A D-backs reliever finally took the bullpen cart at Chase Field

The buzz was palpable on Opening Day at Chase Field. After the Diamondbacks led MLB’s re-introduction of the bullpen cart, would an Arizona reliever take the free ride?

No, no they would not, and they would continue to not. A couple of visiting pitchers would do so, but not a D-back.

Over halfway through the season, not one D-backs pitcher came out of the bullpen to enter the game via a ride on a cart in the shape of a baseball with a D-backs hat being held up by baseball bats.

The wild card in this entire story, though, would be the trade deadline, when general manager Mike Hazen acquired relievers Jake Diekman and Brad Ziegler.

Diekman would take the bullpen cart, but not to the mound. Instead, he received a ride from the visitors clubhouse to Arizona’s when he was traded while his team, the Texas Rangers, were in town.

𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐤-𝐮𝐩: 𝑉𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐶𝑙𝑢𝑏ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑎𝑡 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝐹𝑖𝑒𝑙𝑑
𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐻𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝐶𝑙𝑢𝑏ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑎𝑡 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝐹𝑖𝑒𝑙𝑑
…
𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮, @JakeDiekman! 𝐁𝐚𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐎𝐧𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐜 𝐁𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐭. pic.twitter.com/MuBmzCaFd0

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) August 1, 2018

On Thursday night, Diekman’s debut came against the San Francisco Giants. The drama ensued when Diekman did not take the cart, which, to be fair, did not have Baxter at the wheel like the pitcher’s trip to the clubhouse.

Ziegler, however, would enter the game later in that inning and indeed accepted the courtesy.

Brad Ziegler becomes the first @Dbacks player to ride the bullpen cart into a regular-season game. Only took 55 games. pic.twitter.com/hmTpbHK1ZS

— FOX Sports Arizona (@FOXSPORTSAZ) August 3, 2018

After giving up a sacrifice fly to his first hitter, perhaps it will only be a one-time deal for Ziegler. Time will tell.

Ziegler said after the game that he likes the bullpen cart to help him maintain his heart rate while coming in for a nervy situation with runners on base.

“If I can avoid jogging in, then why jog in, especially with all the adrenaline that I already had tonight, it dampened it a little bit,” he said.

Ziegler wouldn’t commit as to whether or not he’d use it again.

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