I've spent the last 30 minutes feeling cold and empty. My beloved Diamondbacks fell short in game 5 of the NLDS. It’s definitely not a good feeling, at all.
BUT…. It wasn’t without a great season! At spring training, nobody thought the Diamondbacks would make the playoffs. Heck, in June there weren’t many who thought they would make it. They lost 97 games last year….. 97!! The bullpen was beyond terrible, blowing saves and allowing hits & homeruns left and right. As my good friend Gracey says, “All my years in baseball have taught me that you don’t lose over 90 games one year and come back the next and win the division. You just don’t.” Well folks, the diamondbacks did the impossible! And they did it when no one believed in them.
They are a very young team… only 3rd baseman Ryan Roberts is over 30. In fact, they brought 6 rookies to the NLDS.
-Goldschmidt, who came up from AA in August, had the go ahead triple in the divison-clinching game, also gave a curtain call after a 2 out, 2 strike grand slam in game 3. HE’S A ROOKIE!
-Colin Cowgill, pinch hit with 2 outs in game 4 and had a 2-run RBI single.
-Collmenter, got the game 3 win - only allowing 2 hits in 7 innings.
-Bryan Shaw appeared in the series 4 times... never giving up a hit.
That Kirk Gibson sure puts a lot of trust in his team, including the rookies – and they always come through.
Ian Kennedy. though not a rookie is only 24 and came out of nowhere this year and had 21 wins – being a top contender for this year's Cy Young.
Justin Upton, also 24, has already been in 2 all-star games, and currently in the voting for the NL MVP.
Miguel Montero struggled defensively quite a lot last year… he’s now second in the league in throwing base runners out. Definitely the most improved in my eyes.
JJ Putz has 45 saves out of 49 opportunities. David Hernandez & Micah Owings have a combined 13-3 record.
Seriously I’m not kidding when I say this team came out of NO WHERE! And EVERYONE contributed.. the starters, the bench, the bullpen. EVERYONE! There was a new hero everyday. It was awesome! They are a group of very young over achievers with a determined, no nonsense manager. They had a great season that was extremely fun to watch. They led the majors with 48 come from behind wins –they just don’t ever give up! They’ve had grand slams in the last 4 home games. I’ve been up out of my seat many a time watching this team play. They are incredible.
It was a wonderful season. They fought hard until the very end… tying the game on the suicide squeeze in the top of the ninth in game 5. They rallied but didn't quite get it this time... but that's baseball. Although they didn’t make it out of this one, they came up and beyond everyone’s expectations. I've got high hopes for next season and many to come! I can’t wait!!! Good job boys!
