Arizona Diamondbacks Honor Senator John McCain Before Sunday’s Win

The Arizona Diamondbacks honored Senator John McCain and managed to avoid a three-game sweep on Sunday against the Seattle Mariners.

Always a regular at Arizona sporting events, U.S Senator John McCain was honored by the Arizona Diamondbacks before Sunday’s game with a moment of silence. McCain, who was the Republican nominee in the 2008 U.S Election, passed away on Saturday after a long battle with cancer.

In another moving gesture, the teamhung a No. 18 jersey with ‘McCain’ on the backin their dugout.

Additionally, the Diamondbacks won Sunday’s game 5-2 to avoid a three-game sweep versus the Seattle Mariners. Offensively,Paul Goldschmidthit his 30th home run of the season in the third inning and catcherJeff Mathisadded a team-best two hits. Starting pitcherZack Greinkescattered five hits over 6.2 innings, earning his 13th win of the season. Greinke also pitched in with the bat, picking up his 13th hit of the season.

McCain was an Arizona staple, serving over three decades as a U.S Senator from Arizona (1987-2018). And with that, he was a staple in the state’s sports scene. Whether it be hislongtime friendshipwith Arizona Cardinals’ wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald or his first pitch at Game 7 of the 2001 World Series between the Diamondbacks and Yankees, he legitimately cared and cheered for his state’s teams.

Speaking about McCain’s passingon KTAR News 92.3, Derrick Hall, the Diamondbacks’ team president and CEO, said the Purple Heart recipient “was a Diamondback.”

Hall continued by detailing how deep his love for the D-Backs ran.

PerArizona Sports 98.7:

"“He knew not only our major league roster — guys, he knew our minor league prospects,” Hall said. “He always knew as much as anybody did, the depth of knowledge was so impressive.”..“There’s just these legendary stories of him staying up til 2, 3 in the morning, watching our games, going into extra innings,” Hall said."

Several Diamondbacks also spoke glowingly about the“maverick”, includingLuis Gonzalez, who called McCain a“dear friend.”

Gonzalez, echoing Hall’s comments, said the team could also count on McCain to root for them “from the ballpark, from his home and from all the way across the country.”

The Diamondbacks will begin a six-game, NL West road trip at San Francisco and Los Angeles on Monday.

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