Arizona Diamondbacks head to the postseason
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Arizona Diamondbacks players celebrate after clinching a playoff spot on Saturday. Photo: Chris Coduto/Getty Images
The regular season is over and the Arizona Diamondbacks are headed to the playoffs.
Driving the news: The D-Backs clinched a playoff berth Saturday despite their loss to the Houston Astros, when the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Cincinnati Reds.
- After the D-Backs' loss to Houston on Sunday afternoon, the final day of the regular season, they snagged the third wild card spot.
- Arizona ended the regular season with a record of 84-78, earning them second place in the National League West behind the dominant Los Angeles Dodgers.
State of play: Arizona opens its postseason tomorrow on the road for a best-of-three series against the Milwaukee Brewers, who won the National League Central.
- The 92-win Brewers have the better record this season, but the D-Backs went 4-2 against Milwaukee in 2023.
Context: The D-Backs had minimal expectations to start the season. They were largely viewed as up-and-comers with young talent and a potentially bright future.
- Their road appeared tough because they share a division with the big-spending Dodgers and Padres. But San Diego fell flat and finished third in the NL West.
What they're saying: "A lot of these guys were here the last few years. We feel like we really earned this. We pulled ourselves out of a funny situation and turned ourselves into some winners," first basemen Christian Walker said amid Saturday night's celebration, the Arizona Republic reported.
The big picture: This is the D-Backs' first trip to the playoffs since 2017, when they took second place in the NL West and earned a wild card berth.
- They defeated the Colorado Rockies in the wild card game to reach the NL Division Series, where they were swept by the Dodgers.
- This year marks Arizona's seventh trip to the postseason since joining Major League Baseball in 1998.
- Like the current team, the 2017 D-Backs reached the playoffs for the first time in six years.
Of note: NL Rookie of the Year favorite Corbin Carroll ended the regular season with a .285 batting average, 25 home runs, 76 RBI and a whopping 54 stolen bases.
Reality check: Sportsbooks have Arizona tied with the Miami Marlins as the two least likely teams to win the NL pennant.
Yes, but: Anything can happen in the postseason — so let's go, D-Backs!