Phoenix Sports Today

Phoenix Sports News Continuously Updated

10 great moments from the Diamondbacks’ 2024 season

by

As doom and gloom as missing the postseason can feel, the Arizona Diamondbacks certainly had their share of show-stopping moments during the 2024 season.

The D-backs rallied for nine walk-off hits, 32 comeback victories and a league-leading offense that captivated the Valley for much of the summer when they won series after series.

As the attention turns to 2025 and getting back into October after a disappointing finish, let’s not forget what made the 2024 squad so exciting. These moments stand out when looking back on the past six months.

10 great moments from the Diamondbacks’ 2024 season

Diamondbacks rally on Opening Day vs. Rockies

RELATED STORIES

The Diamondbacks entered Opening Day with much anticipation that comes after a World Series run, and they put on a show on Opening Day. They rallied for 14 runs in a single inning against the Colorado Rockies, tied for the fourth-most runs in a frame since 1900.

Eighteen batters came up: 13 recorded hits and nobody homered. The inning went as follows: single, single, walk, single, double, single, single, flyout, double, single, single, walk, single, single, double, sacrifice fly, single and ground out.

The D-backs won 16-1.

Randal Grichuk walks off early game of the year candidate vs. Cubs

In an early entry for craziest game of the season, the D-backs led the Cubs 8-5, trailed 11-8 and tied the game in the bottom of the ninth on a Ketel Marte home run.

In the 10th inning, Randal Grichuk, fresh off the IL to start the season, smoked a gapper to bring home the winning run in Arizona’s first walk-off victory of 2024 on April 16.

Christian Walker ends bees game with walk-off homer vs. Dodgers

The most bizarre night of the season came on April 30 when first pitch was delayed by a bee colony that swarmed on the netting behind home plate. Matt Hilton made a name for himself among fans as the beekeeper who took care of the issue in front of an enthusiastic crowd ready for baseball.

Naturally, a game delayed by bees went into extra innings, and Christian Walker delivered a walk-off home run to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, his second homer of the night.

Ketel Marte makes All-Star team

It was hard to find one moment that stood above the rest for Marte, as he was so impactful all season in one of the best campaigns ever played by a Diamondback.

In the visiting clubhouse at Dodger Stadium on July 3, the D-backs celebrated Marte being named to his second All-Star Game, something he had been striving for. Manager Torey Lovullo said he knew the guy making the lineup (him) and that Marte would lead off and play second base.

Up to that point, Marte had an .871 OPS with 17 homers. Over his next 30 games until he injured his ankle on Aug. 10, Marte crushed 12 home runs with an OPS of 1.070.

Christian Walker dominates Dodger Stadium

Walker has hit well at Dodger Stadium for years, but his power surge got ridiculous during the week of July 4.

Walker homered in the series opener, went yard twice the following night and blasted two more dingers on the Fourth of July for five home runs in a single series.

All Lovullo could do was smile with pride and disbelief.

Walker homered in five straight games in Los Angeles, and he is the first player with seven home runs in five games at the Dodgers, per Sarah Langs.

Corbin Carroll’s pinch-hit walk-off caps comeback vs. Nationals

The Diamondbacks trailed 8-4 in the ninth inning against the Nationals at Chase Field on July 29.

Down as many as six runs, the D-backs started to chip away with a Geraldo Perdomo RBI single and a Marte two-run shot to cut the deficit to one run — Marte led MLB with nine home runs in the ninth inning this year.

Corbin Carroll came up to bat against Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan with a runner aboard and slammed a home run over the wall in right field for the walk-off.

The Answerbacks moniker had reemerged, and Carroll was turning his season around ahead of a terrific August.

Back-to-back-to-back-to-back vs. Pirates

Carroll zipped around the bases for a little league home run in Pittsburgh to give the D-backs a lead at the start of August. Ketel Marte went yard to follow him. Then Joc Pederson hit a ball into the Allegheny River. Josh Bell, in his first game with Arizona after the trade deadline, then crushed another home run.

Officially the D-backs only hit three consecutive homers, technicalities. Marte and Bell both hit second home runs in the 9-8 win.

Adrian Del Castillo’s first home run is a walk-off vs. Phillies

Injuries defined much of the season for Arizona, and catcher Gabriel Moreno’s second IL stint lasted over a month.

Adrian Del Castillo, a prospect called up from Triple-A Reno, ran with his opportunity early, and he introduced himself to many D-backs fans by walking off the Phillies in front of a packed house on Aug. 9.

Facing All-Star reliever Jeff Hoffman, Del Castillo sent his first career MLB home run in only his second start over the wall in right field for the game-winner.

Corbin Carroll’s grand slam vs. Mets

Down 5-4 in the bottom of the eighth inning against Mets closer Edwin Diaz, Carroll smoked a grand slam to push the Diamondbacks toward a key win to even the series and the season series versus New York.

Carroll hit two home runs that night at Chase Field, and from his walk-off against Washington through the grand slam, Carroll crushed 10 homers with an OPS of 1.012. After his first-half malaise, Carroll was as dangerous as ever.

Eugenio Suarez ends wild game vs. Brewers

It would be remiss to omit Eugenio Suarez from this list given his value to the club all year. And he came through to end one of, if not the wildest game of the season at Chase Field.

In a four-hour marathon, the D-backs led 5-0, trailed 8-5 and forced extra innings as they looked to avoid being swept by the Brewers.

Disaster struck in the top of the 10th after acting manager Jeff Banister intentionally walked Brice Turang to face Jackson Chourio with two outs, and Chourio hit a two-run double off Justin Martinez.

The D-backs rallied with three singles and a hit batsman in the bottom half to bring Suarez aboard.

Suarez, who earned an OPS of .942 in the second half of 2024, lifted a deep fly ball off the wall in right field to walk off the Brewers.

Honorable mentions

– Marte hit a lead-off home run in the first inning and then the game-winning home run in the ninth inning of a 5-4 win over the Mets at Citi Field on June 2.

– Jake McCarthy leaped at the wall for a game-saving catch in the ninth inning of a 1-0 win against the Braves on July 11.

– Suarez hit three home runs in a 17-0 rout of the Nationals on July 30.

– Del Castillo hit a grand slam in his hometown of Miami in front of a huge group of friends and family on Aug. 19.

– Luis Guillorme made a ridiculous diving play and throw from the ground at Fenway Park on Aug. 24. Guillorme was not with the club for a long time, but he made two of the craziest defensive plays of the season.

– Zac Gallen threw six no-hit innings against the Giants on Sept. 4.

– Pavin Smith blasted three home runs in a win at the Houston Astros on Sunday Night Baseball on Sept. 8.

– Brandon Pfaadt struck out a franchise-record seven straight Brewers hitters in a key game down the stretch on Sept. 19.

– The Diamondbacks hit nine walk-offs this season. The other four came courtesy of Kevin Newman (May 13), Smith (June 3), Perdomo (July 12) and McCarthy (Aug. 13).