1999 Arizona Diamondbacks season
Encyclopedia
The 1999 Arizona Diamondbacks
looked to improve on their 1998 expansion season. They looked to contend in what was a strong National League
West Division
. They finished the season with a highly surprising record of 100-62, good enough for the NL West division title. In the NLDS, however, they fell in four games to the New York Mets
on Todd Pratt
's infamous home run. Randy Johnson would win the NL Cy Young Award and become the third pitcher to win the Cy Young Award in both leagues.
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
looked to improve on their 1998 expansion season. They looked to contend in what was a strong National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
West Division
National League West
The National League Western Division, or NL West, is one of the three divisions of Major League Baseball's National League. It was created in 1969 when the previously undivided National League expanded its membership to twelve teams, positioning half of them in an Eastern division and the other...
. They finished the season with a highly surprising record of 100-62, good enough for the NL West division title. In the NLDS, however, they fell in four games to the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
on Todd Pratt
Todd Pratt
Todd Alan Pratt is a former Major League Baseball catcher from 1992-2006. He has primarily served as a back-up catcher for most of his career....
's infamous home run. Randy Johnson would win the NL Cy Young Award and become the third pitcher to win the Cy Young Award in both leagues.
Offseason
- October 26, 1998: Izzy MolinaIzzy MolinaIslay "Izzy" Molina is a former Major League Baseball catcher for the Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles...
was signed as a Free Agent with the Arizona Diamondbacks. - November 10, 1998: Dante Powell was traded by the San Francisco Giants to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Alan EmbreeAlan EmbreeAlan Duane Embree is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently a free agent. Previously, Embree played with the Cleveland Indians , Atlanta Braves , Arizona Diamondbacks , San Francisco Giants , Chicago White Sox , San Diego Padres , Boston Red Sox , New York...
. - November 13, 1998: Greg SwindellGreg SwindellForest Gregory "Greg" Swindell is an American former Major League Baseball player, who had a 17-year career as a left-handed pitcher from to...
signed as a Free Agent with the Arizona Diamondbacks. - December 2, 1998: Ernie Young was signed as a Free Agent with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
- December 10, 1998: Randy Johnson signed as a Free Agent with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
- January 22, 1999: Ken HuckabyKen HuckabyKenneth Paul Huckaby is a retired catcher in Major League Baseball. He bats and throws right-handed. Through , Huckaby is a .222 hitter with three home runs and 31 RBI in 161 games played....
was signed as a Free Agent with the Arizona Diamondbacks. - February 18, 1999: Dale SveumDale SveumDale Curtis Sveum is a former Major League Baseball player and the current manager of the Chicago Cubs.-Playing career:A talented athlete, Sveum was an All-State and All-American quarterback while attending Pinole Valley High School, in addition to being a fine baseball player...
was signed as a Free Agent with the Arizona Diamondbacks. - March 30, 1999: Izzy Molina was traded by the Arizona Diamondbacks with Ben Ford to the New York Yankees for Darren Holmes and cash.
- March 30, 1999: Aaron Small was released by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Regular season
- In his first season with the club, Randy Johnson helped the second-year franchise win the NL West title. He joined Gaylord Perry and Pedro Martinez as the only pitchers to win Cy Young awards in both leagues. Johnson led the NL with a 2.48 ERA and led both leagues with 364 strikeouts, 12 complete games and 271 2/3 innings pitched.
Opening Day starters
- Tony BatistaTony BatistaLeocadio Francisco "Tony" Batista is a former Major League Baseball infielder who is currently a free agent. He played in the major leagues from to and to , and with the Softbank Hawks of the Japanese Pacific League in .-Career:...
- Jay BellJay BellJay Stuart Bell is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and second baseman who played for the Cleveland Indians , Pittsburgh Pirates , Kansas City Royals , Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Mets .He played his high school baseball at J.M...
- Andy BenesAndy BenesAndrew Charles Benes is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. During a 14-year career from 1989-2002. Benes played for four different teams: the San Diego Padres, the Seattle Mariners, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Arizona Diamondbacks...
