Even in a postseason chock-full of chaos, I’m not sure anyone can claim to have seen this coming. The Arizona Diamondbacks polished off a shocking sweep of the second-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night — a team they finished 16 games back of in the NL West this season. But the D-backs caught fire at just the right time, while L.A.’s injury-ravaged rotation was exposed as its fearsome offense went frustratingly quiet.
An Arizona team that no one expected to even sniff the postseason this year now finds itself in baseball’s final four. Next up is a trip to the NLCS, although their exact opponent is yet to be determined with the Braves and Phillies still battling it out in the other NLDS.
While the Snakes wait to see who their opponent will be, let’s take a look at how long it’s been since Arizona reached this stage as well as their history in the Championship Series.
Diamondbacks history in the NLCS
When was the last appearance? Win?
As you might expect from a franchise that’s only been around for 25 years or so, the D-backs don’t have a ton of experience this deep into October. Their last NLCS appearance came all the way back in 2007, when reigning Cy Young winner Brandon Webb and a dynamite bullpen carried a no-name offense to an improbable division title. (Arizona’s run differential on the year was -20, and their Pythagorean record was 79-83 — 11 games worse than their 90-72 mark.)
The Diamondbacks stayed hot in the NLDS, sweeping the Cubs behind a dominant Webb performance in Game 1. The ran out of steam in the next round, however, as they got swept in four games by a team with even more devil magic at their disposal: the Rocktober Colorado Rockies, who won 21 of 22 games on their way to the World Series.
How many appearances does the Rangers have?
Beyond that, the D-backs have made only one other appearance in the NLCS, which came during the franchise’s lone World Series run back in 2001. With Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling atop the rotation and Luis Gonzalez anchoring the lineup, Arizona won the NL West by two games over Barry Bonds and the Giants before outlasting the Cardinals in the NLDS in a thrilling five-game series. Schilling was the hero, firing a three-hit shutout in Game 1 and then coming back with another complete game in the decisive Game 5.
That set up a matchup against the Braves, with Arizona blasting Greg Maddux in a Game 4 win before Randy Johnson slammed the door in Game 5. In just their fourth year of existence, the D-backs were in the World Series. You probably remember what happened next:
