The 2012 'Pitties: Game of the Year

Here are the nominees, together with a paragraph of commentary from each recap - the headline link goes to each recap in full.

4/8: Comeback from six down vs. SFG

"When Arizona were 6-0 down, I would have accepted defeat with a shrug and a "Can't win 'em all." But the more the team came back into things, the more I wanted them to complete the recovery. When they tied things up, the result suddenly mattered in a way that would have been inconceivable only a couple of innings previously. And after they took the lead, if the Devil had sidled up to me and offered an assurance of victory, in exchange for donating our puppy to Dr. Josef's House of Medical Fun.... I'd have thrown in the basket and helped Lucifer to his car"

6/8: Roberts' walk-off seals six-run comeback vs. OAK

"Hudson was the 15th AZ starter to go less than two innings. He was only the second ever to do so in a team his game won - and the other, in 2000, saw Todd Stottlemyre removed after only 14 pitches with a sore elbow, so wasn't quite the same. Hudson is the first major-league pitcher to record five outs or less and give up six or more earned runs, in a game his team won, since Esmil Rogers of the Rockies in August 2010, in a game where Colorado ended up beating Atlanta 12-10."

6/15: Beating Haren on a Cahill shutout vs. LAA

"After dropping our first two games against the Rangers (in both crushing and heartbreaking fashion), I wasn't entirely sure how the next few games would go. I certainly had an idea - and, sadly, it didn't involve winning. Then, lo and behold, we not only took a game from Texas to avoid being swept, but we sorta killed Texas. Then we rolled into Anaheim and stomped the Angels in the first game. So, once again, I'm stuck in the oh-so-familiar feeling of confusion. Which Diamondback team is the real one, and which one is the fake? It'll probably be a bit before this team finds its identity, but once that happens, let's hope it aligns with the one that's showed up for the last two games."

9/11: D-backs win 1-0 vs. LAD

"Clayton Kershaw versus Ian Kennedy is the kind of match-up that in March we would have thought would be a great duel. Nearly a season later, and some inconsistency by our ginger ace along the way, the billing came to be. And boy, was it a good one. Kennedy was the ace we know he can be, going 7 1/3 and dominating all of them... Kershaw was very good, but did his part to provide more evidence in the continuous project of showing how silly judging pitchers by wins can be... Unfortunately for him, and fortunately for the Diamondbacks, the Dodgers did not have much going in the offense. So much for all those expensive players, eh?"

9/21: Arizona scores 15 vs. COL

"Ah, Coors Field, a surefire cure for any anemic offense. And, as Gonzo said during the game, "The worst place to be if you have must-win games." With a combined eight runs scored in the first three innings, it certainly felt like it would be "one of those games." Thankfully, it was one of those games just for us. The Diamondbacks' bats came alive, the Rockies' arms kept throwing balls, and Arizona scored in eight of nine innings to take the opening game of the series."