- Steve FinleySteve FinleySteven Allen Finley is a former Major League Baseball outfielder.-Early life:Finley, who grew up in Paducah, Kentucky, attended Paducah Tilghman High School and Southern Illinois University, where he earned a degree in physiology and played for the baseball team from 1984–87.-College, Team USA,...
- Luis Gonzalez
- Travis LeeTravis LeeTravis Lee is a former Major League Baseball first baseman.Lee graduated from Capital High School in Olympia, Washington in 1993, where he also played football. Being ambidextrous Lee played as a lefty in baseball and as a QB for the Capital High football team threw with his right...
- Damian MillerDamian MillerDamian Donald Miller is a former Major League Baseball catcher who last played for the Milwaukee Brewers.-High school years:...
- Matt Williams
- Tony WomackTony WomackAnthony Darrell Womack is a former second baseman and shortstop in Major League Baseball who played most of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Arizona Diamondbacks, then with several other teams during his last four years...
Notable transactions
- May 9, 1999: Dale Sveum was released by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
- June 2, 1999: Lyle Overbay was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 18th round of the 1999 amateur draft. Player signed June 8, 1999.
- June 12, 1999: Dan Plesac was traded by the Toronto Blue Jays to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Tony Batista and John Frascatore.
Roster
| 1999 Arizona Diamondbacks | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers |
Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders Other batters |
Manager Coaches |
||||||
Batting
Note: G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In| Player | G | AB | H | HR | RBI | Avg. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damian Miller | 86 | 296 | 80 | 11 | 47 | .270 |
| Travis Lee | 120 | 375 | 89 | 9 | 50 | .237 |
| Jay Bell | 151 | 589 | 170 | 38 | 112 | .289 |
| Matt Williams | 154 | 627 | 190 | 35 | 142 | .303 |
| Andy Fox | 99 | 274 | 70 | 6 | 33 | .255 |
| Luis Gonzalez | 153 | 614 | 206 | 26 | 111 | .336 |
| Steve Finley | 156 | 590 | 156 | 34 | 103 | .264 |
| Tony Womack | 144 | 614 | 170 | 4 | 41 | .277 |
Other batters
| Player | G | AB | H | HR | RBI | Avg. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kelly Stinnett | 88 | 284 | 66 | 14 | 38 | .232 |
| Bernard Gilkey | 94 | 204 | 60 | 8 | 39 | .294 |
| Erubiel Durazo | 52 | 155 | 51 | 11 | 30 | .329 |
| Hanley Frias | 69 | 150 | 41 | 1 | .273 | |
| Tony Batista | 44 | 144 | 37 | 5 | 21 | .257 |
| Greg Colbrunn | 67 | 135 | 44 | 5 | 24 | .326 |
| Turner Ward | 10 | 23 | 8 | 2 | 7 | .348 |
| Rod Barajas | 5 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 3 | .250 |
| Randy Johnson | 33 | 97 | 12 | 0 | 6 | .124 |
Starting pitchers
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Randy Johnson | 35 | 271.7 | 17 | 9 | 2.48 | 364 |
| Omar Daal | 32 | 214.7 | 16 | 9 | 3.65 | 148 |
| Todd Stottlemyre | 17 | 101.3 | 6 | 3 | 4.09 | 74 |
Other pitchers
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Frascatore | 26 | 33.0 | 1 | 4 | 4.09 | 15 |
Relief pitchers
| Player | G | IP | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Mantei | 30 | 29.0 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 2.79 | 49 |
| Greg Swindell | 63 | 64.7 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2.51 | 51 |
| Gregg Olson | 61 | 60.7 | 9 | 4 | 14 | 3.71 | 45 |
| Dan Plesac | 34 | 21.7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3.32 | 27 |
NLDS
New York wins series, 3-1| Game | Score | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York 8, Arizona 4 | October 5 |
| 2 | Arizona 7, New York 1 | October 6 |
| 3 | New York 9, Arizona 2 | October 8 |
| 4 | New York 4, Arizona 3 (10 innings) | October 9 |
Farm system
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: MissoulaExternal links
- Arizona Diamondbacks official web site
- 1999 Arizona Diamondbacks team page at www.baseball-almanac.com
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