Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks* (popularly known as the D-backs for short) joined MLB as an expansion team in 1998, bringing top-level professional baseball to the Grand Canyon State for the first time. In typical expansion team form, the Diamondbacks had a first season that surprised exactly no one, going 65-97 to finish rock bottom of the NL West. The team acquired towering (frightening) sidearm hurler Randy Johnson in 1999 and the D-backs defied the odds to storm into their first postseason in just their second season of existence, though they lost to the New York Mets in four games. They seemed to be reverting to the mean in the following season when they missed out on the playoffs, albeit narrowly, so no one saw what was coming in 2001 when, powered by the pitching of Johnson as well as Curt Schilling, the Diamondbacks defeated the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves en route to a World Series showdown with none other than the legendary New York Yankees. The series went the distance to Game Seven, which was played in Arizona in front of nearly 50,000 fans perched on the edge of their seats, praying for the state’s first-ever professional sports franchise. Schilling started the game and kept it close for over seven innings, but the D-backs were down 2-1 when manager Bob Brenly shocked everyone (especially the Yankees!) by bringing in Randy Johnson as a relief pitcher to keep the score close. It worked, and in the bottom of the ninth inning, losing by a single run, the Diamondbacks staged a comeback against ace Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, scoring two runs to send the city of Phoenix, and the whole state of Arizona, into wild celebrations. The 2001 triumph still stands as the quickest World Series win by a new expansion franchise, a record that seems unlikely to be broken any time soon. In the two decades following the big win, the Diamondbacks remained a fairly competitive team, but only made the playoffs four times, winning two series but never getting further than a sweep in the 2007 NLCS by the Colorado Rockies. Fans in the desert state must have been wondering if it had been one time lucky and done until 2023, when the Diamondbacks shocked the baseball world again after only just squeaking into the playoffs via the Wild Card, but going on to sweep the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers before winning an epic seven-game slugfest against the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS. Unfortunately (for the D-backs), they came up against their desert neighbors, the Texas Rangers, who had also powered through the playoffs from a Wild Card and were in no mood to fold at the last hand, beating the Diamondbacks 4-1. It was a heartbreaking defeat, but one that left fans in Arizona excited for the upcoming season to see whether their Diamondbacks have what it takes to bring home that second title once more. 

*For those who have never heard of a “diamondback” before, it is the name of a rattlesnake native to Arizona with a beautiful diamond-shaped pattern on its back. Obviously, the reference to a “diamond” was also just too perfect to pass up for a baseball team!

How can I get cheap tickets to Arizona Diamondbacks games?

On the back of all the excitement that the Arizona Diamondbacks generated with their dramatic World Series victory in 2001 after only just joining the league, local fans became extremely loyal to the team, continuing to come to Chase Field in big numbers even as the team’s form on the field wavered from year to year. This popularity can make Diamondbacks tickets difficult to come by, particularly for key regular season divisional battles, postseason playoff games, or rivalry matchups (see below). To find the cheapest tickets to Arizona Diamondbacks baseball games, search the TicketX listings and game schedule on this page and use our trusty TicketX seating chart to compare prices and locations. You can purchase tickets with the lowest commission fees from TicketX with just one click! 

Arizona Diamondbacks - Rivalries

Rivalries against their closest neighboring teams, the Rangers and Houston Astros are not too intense as of yet, as both Texas teams play in the American League (AL West) meaning that they rarely play the Diamondbacks (though the recent 2023 World Series loss to the Rangers may spice things up in future). Currently, the Diamondbacks’ fiercest divisional rivals are the Los Angeles Dodgers with whom they have had several large bench-clearing brawls in recent years. Scoring a ticket to a D-backs vs. Dodgers game can be difficult, so be sure to head to TicketX to find all the best deals on the tickets that match your budget and preferences.

Are Arizona Diamondbacks baseball games exciting?

Going to an Arizona Diamondbacks baseball game at Chase Field is lots of fun, with a laid back atmosphere along with great weather (or air conditioning if it’s hot) and plenty of great stadium snacks and cold beer. Diamondbacks fans know how to have a good time, but when it gets into the latter innings of a big game and the score is close, the tension rises palpably and fans move to the edge of their seats, willing their team on to victory.