Snakes02 - A Die-Hard D-Backs Fan Blog

We've been here before.  The Snakes dropped game one, but instead of seeing Gallen get crushed and chased early like in game 1 of the NLCS, we were treated to a decent outing by Zac through 5 innings and 3 earned runs. Instead, we saw our otherwise stalwart bullpen return to midseason form (i.e. a pumpkin). Paul Sewald gave up the tying 2-run homer to the red-hot Corey Seager in the 9th. That put Miguel Castro in the uncomfortable position to keep a ball inside the park with ALCS MVP Adolis Garcia. Reader, it did not go well.  The Snakes were walked off in dramatic fashion. Game one might have been an exciting start to an entertaining series for everyone but us. Until the bottom of the 9th, the D-Backs seemed to be cruising to a 5-3 victory. They continued to play their game their way inside the hostile Globe Life Field. They quickly answered Texas' 1st inning runs with 3 in the 3rd. Pham blasted one in the 4th and Perdomo combined with Marte to manufacture a run in the 5th. S...

What a ride it's been, Snakes fans! 110 losses in 2021. Signs of life at the end of 2022. Hopes of contention on Opening Day 2023. Holding and losing the division lead. 6th seed. Series sweeps. Winning the N.L. Pennant. World Series baseball in Phoenix...  The story of the 2023 Diamondbacks is an underdog story of underdog stories. Fangraphs gave the Snakes a 15.8% chance of making the postseason, and a 0.5% chance of winning the whole thing. Certainly, we had higher chances than some, but not most. In the last week of the season, ESPN pitted them 12th in their power rankings, two spots above the last eventual playoff team, the Miami Marlins. At every stage of the playoffs, nearly every expert analyst picked them to lose their series. I struggle to find even one mainstream talking head who believed in them.  And let's not fool ourselves; none of us thought we'd be here at the start of the year. Once we punched our ticket to the playoffs there was always a chance, but it was...