Arizona Diamondbacks Baseball
The Arizona Diamondbacks joined in the MLB on March 9, 1995. The name "Diamondbacks" was the winning choice in a name-the-team contest. The club takes its name from the venomous Diamondback Rattlesnake that is found in the southwestern United States.
In 1999, Arizona won over 100 games in only its second season to win the National League West division. The Diamondbacks won three division titles in 1999, 2001 and 2002. In 2001, the team was led by Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, two of the most dominant pitchers in all of baseball. The Arizona Diamondbacks had postseason victories over the St. Louis Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves to advance to the World Series. In one of the most exciting series ever, they the New York Yankees, to become the youngest expansion franchise to win the championship.
Chase Field
Chase Field is an air-conditioned facility that first opened its doors to a regular-season game on March 31, 1998. The retractable roof operates on the same tried-and-true technology found in drawbridges and overhead traveling cranes and is comprised of 9 million pounds of structural steel. A pair of 200-horsepower motors open or close the roof in slightly more than four minutes. The roof opens to various positions to make sure a proper amount of sunlight hits the natural turf without heating the concrete and metal within the stadium, thus allowing it to cool quickly and efficiently.
Chase Field has some unique features. It has a swimming pool, located in right center field, which is rented to patrons. Leslie's Pool Zone gives about 35 guests the opportunity to see the Diamondbacks play while enjoying a swimming pool, hot tub, fountains, catering and other amenities. The ballpark also features a dirt strip between home plate and the pitcher's mound, one of only two current ballparks to do so.