Tag: Arizona Diamondbacks

2023 World Series schedule

October 25, 2023

This year’s World Series matchup is now set. Congratulations to the Diamondbacks and the Rangers on making it this far! The series is set to begin this Friday, October 27th, and all games are to be broadcast on FOX. Here is how the schedule is looking (all times Eastern):

Friday, Oct. 27
AZ @ TEX, Game 1, 8 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 28
AZ @ TEX, Game 2, 8 p.m.

Monday, Oct. 30
TEX @ AZ, Game 3, 8 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 31
TEX @ AZ, Game 4, 8 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 1
TEX @ AZ, Game 5 (if necessary), 8 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 3
AZ @ TEX, Game 6 (if necessary), 8 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 4
AZ @ TEX, Game 7 (if necessary), 8 p.m.

Randy Johnson, photographer

October 13, 2022

In case you missed it, Twitter blew up a bit yesterday with the news that former pitcher Randy Johnson now makes a living as a professional photographer.

A detail that makes this information even more fun is the logo for Randy Johnson Photography, clearly a tribute to that time that Johnson accidentally killed a bird with a fastball. 

Randy Johnson photography logo

If you’re interested in exploring further, you can check out some of Randy Johnson’s work at Randy Johnson Photography – Photography from Hall of Fame Pitcher Randy Johnson (rj51photos.com).

Edwin Jackson

October 1, 2022
Edwin Jackson, April 2010 (Steven Groves / Wikimedia Commons)

Pitcher Edwin Jackson was born on September 9, 1983 in Neu Ulm, Germany while his father, Edwin Jackson Sr., was serving in the United States Army there. He has the distinction of having played for more major league teams than any other player in Major League Baseball history. Over the course of a career that spanned sixteen years, Jackson played for fourteen MLB teams:

  • Los Angeles Dodgers (2003–2005)
  • Tampa Bay Devil Rays / Rays (2006–2008)
  • Detroit Tigers (2009, 2019)
  • Arizona Diamondbacks (2010)
  • Chicago White Sox (2010–2011)
  • St. Louis Cardinals (2011)
  • Washington Nationals (2012, 2017)
  • Chicago Cubs (2013–2015)
  • Atlanta Braves (2015)
  • Miami Marlins (2016)
  • San Diego Padres (2016)
  • Baltimore Orioles (2017)
  • Oakland Athletics (2018)
  • Toronto Blue Jays (2019)

Jackson was named to the American League All-Star team in 2009. On June 25, 2010, as a Diamondback, he threw a no-hitter against the Tampa Bay Rays. Jackson was also a member of the 2011 World Series champion Cardinals, though he lost the only game he appeared in. Jackson’s last MLB appearance took place on September 28, 2019 with the Detroit Tigers.

In 2021, Jackson was named to the roster of the United States national baseball team, which qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics. The team went on to win silver, falling to Japan in the gold-medal game.

On September 10, 2022, Edwin Jackson announced his retirement from baseball.

Edwin Jackson, 2021 (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Robert Jordan/Released)

Tyler Gilbert throws a no-hitter

August 15, 2021

Congratulations to Diamondbacks pitcher Tyler Gilbert, who threw a no-hitter in his first MLB start last night. Gilbert led the Diamondbacks to a 7-0 victory over the San Diego Padres with his performance. At 27 years old, Gilbert had spent six years in the minors before appearing in relief three times for the Diamondbacks prior to being given the start in last night’s game.

Gilbert didn’t play baseball in 2020 after the minor league season was canceled, due to the pandemic. He spent the summer learning to be an electrician from his dad and making some extra money. With last night’s achievement, however, Gilbert commented, “I’d rather be doing this than pulling wires. No offense, Dad.”

Tyler Gilbert - RalphFreso-Getty Images
(Ralph Freso/Getty Images)

This day in baseball: The Big Unit’s perfect game

May 18, 2021

On May 18, 2004, Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Randy Johnson threw a perfect game, beating the Atlanta Braves 2-0 at Turner Field in Atlanta before a crowd of 23,381. Johnson, at 40 years old, was the oldest pitcher in MLB history to throw a perfect game, surpassing Cy Young who was 37 when he threw his perfect game in 1904. The game was also Johnson’s second career no-hitter, the first taking place on June 2, 1990 against the Detroit Tigers when Johnson was pitching for the Seattle Mariners.

Randy_Johnson 2008 - Wikipedia
Randy Johnson in 2008 (Flickr/Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0))

The end of the regular season

October 2, 2017

This past weekend saw the conclusion of the 2017 MLB regular season.  Today, there is no baseball.  Tomorrow, October 3rd, the Twins will be in New York to take on the Yankees for the American League Wild Card.  Then on Wednesday, October 4th, the Rockies are headed to Arizona to compete with the Diamondbacks for the National League Wild Card.

The postseason has begun.

For my team, the Kansas City Royals, there is no postseason this year.  And with the futures of players such as Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer now up in the air, things are definitely changing.

 

Hosmer Moose
Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas (Instagram: kcroyals)

Ned Yost has agreed to return for one more year, and mainstay Alex Gordon is signed for a few more years, but Royals fans are in agreement: we are at the end of an era.

I just hope we aren’t staring down the barrel of another 30-year stretch of “rebuilding.”

 

 

This day in baseball: Schilling goes to Arizona

July 26, 2016

On July 26, 2000, the Philadelphia Phillies traded right-handed pitcher Curt Schilling to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for first baseman Travis Lee and pitchers Omar Daal, Vicente Padilla, and Nelson Figueroa.  With Arizona in 2001, Schilling went 22–6 with a 2.98 ERA in 2001, leading the majors in wins and innings pitched.  He played a major role in the playoffs, going 4–0 with a 1.12 ERA.  The Diamondbacks went on to defeat the Yankees in seven games in the 2001 World Series.

Arizona Diamondbacks' starting pitcher Curt Schill
sbnation.com

This day in baseball: Blindsided bird

March 24, 2014

What’s it like to get hit by a 95-MPH fastball?  It’s bad news for a ballplayer, but even worse news if you’re a bird.  On March 24, 2001, in an exhibition game against the San Francisco Giants, Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Randy Johnson threw a fastball that hit a dove flying in front of home plate.  The bird died instantly, appearing to explode into a firework of feathers, never knowing what hit it.