Franchise knowledge
Arizona Diamondbacks
Phoenix National League West
The Arizona Diamondbacks are expansion baseball at full throttle — born in 1998 as Phoenix’s first major-league club, crowned in 2001, and back in the Fall Classic spotlight with a 2023 NL pennant. A retractable roof, a swimming pool beyond the right-field wall, and two Hall of Fame-caliber aces made the desert feel like a baseball capital almost overnight.
From Jerry Colangelo’s aggressive spending to Luis Gonzalez’s bloop heard round the world, from Randy Johnson’s slider to Corbin Carroll’s rookie October, D-backs history is short but loud. Below is a franchise overview: origins, eras, titles, legends, and the oddities that make Sedona red and turquoise one of baseball’s most distinctive palettes.
When you are ready to test what you know, browse the full Arizona Diamondbacks quiz collection — including year-by-year looks at the 2023, 2024, and 2025 clubs.
Through the decades
Franchise Timeline
Scroll the milestones, then tap a year to read the story behind it.
Mar 31, 1998
Diamondbacks debut in Phoenix
Arizona plays its first major-league game at Bank One Ballpark — expansion baseball in the desert with a retractable roof, a pool, and Jerry Colangelo’s win-now blueprint from day one.
Oct 3, 1999
100 wins in year two
The Diamondbacks win 100 games in only their second season — Randy Johnson’s arrival and aggressive roster building announce that Phoenix is not waiting decades for relevance.
Nov 4, 2001
2001 World Series champions
Luis Gonzalez’s bloop single off Mariano Rivera in Game 7 beats the Yankees — Johnson and Schilling share Series MVP honors in the fastest expansion title run in modern baseball.
Nov 15, 2006
Webb wins Cy Young
Brandon Webb takes home the NL Cy Young Award — sinkerball dominance that kept Arizona in the conversation after the first championship window narrowed.
Oct 14, 2007
2007 NLCS run ends
Arizona reaches the NLCS before Colorado’s Rocktober surge ends the dream — the franchise’s first October return after the 2001 title.
Aug 1, 2011
Goldschmidt arrives
Paul Goldschmidt’s debut launches the next franchise era — homegrown power and plate discipline that would define D-backs baseball for nearly a decade.
Jul 12, 2017
All-Star Game at Chase Field
Phoenix hosts the Midsummer Classic — a showcase for the market Jerry Colangelo built and the ballpark that made summer baseball possible in the desert.
Jul 31, 2019
Goldschmidt traded
Arizona sends its longtime star first baseman to St. Louis — the end of the Goldy era and the start of a retool built around Ketel Marte and a new pitching pipeline.
Oct 9, 2023
Sweep the Dodgers in NLDS
Torey Lovullo’s 84-win club stuns Los Angeles in three games — the October shock that reopened Arizona’s championship conversation. Relive the roster in the 2023 Diamondbacks quiz.
Oct 24, 2023
2023 NL pennant
Arizona beats Philadelphia in the NLCS and Corbin Carroll’s Rookie of the Year season reaches the World Series — the franchise’s second pennant in 25 years.
Nov 1, 2023
2023 World Series ends in Texas
The Rangers beat Arizona in five games — a pennant without a ring, but proof the desert could still run through October. See the full path in the 2023 Diamondbacks quiz.
Oct 1, 2025
2025 fourth-place finish
Lovullo’s club wins 80 games and finishes fourth in the NL West — Carroll’s 31 homers and Brandon Pfaadt’s ERA lead highlight a transitional year. Test your memory in the 2025 Diamondbacks quiz.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Origins
Major League Baseball awarded Phoenix an expansion franchise alongside Tampa Bay in 1995, and the Arizona Diamondbacks debuted on March 31, 1998 at Bank One Ballpark — now Chase Field — the first major-league stadium with a retractable roof, air conditioning, and a swimming pool in play beyond the right-field fence. Owner Jerry Colangelo, who had built the Phoenix Suns into an NBA power, treated baseball the same way: spend now, win now, figure out tradition later.
The expansion draft and free-agent market produced immediate credibility. Andy Benes, Devon White, and Jay Bell gave the roster veteran backbone; Randy Johnson, signed before the 1999 season, gave it a Hall of Fame ace. Arizona won 100 games in only its second season — a statement that the desert was not interested in a long rebuild.
Chase Field’s dimensions, altitude, and later a humidor to store baseballs became part of the tactical conversation around Arizona baseball. The park’s roof could close against summer heat; its pool could host splash celebrations after walk-offs. Colangelo’s bet was that a market without deep baseball roots would still show up if the product felt big-league from day one — and the 2001 title proved him right faster than almost anyone imagined.
From expansion night to championship confetti, the full arc is in the Arizona Diamondbacks quiz collection — or jump straight to a recent season with the 2023 Diamondbacks quiz.
Arizona Diamondbacks
History
The franchise’s first peak arrived with the left-right thunder of Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. Johnson’s 2001 season — 21 wins, a 2.49 ERA, and 372 strikeouts — remains one of the great pitching years in modern history. Schilling’s postseason grit matched Johnson’s dominance. In 2001, only the franchise’s fourth season, Arizona beat Atlanta in the NLCS and the New York Yankees in seven games for a World Series title played in the shadow of September 11.
Luis Gonzalez’s bloop single off Mariano Rivera in Game 7 ended New York’s three-peat bid and gave the desert its signature moment. Johnson and Schilling shared Series MVP honors — two aces, one ring, and a reminder that expansion clubs did not have to wait decades to reach the mountaintop.
The 2000s brought more contention. Brandon Webb won the Cy Young in 2006; the 2007 club reached the NLCS before Colorado’s Rocktober run ended the dream. Paul Goldschmidt became the face of the next era — MVP-caliber seasons, All-Star appearances, and the kind of steady production that kept Arizona relevant through rebuilds and retools. Goldschmidt’s trade to St. Louis in 2019 closed one chapter; Ketel Marte, Christian Walker, and a homegrown pitching pipeline opened another.
Under Torey Lovullo, the 2023 Diamondbacks won 84 games, swept the Dodgers in the NLDS, upset Philadelphia in the NLCS, and reached the World Series before Texas ended the run in five games. Corbin Carroll’s Rookie of the Year season and a fearless October style recalled 2001’s belief that Arizona could still shock the sport. The 2024 club won 89 games but missed October; the 2025 team finished fourth in the NL West with 80 wins as the window evolved around Carroll, Marte, and Zac Gallen.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Championships
The Diamondbacks have won one World Series championship and two National League pennants — remarkable output for a franchise that began play in 1998.
- 2001 — Diamondbacks 4, New York Yankees 3 (Gonzalez Game 7 single off Rivera; Johnson and Schilling share WS MVP; title in year four)
- 2023 — NL pennant; lost World Series to Texas Rangers 4 games to 1 (Carroll ROY season; NLDS sweep of Los Angeles)
Near-miss Octobers include the 2007 NLCS loss to Colorado and several wild-card and division-race seasons in between. For who managed, who led in homers, and how close the club came in recent years, work through the 2024 and 2025 quizzes in the full collection.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Oddities
Diamondbacks lore is young but packed with details that sound made up — until you check the box score.
- Fastest expansion title: The 2001 championship came in year four — still among the quickest any expansion club reached the mountaintop.
- The pool: Chase Field’s right-field swimming pool can be in play — and has hosted postseason splash parties when Arizona wins at home.
- 372 strikeouts: Randy Johnson’s 2001 K total remains a modern-era benchmark for dominance — the Big Unit at full power in the desert.
- Gonzalez off Rivera: Luis Gonzalez’s bloop single in Game 7 ended a Yankees dynasty bid — a broken-bat flare that became franchise scripture.
- Shared Series MVP: Johnson and Schilling split 2001 World Series MVP honors — rare recognition for a two-headed pitching monster.
- Humidor baseball: Chase Field’s humidor, installed to standardize stored baseballs, changed the park’s offensive profile and became part of Arizona’s tactical identity.
- 2023 October shock: An 84-win wild-card club swept the Dodgers and reached the World Series — covered in the 2023 Diamondbacks quiz.
- Carroll’s ROY year: Corbin Carroll’s 2023 Rookie of the Year season paired with a pennant run — the face of the franchise’s second loud peak.
The roster of memory
Notable Players
Legends, franchise faces, and the names every Arizona Diamondbacks fan should know.
Randy Johnson
The Big Unit
Left-hander whose 2001 season — 21 wins, 372 strikeouts, and World Series MVP honors — defined the franchise’s first golden age. Johnson’s slider and intimidation made Chase Field feel like a hostile address for opposing hitters throughout the 2000s.
Curt Schilling
2001 WS MVP
Right-hander whose postseason grit matched Randy Johnson’s regular-season dominance in 2001. Schilling shared World Series MVP honors and became the co-ace of the fastest expansion champion in modern baseball.
Luis Gonzalez
Gonzo
Franchise icon whose bloop single off Mariano Rivera in 2001 World Series Game 7 remains Arizona’s signature moment. Gonzalez’s bat, leadership, and 57-homer 2001 regular season made him the face of the first championship club.
Paul Goldschmidt
Goldy
Homegrown slugger and multiple-time All-Star who carried Arizona through the 2010s with MVP-caliber seasons at the plate. Goldschmidt’s trade to St. Louis in 2019 ended an era — but his production set the standard for every D-backs first baseman since.
Brandon Webb
2006 NL Cy Young
Sinkerball ace who won the 2006 Cy Young Award and anchored the post-2001 rotation. Webb’s ground-ball dominance kept Arizona competitive through the mid-2000s before shoulder trouble ended his peak.
Corbin Carroll
2023 NL Rookie of the Year
Dynamic outfielder whose 2023 Rookie of the Year season paired with a pennant run and World Series appearance. Carroll’s speed, power, and plate discipline make him the centerpiece of Arizona’s second contention window.
Ketel Marte
Franchise bat
Switch-hitting star who moved from Seattle to Arizona and became one of the NL’s most consistent offensive forces. Marte’s bat anchored the 2023 pennant club and remains the steady heartbeat of the modern lineup.
Christian Walker
Power anchor
First baseman whose home-run totals have led Arizona in multiple seasons, including 33 in 2023 and 36 in 2024. Walker’s right-handed power and steady defense made him a pillar of the club’s recent October runs.