Unlike last year, where Eugenio Suarez’s four-homer performance was an absolutely shoo-in, this category likely counts as wide-open. There is no “obvious” choice this season, and that probably makes it more fun, since there is consequently no wrong answer here. Thanks to BTBaseball, kilnborn and Bryce.dbacks for giving their thoughts in the nomination thread. That helped me narrow down a field of performance which, in the final analysis, are likely to end up enshrined in the Diamondbacks Hall of Quite
Good, rather than anything else.
Still, all of these were thoroughly enjoyable to experience, and deserve to be appreciated. Interestingly, the final selection ended up pitching heavy, with an extra relief performance being chosen over an offensive one. And, without further ado…
3/31, Jose Fernandez: 3-for-4 with two home-runs in his debut
Never mind nine total bases, before Fernandez, only one D-back had as many as six bases in their first game. And it was 28 years ago: the franchise’s first ever game and Travis Lee. Fernandez almost matched that by the fourth inning. After legging out an infield single in the second, he cranked a solo home-run off Casey Mize in the fourth. In the bottom of the eighth, he added a three-run shot to complete the comeback for Arizona, who scored seven unanswered runs after falling 5-0 behind, Fernandez driving in four of them. Jose had a WP of +64.5%; no D-backs debutant position player previously had reached even 35%. It was the highest in the NL since Kyle Farmer for the Dodgers in July 2017.
5/15, Merrill Kelly: 9 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, in Coors
The Diamondbacks have had only one complete game thrown for them in the past three years. Of course, it would happen in Coors Field. Merrill became just the fourth Arizona starter to toss a complete game in Denver, in 243 attempts, and the first for almost 13 years. Randy Johnson didn’t. Nor did Curt Schilling or Brandon Webb. [Try and guess the other three – answers below] It’s a very special achievement. The only blot was a solo shot by Hunter Goodman, but that’s okay. He hit 41 HR. And besides, Kelly’s predecessors in complete games at Coors all allowed at least a run too. Heck, one allowed eleven hits in his complete game. Merrill? Four, and no walks. Top stuff in an utterly unforgiving environment.
7/28, Gerardo Carrillo: 2 IP in extras, 0 H, stranded both Manfred Men, +76.7% WP
That Win Probability added is the highest ever by an Arizona reliever, surpassing the +65.1% set by Anthony DeSclafani last year. In the National League, it’s also the highest by any reliever since 2020, and the 7th highest in the wild-card era, dating back to 1995. Oh, and did I mention that Gerardo did it in just his third appearance in the major-leagues? Coming to any inning with a runner on second and no outs is a situation where you are expected to fail. Doing so would have ended the game, because it was tied 7-7 in the bottom of the 11th. But Carrillo not only kept the game tied there, he came back out in the 12th as well, and did it again to secure a D-back victory. He needed just 17 pitches, and retired all six batters faced, three by strikeout.
7/29, Eduardo Rodriguez: 8 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, +46.4% WP
The following night, E-Rod threw eight shutout innings against the Pirates – and, boy, was it needed. Arizona had used six relievers in Carrillo’s game, and available arms were thus extremely limited. Rodriguez had averaged barely five frames over his four previous outings in July, but really stepped it up on the night. A seven-pitch first inning set the tone for the night, Eduardo needing fewer than 15 pitches for five of the first six times up. Pittsburgh managed just two PA with a runner in scoring position all night, and Rodriguez faced four over the minimum, before handing the ball to Brandyn Garcia to close out the victory.
9/11, Justin Martinez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, immaculate inning
From 2013-25, the Diamondbacks didn’t have a single case of an immaculate inning – a frame where a pitcher throws nine pitches, all strikes and gets three K’s. This year, they had two. One by Michael Soroka in his debut for Arizona, and this outing by J-Mart. It only his eighth game back after missing fourteen months due to elbow surgery. You wouldn’t have known, six of the nine pitches being in triple digits, topping out at 102.6 mph. Pity the Tigers’ Evan Carter, who took an 89.2 mph splitter for a strike, then had to try and catch up with the next pitch at 102.5 mph. The Tigers swung at six pitches, with five whiffs and a foul. Arguably the most dominant frame in franchise history.
Here’s your poll – of course, you can explain your choice in the comments!
[The other three D-backs to throw a complete game in Coors: Omar Daal, 1999-05-22; Armando Reynoso, 2000-09-28; and Patrick Corbin, 2013-05-20]
