Heat Waved
Fansided

3 Highlights From Arizona Diamondbacks 20th Anniversary Celebration

By Casey Pazzalia

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 10: Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, former members of the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks World Series team stand attended for the National Anthem before the Major League Baseball game against the San Diego Padres at Chase Field on September 10, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their World Series title. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 10: Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, former members of the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks World Series team stand attended for the National Anthem before the Major League Baseball game against the San Diego Padres at Chase Field on September 10, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their World Series title. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 06: Pitcher Brandon Webb #17 of the Arizona Diamondbacks throws a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 6, 2008 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. The Dodegers won 7-2. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 06: Pitcher Brandon Webb #17 of the Arizona Diamondbacks throws a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 6, 2008 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. The Dodegers won 7-2. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /

Brandon Webb: What Could Have Been

One of the coolest moments of the Arizona Diamondbacks’ 20th Anniversary celebration was when Brandon Webb came riding in on the bullpen cart before taking the mound. Webb started on the hill for ‘Team Red’ and in typical fashion, got two groundball outs before exiting the game. Later on in the booth, Curt Schilling spoke highly of Webb and noted that he still had a “60-pound sinker”.

While his fancy entrance was awesome, seeing him brought back the memories of his far-too-short MLB career. You see, Webb’s career is an extreme outlier. Most guys wind down in their final years; their earned-run averages progressively getting worse before they finally hang ’em up for good.

Webb, unfortunately, had his career come to a screeching halt. From 2006-08, he went 56-25 with a 3.13 ERA while making three All-Star games and winning a Cy Young award. Then on Opening Day in 2009, although no one knew it at the time, it came an end after just four innings. He’d go on to have shoulder surgery in 2009 but his rehab never brought him back to an MLB mound.

The injury set back the franchise a few years, remaining a big ‘what if’ in Arizona’s baseball history. In 2007, the D-Backs won their division and reached the NLCS; then in 2008, they were the NL West’s second-place team and finished over .500. But in the two years where Webb was unexpectedly sidelined? Arizona finished dead-last each year and had a 41.7 winning percentage.

It was great to see him back with the boys, yet you’ve still gotta feel bad for the way things worked out for Webby.

Home/Arizona Diamondbacks