2002 Arizona Diamondbacks Season Recap

2002 Arizona Diamondbacks Season Recap

2002 Arizona Diamondbacks: Defending the Desert

The Arizona Diamondbacks had climbed to the top of the baseball mountain when they won the 2001 World Series in thrilling fashion, defeating the New York Yankees four games to three and effectively ending the Yankees’ modern dynasty. Keeping their core group of players intact, the Diamondbacks aimed to defend their World Series championship in 2002, and everything looked as if another deep postseason run was in store for Arizona baseball fans.

Rolling to a Division Title

The 2002 Arizona Diamondbacks went 98-64 to win the National League West division by 2.5 games over the San Francisco Giants. Though they went just 8-11 against the Giants in head-to-head play, the Diamondbacks fared well throughout the rest of the regular season, going 55-26 at home and 43-38 on the road. Arizona went 16-10 in April, 18-10 in May, 14-12 in June, 17-10 in July, 19-9 in August and 14-13 in September.

Arizona’s Everyday Lineup

Regulars Leading the Charge

Signed by the Diamondbacks in free agency on January 2, right fielder Quinton McCracken batted .309 with 108 hits, 27 doubles and 8 triples in 123 games. Second baseman Junior Spivey batted .301 with 16 home runs and 78 RBIs off 162 hits, 34 doubles, 6 triples and 11 stolen bases. Left fielder Luis Gonzalez batted .288 with 28 home runs and 103 RBIs off 151 hits, 19 doubles and 9 stolen bases. Center fielder Steve Finley batted .287 with 25 home runs and 89 RBIs off 145 hits, 24 doubles, 4 triples and 16 stolen bases. Third baseman Craig Counsell batted .282 with 123 hits, 22 doubles and 7 stolen bases. Shortstop Tony Womack batted .271 with 160 hits, 23 doubles, 5 triples and 29 stolen bases.

Depth Off the Bench

Catcher Damian Miller had 11 home runs, 74 hits and 22 doubles in 101 games. First baseman Mark Grace had 7 home runs, 75 hits and 19 doubles in 124 games. First baseman Erubiel Durazo had 16 home runs, 58 hits and 12 doubles in 76 games. First baseman Greg Colbrunn had 10 home runs, 57 hits and 16 doubles in 72 games. Third baseman Matt Williams had 12 home runs, 56 hits and 7 doubles in 60 games. Right fielder David Dellucci had 7 home runs, 56 hits and 11 doubles in 97 games.

A Pitching Staff Built on Dominance

Johnson and Schilling Set the Tone

One of the most dominant duos in any starting rotation in Major League Baseball had to be Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, who overpowered opposing offenses with devastating stuff from the mound. Nicknamed the “Big Unit,” Johnson went 24-5 with 334 strikeouts and a 2.32 ERA, recording 8 complete games and 4 shutouts. Johnson’s 2002 performance earned him his fourth consecutive Cy Young Award in the National League. Schilling went 23-7 with 316 strikeouts and a 3.23 ERA, recording 5 complete games and 1 shutout.

Depth in the Rotation

Despite going 10-12, Rick Helling recorded 120 strikeouts. Despite going 8-9, Miguel Batista recorded 112 strikeouts and 1 complete game. In 5 games started, John Patterson went 2-0 with a 3.23 ERA. It was clear that Johnson and Schilling were the essential pieces of Arizona’s pitching staff.

A Reliable Bullpen

Closer Byung-Hyun Kim went 8-3 with 36 saves, 92 strikeouts and a 2.04 ERA. Relief pitcher Mike Koplove went 6-1 with a 3.26 ERA, and Mike Myers went 4-3 with 4 saves.

Signature Moments of the Season

The Diamondbacks stayed true to their winning formula of timely hitting and stellar pitching, going 30-17 in blowout games decided by margins of 5 runs or more. Arizona also pieced together an 8-game winning streak that began on August 9 with a close 2-1 victory over the Florida Marlins and ended on August 17 with a 6-2 win over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Battling the Rival Giants

Though most of Arizona’s tough battles against the San Francisco Giants, the eventual 2002 National League champions, resulted in losses, the Diamondbacks held their ground against their division rivals. This was especially true on July 4, when Arizona beat San Francisco 6-3. Brian Anderson, who went 6-11 for Arizona in 2002, pitched 7 innings and gave up 4 hits, 2 walks and 2 runs while recording 3 strikeouts.

In the top of the 2nd inning, San Francisco struck first when center fielder Tsuyoshi Shinjo hit a solo home run. In the bottom of the 2nd, Mark Grace had an RBI infield single. In the bottom of the 3rd, Luis Gonzalez and Steve Finley both had RBI singles, and Craig Counsell followed with a 2-run single. In the top of the 6th, right fielder Reggie Sanders had a sacrifice fly that scored shortstop Rich Aurilia, and in the bottom of the 6th, Junior Spivey had an RBI single. In the top of the 8th, left fielder Barry Bonds had an RBI double, but it wasn’t enough for the Giants.

Randy Johnson’s Masterpiece in Chicago

August 25 was a great day for Randy Johnson, who once again proved how dominant a starting pitcher he could be. The Diamondbacks blanked the Chicago Cubs 7-0, and Johnson played a big part in the final score. He pitched a complete game, giving up 6 hits and 2 walks while recording a fantastic 16 strikeouts. In the bottom of the 4th inning, Erubiel Durazo had an RBI triple and Matt Williams followed with an RBI single. Williams added another RBI single in the bottom of the 8th, an inning Arizona used to pull away. A passed ball scored Gonzalez, Johnson helped his own cause with a 2-run single hit out to short center field, and Quinton McCracken topped things off with a sacrifice fly to score catcher Chad Moeller.

A Championship Defense Cut Short

Defending the desert through the regular season was easy for the Diamondbacks, but defending their World Series championship proved too difficult, as they were swept by the St. Louis Cardinals three games to none in the 2002 National League Division Series. Though they wouldn’t repeat as World Series champions, the 2002 Arizona Diamondbacks remained competitive for the next few years, having built a blueprint that worked.