It's A Sweep! D-backs Advance to NLCS For First Time Since 2007 - D-backs Newsletter
- Nathaniel Wiley
- Oct 12, 2023
- 7 min read
At 9:03 PM last night, a fan received a text that read "Bye bye Dodgers," which was followed by three snake emojis. They were too busy cheering to notice.
The Arizona Diamondbacks have advanced to the 2023 National League Championship Series after sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers, finishing the series in Phoenix on Wednesday. It's been a long time coming, too, as the D-backs were last in the NLCS 16 years ago (2007). The team has won five games in a row in the 2023 Postseason and will look forward to beginning their next series against the Philadelphia Phillies, in Philadelphia.
The D-backs won in front of an amazingly loud sold out Chase Field crowd. Rally towels in the air, the fans created an unforgettable atmosphere for the team to win in. Some fans report the overall volume and excitement in the stadium was comparable to the noise levels of the 2001 playoffs, the year in which the D-backs won the World Series.
The last time the Diamondbacks were in the NL Division Series, they were swept by their division rivals the Los Angeles Dodgers, who happened to be the victims of the D-backs' most recent victories.
History at Home
The desert has been home to history in the past, like record-breaking heat, but the Diamondbacks have had plenty of historical moments this season, like the night when 23-year-old rookie Corbin Carroll stole his 50th base of the season, becoming the first player in MLB history to have a 25-home run and 50 stolen-base season. And what's more fitting than making history in the Postseason? Well, the D-backs did, indeed, make history in Wednesday's game.
It wasn't, however, a single player who made history, rather four players who all contributed to the historical moment. Geraldo Perdomo, Ketel Marte, Christian Walker, and Gabriel Moreno all homered off of Dodger starter Lance Lynn, who had lead the MLB in home runs allowed during the regular season. All of the homers came in the same inning, too, a feat which had never been performed in the history of the Postseason.
But wait... Moreno's home run was a foul ball? Not exactly. Gabriel Moreno, the starting catcher for the Diamondbacks, came up to bat with two outs in the third inning, and crushed a ball to the Dodger bullpen. However, after a closer look, the umpires overturned the initial home run call, claiming that it was a foul ball.
Strike that, reverse it! Moreno got back up to the plate moments after the overturned call and hit a baseball nearly to dead center field, sailing over the wall into the already ecstatic crowd. What an inning.
Player Highlights
The D-backs have played two series so far this Postseason, sweeping the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2023 National League Wild Card, and sweeping the Dodgers in the NLDS. Outstanding players and statistics have emerged from both series, with people like Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte who have been outstanding through all five games this Postseason. These are the top 5 D-backs to keep an eye out for in the upcoming NLCS.
5. Joe Mantiply (Left Handed Pitcher)
There has been a lot of buzz about how fabulous the D-backs bullpen has been so far, and Joe Mantiply has contributed to the 'pen's success greatly. So far in the Postseason, Mantiply has pitched 2.2 innings, allowed no runs, one walk, and two strikeouts. Mantiply has two wins as well, helping the team jump hurdles brought forth by the Brewers and Dodgers. Should he continue on his current pace, Mantiply will be an unstoppable and consistent force out of the bullpen, contrary to his iffy 2023 campaign, posing a 4.62 ERA in about 40 innings pitched, giving up 20 earned runs. Mantiply has been on a hot streak, however, and during September, he pitched 13 total innings in 10 games, allowed only 2 earned runs, 10 hits and 8 strikeouts, posting a 1.38 ERA. That's roughly one hit per appearance, and he's been nothing short of his fantastic September in his last few games.
4. Gabriel Moreno (Catcher)
Leading the team in Postseason homers this year, Moreno has contributed greatly to the D-backs' Postseason success using his power. He hasn't been hitting for much contact as of late, but he's hit three homers so far in the Postseason, one coming as a part of the historical inning in Wednesday's game. Moreno has been one of the best in slugging percentage this Postseason, ranking 7th in the league behind his own teammate, Corbin Carroll. Moreno has also been good behind the plate, putting out 32 batters. Over the course of the 2023 season, the D-backs won more games when Moreno was on the active roster. As of 9/23/23, in 58 winning efforts that Moreno played in, he batted .339 with nine extra base hits and 12 RBI. He hit .284 during the regular season.
3. Starting Rotation
OK, well, technically this is more than one player, but the starting pitching staff was amazing versus the Dodgers, supported by an already lights-out bullpen. They've been pretty spot-on throughout the entire Postseason, too. Over these past five postseason games, the three starters (Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Brandon Pfaadt) have combined for (roughly) a 2.35 ERA, allowing 7 runs on 22 hits. And compared to the Dodgers abysmal pitching performance in the Postseason, that's pretty darn good. The rotation was especially great against the Dodgers, with Merrill Kelly pitching 6.1 innings, allowing no runs on three hits and striking out five. Zac Gallen pitched well against them as well, pitching 5.1 innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits, striking out four. Both Gallen and Kelly earned wins in those starts. Brandon Pfaadt has pitched in two games, and although he struggled a bit against Milwaukee, he settled in against L.A., pitching 4.1 innings, allowing no runs on 2 hits and 2 strikeouts. Impressive for a rookie in his first Postseason.
