AZ SnakePit 2018 Awards: Game of the year nominees

No further candidates were put forward in the nomination thread, so we’re going with the five original suggestions, which are detailed below in chronological order. Links in the title go to the SnakePit recap of the game in question, so you can read about them in more detail, as background to the highlights video.

Longest game: April 2, 8-7 in 15 innings vs. Los Angeles

Poor Alex. His debut recap on the SnakePit was a five and three-quarter hour monster, finishing about half-past midnight. The Dodgers scored three in the first off Taijuan Walker, and after the D-backs tied it back up, LA had a 6-3 lead in the bottom of the ninth, before Chris Owings hit a three-run homer, after the D-backs had the bases empty with two outs. Five scoreless inning followed, before LA took their third lead in the fifteenth inning. But Nick Ahmed tied things up with an RBI double, and Jeff Mathis rewarded the hardy survivors - both at Chase Field and watching at home! - with a walk-off single. Arizona had an 0.6% Win Probability after making their second out in the ninth.

Tightest game: April 17, 1-0 vs. San Francisco

The greatest pitching duel in D-backs history? Could be. The starters here combined for +117.8% of Win Probability, the most ever for a game at Chase. Johnny Cueto and Patrick Corbin worked sixteen shutout innings, allowing just three hits, with a K:BB ratio of 19:1. As we already documented, Corbin was a checked-swing infield hit in the eighth from a no-hitter. But Patrick got the W he deserved when the D-backs were able to scratch across the game’s only run in the bottom of the inning. Indeed, David Peralta’s RBI single was the only time all night that either side came to the plate with a runner in scoring position. This was Arizona’s first 1-0 win at Chase since Sep 11, 2012.

Most exciting game: June 22, 2-1 in 13 innings @ Pittsburgh

In terms of pitching, this wasn’t much worse. Corbin and Ivan Nova threw 15 scoreless, each man allowing three hits, and together struck out 20 without walking a batter. But neither received a decision, as this was scoreless into the eleventh inning. A Pirates error allowed the Diamondbacks to scratch out the game’s first score with two outs in the top of the 11th, but a Jake Lamb gaffe returned the favor in the bottom half, as the sides traded unearned runs and the game went on. Finally, with two outs in the 13th, Marte drove in the first non-error assisted run, and T.J. McFarland notched his first (and, so far, only) career save with a perfect inning, needing only six pitches.

Best offense: July 7, 20-5 vs. San Diego

And it’s not even close, the D-backs scoring 1.4 free tacos (seven runs) more here than in any other game this season. The Padres actually led this one, scoring two in the top of the first. But the Diamondbacks took the lead back with one out in their half, on their way to a five-run opening inning, and had scored fifteen times by the end of the fourth. David Peralta led the way, with a five-hit night, but five different D-backs hit home-runs, every Arizona starter crossed home-plate at least once, and every starter bar Robbie Ray drove in one or more runs. Amusingly, Ray didn’t get the win, despite leaving the mound with an eleven-run lead, being gone after 4.1 innings.

Biggest shutout: September 19, 9-0 vs. Chicago (NL)

I defer to suroeste for their explanation regarding this one’s credentials: “After Cubs fans took over >50% of Chase Field the first night and the Cubs won the first game of the series, it felt like the low point of the season. Then came the second night. Had to look up the lineup that night to make sure the Dbacks weren’t fielding a high school team from Nogales. Nope, just the C squad from the minors. I’m sure the Cubs were looking at another easy victory. Then the fun started – the C team played like there was no tomorrow racking up hit after hit and run after run. Just seeing the faces of the Cubs fans as their starters on the field were made to look like amateurs was priceless. Rizzo being pulled from the game when it became clear the Cubs were so far into a hole they couldn’t come back was icing on the cake. It was the victory we all needed and, at the end of that season, deserved.”