After that game, he was sent down to AAA Tucson and did not appear in the majors again in 1998. Edwin Diaz started the season 0-6 at the plate in those first 2 starts and didn’t play again until April 5th where he grounded out to first base in his only at bat. Batista took the starting job in game 3 and ran with it. 202 with the A’s, but did have a strong rookie year in 96′ batting. Tony Batista struggled mightily in 1997 batting. The full expansion draft will most likely get its own article down the road since it’s the origin of several Diamondback players, but for now you can view the full draft results here. Opening Day 2nd baseman Edwin Diaz went 11th overall and this game’s starter, Brian Anderson, was the Diamondbacks first pick (2nd overall). Here is quick explanation of how that expansion draft worked. The Diamondbacks acquired Tony Batista with the 27th pick from the Oakland Athletics in the D-Backs/Devil Rays Expansion Draft. As most people know, Tony Batista is most famous for his batting stance seen here: PC- Bleacher Report After Edwin Diaz started the first 2 games at 2B, Batista received the game 3 start and thrived. Matt Williams and Jay Bell, the 2-4 sandwich that supported Travis Lee (who through 2 games is still my pick for greatest Diamondback ever) finally got their first hits in this game. The score stayed at 5-4 until the 9th inning when Rockies’ Neifi Perez tripled and Perez actually scored via a Felix Rodriguez balk next batter. PC- Baseball ReferenceĮntering the inning with a 81% win probability, Burks got on base with a walk, Walker doubled, and Bo Bichette’s dad strikes again with a homer increasing the win probability to 64%. Starting pitcher Brian Anderson came back out for the 6th with a low pitch count, but again the middle of the Rockies lineup wrecked havoc. The Diamondbacks had a lead heading into the 6th after Jay Bell and Matt Williams both homered in the 5th. Encouragingly, game 3 went a little better for the Diamondbacks. The Rockies spoiled Opening Day and game 2, beating the Diamondbacks by a combined 15-2 score. Most of those firsts can be seen here but this section of the 1998 is largely about their first losing streak. Here are three other things to know about Díaz and his new deal.In the first week of Diamondbacks baseball, obviously there was a ton of firsts. Is it any wonder why his Baseball Savant page resembles an orchard, what with all the red bulbs hanging around? Díaz pairs a devastating slider with an upper-90s heater, an unfair combination on paper that becomes lethal in three dimensions thanks to the flatness and the depth of his release point (he gets down the mound and generates more than seven feet of extension from the rubber). Only two pitchers in baseball's recorded history have thrown at least 20 innings in a season and struck out a higher share of batters than Díaz's 50.2 percent mark. ![]() He made his second career All-Star Game appearance, and he figures to receive downballot Cy Young Award consideration this fall, also for the second time.ĭíaz was ranked by CBS Sports as the 14th-best free agent on the market on Sunday morning. Díaz's contract becomes the richest ever given to a relief pitcher, topping the five-year deal worth $86 million deal the New York Yankees gave to Aroldis Chapman in 2016.ĭíaz, 28 years old, is fresh off a season that saw him appear 61 times and post a 1.31 ERA (297 ERA+) and a 6.56 strikeout-to-walk ratio. ![]() The contract includes an opt-out clause after the third year as well as an option for a sixth year that could make it worth $122 million, per Newsday. The New York Mets and closer Edwin Díaz have agreed to a five-year extension worth $102 million, CBS Sports HQ's Jim Bowden confirmed.
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