2001 Diamondbacks champions to reunite at Chase Field on Saturday

The Arizona Diamondbacks are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their 2001 World Series win this Saturday during their series against the New York Yankees, the same team they defeated a quarter-century ago to become the first champions in pro Arizona sports history.

In the buildup to the celebration, legends from the 2001 team have been joining Arizona Sports throughout the week to share stories and talk about the significance of that fateful Fall Classic.

Luis Gonzalez talks about his Game 7 walk-off with Wolf & Luke

Luis Gonzalez’s walk-off single off Mariano Rivera to win Game 7 and finish the job will not only be etched into the minds of Arizona sports fans, but all baseball fans across the country. It was an iconic moment created by Arizona’s best hitter that season. Gonzalez relives that moment in his interview with Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke.

“I still pinch myself like it was yesterday. I was blessed to be in that situation,” Gonzalez said.

Curt Schilling on his connection to Arizona with Burns & Gambo

Curt Schilling discussed on Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo what it was like to win the 2001 World Series, which World Series victory had a greater impact on him and how he felt Arizona fans responded to him.

“I’ve said it before, walking out of the dugout to go to the bullpen for Game 7 of the World Series, I could feel the stadium moving under my feet,” Schilling said.

Tony Womack recalls taking down the Yankees with Bickley & Marotta

Gonzalez’s shining moment wouldn’t have been possible without Tony Womack’s setup: the D-backs shortstop smacked the game-tying double two batters before Gonzo’s heroics. He joined Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta to talk about the togetherness and belief the 2001 team had.

“The whole thing about that 2001 season is we had a lot of comeback wins in the ninth inning. For us, it wasn’t an unfamiliar territory,” Womack said.

David Dellucci shares best memory of the ’01 team with Wolf & Luke

David Dellucci spent 13 years in the MLB, six of which were with the D-backs, and none of his experiences could come close to the thrill of having to beat Rivera in order to win the World Series. He joined Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke to discuss the confidence level of the Diamondbacks going into the 2001 World Series.

“When you have The Big Unit, and you see him go out there and warm up to come into the ball game to close it; when you have the league’s leading hitter at the plate in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded, that is the exact guy that you want in the game in that situation,” Dellucci said.

Steve Finley tells Bickley & Marotta he still gets goosebumps from win

Steve Finley was Arizona’s center fielder during the 2001 run, and a leader as one of the team’s most experienced players. He went on Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta to talk about the emotions at the time in the wake of 9/11. He also amusingly shared how he knew it was mathematically impossible for him to come up to bat in the bottom of the ninth in Game 7, despite being in the hole.

“Matt Williams was on deck (when Gonzalez was batting). I had already deduced that there was no chance for me to come to the plate in that inning,” Finley said. “I was not going to move from my spot on the bench, not that I’m superstitious or anything, but I was up on the fence and I was like, ‘I’m not moving.'”

Jay Bell joins Burns & Gambo to discuss final plays of World Series

Jay Bell pinch-hit for Randy Johnson in the bottom of the ninth of Game 7, and ultimately was the one who came around to score the championship-winning run on Gonzalez’s hit. He went on Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo to talk about becoming one of the original Diamondbacks, and how much the World Series win means to him, his family and friends.

“It’s as cool today 25 years later as it was when it actually happened,” Bell said.

Bob Brenly details to Bickley & Marotta how D-backs picked up on Andy Pettitte tipping pitches

One of Arizona’s hitting coaches at the time relayed to then-manager Bob Brenly about something he noticed in Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte’s delivery that could give hitters an advantage. It was corroborated by others in the American League who called the D-backs because they wanted to see New York go down.

So how did Arizona keep New York from knowing it had the advantage?

“It wasn’t really that much of an issue because we had a veteran team, a bunch of old guys. They’ve been through it before, and I would imagine at some point in their career, they got giddy when they had pitches from an opposing pitcher. … But our guys were too savvy to do anything like that,” Brenly said.

Damian Miller says ‘it’s great to see everybody’ on Wolf & Luke

Damian Miller was the D-backs’ catcher during the 2001 run, and was an All-Star for Arizona in 2002. He joined Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke to talk about life after baseball and what he expects for the 2001 reunion on Saturday.

“Some of them I haven’t seen in 20 years, and you get back together and it’s like we’ve been in the clubhouse since then, every single day,” Miller said.

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