2. Ketel Marte (2nd Base)
A main piece in the D-backs' 2017 Postseason run, Marte has been fantastic this October, posting a .318 batting average with two homers, a double, seven hits and a stolen base. What more could you want from a star player? Oh, yeah, he's also got 4 RBIs and has scored four times. Safe to say the D-backs picked the right player from 2017 to keep around.
1. Corbin Carroll (Center Field/Right Field)
As far as candidates for Rookie of the Year go, he's certainly the frontrunner. Carroll has been praised for his mature approach to the game, but also his amazing defense in the outfield. Carroll was a member of a group of D-backs who played in the 2023 All-Star Game, as well. In the 2023 season, Carroll hit .285 with 25 homers, 54 stolen bases, and 161 hits. Carroll was the first rookie in MLB history to have a 25/50 season. Over these past five Postseason games, Carroll is batting .412 with two homers, seven hits, a double, two stolen bases and six walks. All of that in five games. Wow. Nothing more to say about him, just wow.
See You In Philly!
After Wednesday's victory, the question at hand was "who will the Diamondbacks face next?" The Atlanta Braves or the Philadelphia Phillies? D-backs general manager Mike Hazen said "I'll start stressing about that tomorrow," in response to the looming question of who they'll face in the NLCS. Hazen went on to say "...They both have incredible offenses."
Hazen is right about that. The Braves had the best team batting average (.276) during the regular season, and the Phillies were behind the Dodgers and Blue Jays for 9th place (.256).
The Phillies, however, are moving on to face the Diamondbacks after a 3-1 victory over the Braves on Thursday. The Phillies fought hard to get the series victory, winning the series three games to one.
During the season, the D-backs won three and lost four against Philly, most of those losses coming early-on in the year. The Phillies had a .282 batting average against the D-backs this year, scoring 44 runs in seven games. The D-backs weren't particularly great against Philadelphia this year, posting a .247 average against them. The D-backs were outscored by the Phillies this year as well... By a pretty decent margin, too. The Phillies have some star power of their own with players like Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos, who have been very reliable hitters this Postseason. They've also got a great pitching rotation, pretty much front-to-back, and their bullpen had only minor struggles against the Braves. It will be a tough series for both teams, but, that's what the Playoffs are all about, right?
Mound Visit: NLCS FAQs
The catcher walks up to the pitcher on the mound as the opposing team's fans boo him. He says to the pitcher: "So, what's to be expected from the NLCS?"
The NLCS is a best of seven series, like the World Series, so a team has to win four games in order to move on to the World Series. D-backs home games will be held at Chase Field in Phoenix, while away games will be held in Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park. The schedule is as follows:
Game 1 (10/16/23): Diamondbacks @ Phillies, 5:07 PM
Game 2 (10/17/23): Diamondbacks @ Phillies, 5:07 PM
Game 3 (10/19/23): Phillies @ Diamondbacks, 2:07 PM
Game 4 (10/20/23): Phillies @ Diamondbacks, 5:07 PM
*Game 5 (10/21/23): Phillies @ Diamondbacks, 5:07 PM
*Game 6 (10/23/23): Diamondbacks @ Phillies, 2:07 PM
*Game 7 (10/24/23): Diamondbacks @ Phillies, 5:07 PM
* = If necessary
All times listed in Mountain Standard Time (MST)
All of this information is subject to change. For updated information on the NLCS, see MLB.com.
The games will all be broadcast on television on TBS and TBS-International. Check your local listings for those stations. Radio broadcasts are available on 98.7 Arizona Sports, KQMR 100.3 FM, and ESPN Radio.
The D-backs have yet to announce their NLCS roster, so there's no telling who will be in the pitching rotation or starting lineups for Game 1. Gabriel Moreno is Day-To-Day right now with a wrist contusion after exiting Game 3 of the NLDS on Wednesday. The x-rays came back negative on his wrist, so expect to see him on the roster.
Tickets are available through MLB.com and Ticketmaster, as well as ticket resale services.
It's A Celebration!
All-in-all, the D-backs are on quite a run, and an exciting one! Keep cheering loud and proud, and support your Arizona Born team!
The chaos continues, D-backs fans. Embrace it!
Citations page is available here.
Thank you for reading!
Woohoo!! Go Dbacks. A nicely crafted article, and thanks for the clips.
Go DBacks!!! What a fun read… great photos too! Love those Diamondbacks ❤️⚾️
Would you like more info about the Phillies and their players and what to expect of them vs. the D-backs? Let us know by replying to this comment or emailing us at dbacksnewsletter@natewileyproductions.com!
Rattle on, D-backs! ⚾️