo led the Diamondbacks to 82 wins and 80 losses and a third place finish in the NL West division in 2018. During the off-season, Paul Goldschmidt was traded to the Cardinals.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Arizona Diamondbacks
Baseball Reference - Arizona Diamondbacks