Arizona Diamondbacks Game of the Year: Poll

It was not easy: pretty much any of the possibles could have qualified without complaint. Yet after much deliberation, we have narrowed down the ten previous candidates to the five who qualify for the poll. These weren’t necessarily the most dominating D-backs performances of the year. But I think they cover most of the bases (pun intended), with regard to what we will remember when it comes to the 2017 Diamondbacks. Links go to our original recap of the game, if you need additional color commentary before placing your vote:

April 2: 6-5 vs. SFG - Opening Day

If there were a statement game in 2017, it was perhaps the first game, where we hosted one of last year’s wild-card teams, the Giants. At first, it looked like 2016 would prevail, San Francisco chipping away against Zack Greinke to take a 3-0 lead. But the game was tied up by the end of the sixth, kicking off a frantic second half where the Giants would blow two more leads, despite Madison Bumgarner’s second homer. The cli,ax came in the top of the ninth, where Fernando Rodney allowed the go-ahead run in his Diamondbacks debut. However, RBIs from Daniel Descalso and Chris Owings in the bottom of the ninth led to the first walk-off Opening Day win in team history.

April 30: 2-0 vs. COL - Scoreless endless

The Diamondbacks and Rockies held each other scoreless for 25 consecutive half-innings, setting a new mark for Chase Field. Patrick Corbin tossed 6.2 innings of two-hit ball, but Arizona were similarly held in check by German Marquez. The two sides’ bullpens were equally impeccable, taking the game through extras and into the 12th inning without either side crossing home-plate. There was controversy, however, A.J. Pollock being called out for interference after colliding with Rockies’ infielder D.J. LeMahieu. Justice was finally served in the bottom of the 13th, when Brandon Drury singled, and Descalso dumped the ball into the pool to end an enthralling contest.

August 3: 10-8 @ CHC - Just endless

This regulation game lasted a minute short of four hours - and that does not even include the three rain delays which stretched this out even longer. It had everything. The Diamondbacks had a 6-1 lead in the middle of the fifth, but the Cubs took the lead by the end of the seventh. Paul Goldschmidt homered three times driving in six runs, including the go-ahead homer in the ninth inning - immediately followed by a shot from J.D. Martinez. And then there were the Arizona bullpen shenanigans during the delays, including a bobsleigh-renactment, human bowling and a dance-off with their Chicago counterparts. Madness? THIS IS WRIGLEY!!!

September 4: 13-0 @ LAD - Running over the Dodgers

The D-backs had just swept the Dodgers at Chase, provoking whining from the latter’s fans that we didn’t face their best player. Arizona responded perfectly, destroying Los Angeles in their own field, despite having Adam Rosales instead of Goldschmidt - plus starts for Kris Negron and Chris Herrmann. [Lovullo 1, Internet Haters 0!] Robbie Ray took a no-hitter into the sixth, settling for 14 K’s over 7.2 shutout innings, but that was overshadowed by Martinez becoming only the 18th major-league player ever with four home-runs in a game. Arizona scored 11 runs over the last three innings, to set the mark for the largest shutout ever by any NL team in Dodger Stadium.

September 24: 3-2 vs. MIA - We’re going to the playoffs!

The Diamondbacks came into the game needing either a Brewers loss or win of their own to clinch a post-season spot for the first time since 2011. They got both. First, at 2:05pm, news that Milwaukee had lost to Chicago reached Chase Field, prompting smiles and handshakes in the dugout. But the team still had work to do, to avoid an underwhelming entry to the playoffs, falling 2-0 behind the Marlins. However, as so often this year, the team fought their way back. In the eighth, Descalso tied things up with an RBI single, and with two outs in the ninth, Martinez delivered a walk-off hit. Let the celebrations begin in earnest!