‘Goosebumps’: 2001 Diamondbacks share memories of iconic Game 7, reunite at Chase Field

PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Jay Bell looked around the New York Yankees’ defense and saw them bring the infield in.

Outfielder Steve Finley was in the hole, but there was no way he was moving from his seat on the dugout fence. He already deduced that he had no chance of facing Mariano Rivera that inning, anyway.

Injured pitchers Matt Mantei and Todd Stottlemyer were glued to their seats in the video room, too superstitious to move after watching their teammates rally against the greatest closer of all time.

Once Luis Gonzalez’s flare started floating toward the outfield, Bell knew what was about to happen, and 25 years later, the 2001 Diamondbacks reunited at Chase Field to relive the memories this weekend.

“They’ve got infield in, so I got Tony (Womack) standing behind (Derek) Jeter,” Bell told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo. “As soon as Gonzo hit the ball and it’s floating out there, I look and I see Tony and Jeter, I have to take a quick second to determine who is who and as it falls in I’m running towards home plate. I see Matt (Williams) standing there. Of course, Matt and I are the first two major league Diamondbacks and … it was unbelievably thrilling for me to be able to go and to jump into Matty’s arms and to celebrate with him.”

“Me and Stottlemeyer were in the video room, and we saw Mariano Rivera come in, we were like, ‘We’re done,'” Mantei told Arizona Sports. “The next thing you know, we’re like, ‘Holy crap, we just won the World Series!’ So we had to sprint from inside the video room because we weren’t leaving our seats because we were very superstitious, ran down the tunnel and jumped on this field. It was just an amazing moment.”

“That’s the exact guy that you want in the game,” outfielder David Dellucci told Wolf & Luke. “When you’re at home with 50-plus thousand people and the roof is open and it’s raining, it’s raining in this state, like everything about it was unbelievable. When the ball hit the ground, man, it’s so surreal.”

“You still get goosebumps,” Finley told Bickley & Marotta.

The 2001 Diamondbacks have had an opportunity this weekend to reminisce, share stories and catch up with teammates, coaches and staff as part of the 25th anniversary celebration, which took place at Chase Field on Saturday.

Players returned to the ballpark of a different name but with the same feeling.

“It’s like yesterday, nothing’s different,” Womack told Arizona Sports.

The bus ride over, Mantei described, was like being back in the major leagues again.

The players and coaches able to attend took the field after hearing their names called by longtime broadcaster Greg Schulte. Fan favorites like Erubiel Durazo and Reggie Sanders received some of the louder ovations, but the crowd was most thunderous for the starting lineup. Two notable absentees were Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell and San Francisco Firebells manager (Women’s Professional Baseball League) Matt Williams, both of whom had games to run.

Batting ninth, pitcher Curt Schilling, who grabbed the trophy and held it high. But he was not the final player to be announced.

Randy Johnson emerged from the left-field bullpen, like he did in Game 7 the day after he started Game 6. Johnson met Schilling at second base, and the two held up the trophy like old times.

“Pretty special,” Johnson said.

Manager Bob Brenly threw out the first pitch to catcher Damian Miller.

The 2026 Diamondbacks paid tribute in the best way they could, by walking off the Yankees. Pavin Smith played the role this time with a two-run home run.

 

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Justin Martinez collects autographs from world champs

Diamondbacks relief pitcher Justin Martinez took advantage of the opportunity. He ran around like a true fan, meeting, taking pictures with and getting autographs from the 2001 players, some of whom said they should be the ones asking for Martinez’s autograph.

He needed Johnson to finish the collection, which he was able to get right after the ceremony.

“I love it,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “That’s vintage J-Mart. But I know there’s a lot of guys in that clubhouse that admire that 2001 team.”

 

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Lovullo had the chance to connect with his former teammate Curt Schilling, players he came across as a coach or manager like Mike Koplove and Dellucci and receive advice from longtime coach Glenn Sherlock.

Oddly enough, with the Yankees in town, Paul Goldschmidt led off for New York on Friday. Brandon Webb was part of the broadcast. That meant 11 of the top 13 players in Diamondbacks history by wins above replacement were in the building representing four distinct eras of franchise history.

Dr. Jesse McGuire saves National Anthem performance

Before the game got started, renowned trumpeter Dr. Jesse McGuire started to perform the National Anthem as he did ahead of Game 7 in 2001. He appeared to struggle with his instrument in the middle of his performance.

McGuire improvised, grabbing the microphone and singing the rest of the Anthem to thunderous applause from the fans at Chase Field. He tossed the trumpet to the ground after his final note.

 

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Members of the 2001 Diamondbacks joined Arizona Sports leading up to Saturday, and those interviews can be found here.

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