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The Arizona Diamondbacks franchise came into existence when team owner of the Phoenix Suns, Jerry Colangelo formed Arizona Baseball Inc. in 1993. The team began play in the 1998 season and immediately made an impact on the league. With veteran manager Buck Showalter, the 1994 Manager of the Year while with the Yankees. While the team finished with a 65-97 record, a full 33 games behind, they would bounce back in their sophomore season with a record of 100-62. They would lose the NLDS to the New York Mets. The following season, the team replaced Showalter with Bob Brenly and finished with an 85-77 record.
The 2001 season would be the breakout season for the franchise as they were led by pitching legends Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. The team finished with a 92-70 record and faced the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS, beating them three games to two. They next faced the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS and won that series in five games, four to one. Becoming the youngest franchise to ever make it into the World Series, the Diamondbacks faced the New York Yankees in the big dance. The Cards took out the veteran Yankees squad in seven games, with both teams winning all their home games. This was the first major championship for the city of any kind and so far, the only one. The franchise would again win the NL West in ’02 but were swept out of the playoffs by the St. Louis Cardinals. By 2004, team production dropped off measurably as they posted one of the 10 worst records in the past century of baseball with a 51-111 record.
Owner Jerry Colangelo sold his interest in the Diamondbacks partnership in 2004 to the other investors in the original deal and left the team. By the end of the 2006 season, the team had restocked and reloaded and had reacquired future Hall of Fame Pitcher Randy Johnson as well as former Marlins Pitching ace Yusmeriro Petit. The squad would return to the playoffs in 2007 with a completely new look that included team colors and uniforms. They posted a 90-72 record and moved into the postseason, facing the Chicago Cubs and sweeping them into submission for their first NLDS title since ’01. The Diamondbacks then faced the Colorado Rockies in the NLCS where their luck ran short and they were swept from the playoffs. The following season, the team posted a 82-80 record and have continued to struggle posting a 70-92 in ’09 and a 65-97 record in 2010.
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