AZ SnakePit Awards: Play of the Year

May 11: Jeff Mathis “knee”-ds little help to end game vs. PIT

The Fernando Rodney Experience was under way at Chase Field: With two outs in the ninth, the tying run was on first base. On a 1-1 pitch from Rodney, the runner took off, and the slow delivery from our closer forced his battery-mate to throw from his knees down to Brandon Drury at second. But you’d be hard-pushed to find a more perfect throw, reaching the fielder on the fly and in the exact spot which allowed Drury simply to drop his glove down on the runner. It was close enough to merit a review by the umpires, but the initial call of out was upheld, and rather than the tying run in scoring position, Mathis’s throw ended the game for an Arizona W.

July 21: Marte triggers #SadBryce vs. WSN

The loss of Ahmed late in June, could have been a hammer blow for our infield defense. Fortunately, it just opened the door for Ketel Marte, who demonstrated great range, and a cannon for an arm. The latter, in particular, is showcased by the play above, Marte throwing the runner out from a yard or two onto the outfield grass. But it was probably his amazing pick on the backhand, snaring a rifle bullet off the bat of Bryce Harper, and sliding to a halt on his knees, which secured its place in our final five. That the web gem ended the top of the ninth inning, with the score against Washington tied, didn’t hurt its value.

July 27: Lamb goes crowd-surfing vs. STL

One under-rated skill required by corner infielders is having to deal with the varying arrangements of foul territory, and Jake showed himself a master of the art here. It’s always harder on the road, especially somewhere like St. Louis where there is a vast expanse of ground beyond the lines to cover. Lamb covered a great deal of turf here, sprinting after a pop-up as it curved towards the seats. If he’d bailed out as he approached the low wall separating fans from the field, no-one would have complained about the effort. Instead, he made the grab, then toppled over into the crowd and held on for the out.

August 8: Jake Lamb grand-slam vs. LAD

One of six grandies hit by the Diamondbacks this year. But with a Win Probability of +50%, it was easily the most important - not least for who it came against. It was the first time we’d faced the Dodgers since they had swept us out of Los Angeles, and we trailed 3-2 in the seventh inning here. Arizona had worked the bases loaded, but there were two outs. Lamb stepped to the plate, and LA went to their left-hander, knowing of Jake’s struggles there. After falling behind 0-2, Lamb took a ball, then fouled off a couple of pitches, before flipping a pitch down the right-field line - just far enough and just fair enough. Love a) that sound as it pings off the foul-pole, and b) #SadPuig

August 21: Peralta’s pinpoint throw saves go-ahead run vs. NYM

This play is a contender as much due to its timing, because context matters. The D-backs’ season was wobbling badly at the moment of its execution. We’d gone five series without a win, coming into New York having lost 11 of the last 15, and had just endured probably the worst drubbing of the year in Minnesota. Arizona clung to a 1-0 lead in the seventh, but a single with the bases loaded tied the game - and only Peralta’s throw stopped the go-ahead run from scoring too. The tide then changed dramatically. We won this one in 10 innings, starting a 15-1 streak that instead put us on the brink of the playoffs. The play below may have saved our season.