It’s a scene that many Arizonan baseball fans will never forget.
Game seven of the 2001 World Series. Bases loaded. One out. Legendary Yankees closer Mariano Rivera on the mound with Luis Gonzalez stepping into the batter’s box for what broadcaster Joe Buck called “the chance of a lifetime”.
Gonzalez then blooped a game-winning single past the drawn-in New York infield. Jay Bell touched home plate with the series-clinching run and jumped into the arms of Matt Williams as the celebration began.
Ten years ago, those D-backs won the state of Arizona’s only world championship in the franchise’s fourth year of existence.
That veteran-dominated team returned to Chase Field this past weekend for the World Championship Reunion. The memorable purple and teal uniforms were also brought back as the current D-backs wore them all weekend long. Thousands of fans packed the ballpark to honor the players that propelled the D-backs to a World Series title.
From aces Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling to Gonzalez, Williams, Mark Grace and Steve Finley, the 2001 squad had a plethora of talented veterans.
Seeing all of them back at the ballpark was special, and reminded us D-backs fans that the 2001 season was truly unforgettable.
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