6 D i a m o n d b a c k s A HOT START he heat is almost always on in Phoenix Arizona Tem peratures in the desert city soar to 100 F or higher on an average of 90 days each year sometimes reaching up to 120 F or even more scorching So arid is the city that the Navajo American Indians called it Hoozdo which translates to the place is hot During the winter months that heat is appreciated by the many people who travel south to escape the cold and snow of more northerly states The dozen Major League Baseball teams that start their spring training camps in the state of Arizona in February each year also appreciate it Until 1998 the end of spring training meant the end of the big league baseball season for Arizona fans But on March 31 of that year Phoenix celebrated the start of a new season with a major-league team of its own the Arizona Diamondbacks named after the region’s native rattlesnakes The newest addition to the National League NL had been almost four years in the making as baseball had decided to expand by two franchises in 1994 T
Bank One Ballpark later renamed Chase Field made sports history as the first stadium in America to feature a retractable roof
ALL-TIME DIAMONDBACKS D i a m o n d b a c k s 8 PITCHER (cid:76) RANDY JOHNSON With his wild hair shaggy moustache and towering height Randy Johnson was intimidating even before he started pitching But when The Big Unit unleashed his 100-mile-per-hour fastball he could flat-out terrorize opposing batters That’s exactly what he did during the eight seasons that he spent with the Diamondbacks On May 8 2001 Johnson fanned 20 batters in 1 game and he led the majors in strikeouts with 372 that season During each of his first four seasons with Arizona his numerous accomplishments on the mound were honored with the NL Cy Young Award He left Arizona in 2004 but returned before the 2007 season STATS Diamondbacks seasons 1999 2004 2007 08 Height 6-foot-10 Weight 225 (cid:115)(cid:0)(cid:21)(cid:13)(cid:84)(cid:73)(cid:77)(cid:69)(cid:0)(cid:35)(cid:89)(cid:0)(cid:57)(cid:79)(cid:85)(cid:78)(cid:71)(cid:0)(cid:33)(cid:87)(cid:65)(cid:82)(cid:68)(cid:0)(cid:87)(cid:73)(cid:78)(cid:78)(cid:69)(cid:82) (cid:115)(cid:0)(cid:17)(cid:16)(cid:13)(cid:84)(cid:73)(cid:77)(cid:69)(cid:0)(cid:33)(cid:76)(cid:76)(cid:13)(cid:51)(cid:84)(cid:65)(cid:82) (cid:115)(cid:0)(cid:48)(cid:73)(cid:84)(cid:67)(cid:72)(cid:69)(cid:68)(cid:0)(cid:65)(cid:0)(cid:80)(cid:69)(cid:82)(cid:70)(cid:69)(cid:67)(cid:84)(cid:0)(cid:71)(cid:65)(cid:77)(cid:69)(cid:0)(cid:8)(cid:45)(cid:65)(cid:89)(cid:0)(cid:17)(cid:24)(cid:12)(cid:0) 2004 (cid:115)(cid:0)(cid:19)(cid:16)(cid:19)(cid:110)(cid:17)(cid:22)(cid:22)(cid:0)(cid:67)(cid:65)(cid:82)(cid:69)(cid:69)(cid:82)(cid:0)(cid:82)(cid:69)(cid:67)(cid:79)(cid:82)(cid:68) Arizona Diamondbacks Randy Johnson Pitcher
The Diamondbacks lineup that took the field on opening day 1998 had been carefully assembled by wealthy team owner Jerry Colangelo who wanted the club to be competitive immediately He gave lucrative contracts to second baseman Jay Bell and third baseman Matt Williams but it was the other corner of the infield first base that really demonstrated Colangelo’s commitment to winning The owner offered unsigned rookie Travis Lee a 10-million contract that raised eyebrows around the league L ee proved his worth during Arizona’s first game at the brand new 354-million Bank One Ballpark commonly called the BOB He posted the team’s first hit first home run and first run batted in RBI However the game ended 9 2 in favor of the Colorado Rockies Four losses later the Diamondbacks finally recorded their first franchise win a 3 2 victory for Andy Benes a veteran hurler who led the pitching staff with 14 wins that first season The team finished 65 97 landing in fifth place in the NL Western Division Colangelo and general manager Joe Garagiola made a concerted effort to improve the Diamondbacks fortunes in the off-season By the time spring training started in 1999 they had inked deals with several D i a m o n d b a c k s 9
