Right-handed relief pitcher Ryan Thompson had to take down a “Snakes Alive” sign hanging from his locker sooner than he wanted.
That slogan was the rallying cry of Arizona Diamondbacks fans and something that resonated with the players when the team took the Valley by storm in the 2023 season. Arizona had a 57-59 record in the middle of August that season and went on a miraculous run to a World Series appearance.
And it appeared the Diamondbacks might catch lightning in a bottle again this year as the “Snakes Alive” mantra resurfaced.
The Diamondbacks were 51-58 and nine games out of a playoff spot July 31. Also that day, the club traded away Josh Naylor, Eugenio Suarez, Merrill Kelly, Shelby Miller and Randal Grichuk ahead of the MLB trade deadline.
On paper, the season seemed over. The Diamondbacks were sellers. It felt like a white flag of surrender.
But the Diamondbacks didn’t quit, and went on a 29-19 run to put themselves within one game of the last NL Wild Card spot with a week remaining in the season.
However, a five-game losing streak to end the season crushed any hopes of another miraculous playoff run, leaving a sour taste in the mouths of the Diamondbacks after the second-half jolt of excitement.
The Diamondbacks finished the season 80-82 and missed the playoffs by three games.
“Massive disappointment,” Thompson said. “I think everybody on this team is devastated at the end, but there’s also a lot to be proud of.
“I think that we had a lot of adversity this year, and I think that’s kind of what led us to our resurgence. We were more of a battle-tested team than a lot of the other teams out there, and when the games got tough, we performed, and we got ourselves back in the mix, and that’s really amazing.
“It was just too little too late, and there at the end, we can’t get in losing five in a row. I think the best way to put it is there’s a lot to be proud of, but overall, it’s disappointing and devastating that we’re not playing postseason baseball.”
The “Snakes Alive” sign was a reminder to Thompson of that improbable run in 2023, a run he felt sure was unfolding again.
He said the post-trade-deadline resurgence “was reminiscent of that 2023 run. It’s another reason why it hurts so bad to lose, because I felt the magic.”
The main culprits for the lackluster first half were injuries and poor pitching. And the injuries contributed greatly to the lackluster pitching.
There were five Diamondbacks pitchers that underwent Tommy John surgery this season, with four of them alone coming in June. The five Tommy John surgeries were the most in baseball.
The Diamondbacks ended the season with 12 players on the injured list and nine of them are pitchers.
“What happens if myself and (Justin Martinez) and (A.J. Puk) and all the other pitchers that went down, maybe if a few of us are healthy, those three wins aren’t difficult to come by,” said right-handed starter Corbin Burnes. “It’s definitely hard to look at what could have been if we were all healthy. But injuries are a part of this game, and we obviously got bit by the injury bug this year.”
Burnes, the Diamondbacks ace, had a 2.66 ERA in 11 starts before undergoing Tommy John surgery in June. He also told reporters that his rehab process is going smoothly so far and should have a “somewhat normal” spring training. Burnes is aiming to return next year sometime in July.
The club’s healthy pitchers didn’t perform very well, either, before the All-Star break.
The Diamondbacks sported the fifth-worst team ERA in the league at 4.65 during the first half of season. The starting rotation had a 4.47 ERA and the bullpen had a 4.94 ERA.
It was a complete turnaround for the staff in the second half, when the Diamondbacks posted a 4.26 team ERA. The starting rotation pitched to the tune of a 4.01 ERA and the bullpen to a 4.64 ERA.
“That’s part of it that’s so disappointing, is that we were capable,” Thompson said. “It’s not like we had a hand tied behind our back. We were capable, and that’s what’s a bummer. We lost certain assets and players, and we lost so many extra inning games.
“We lost so many close games, stuff that one little thing could have changed some of those games early on in the season. So I think sometimes just not overreacting and taking a deep breath and trying to evaluate where we’re at is possibly not as bad as it seems.
“It just sucks because we wanted to win a World Series this year, and we didn’t make the playoffs.”
After back-to-back seasons on the outside looking in at the playoffs, questions and rumors were bound to arise about the job security of manager Torey Lovullo. Those were quickly put to rest.
Steve Gilbert of mlb.com and Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reported Monday morning that Lovullo will return for the 2026 season, although the Diamondbacks have yet to make an official announcement.
Some players give Lovullo credit for the second-half resurgence.
“I think Torey’s an amazing manager,” Thompson said. “I think he’s an amazing leader. I would go to war for that man. I think he’s an awesome manager.”
Right-handed starter Zac Gallen agreed.
“I think he does a really good job of, what I think a lot of people outside of this space and the world of baseball don’t understand is, what it is to be a manager,” Gallen said. “And it’s not always the X’s and O’s.”
“There’s a lot of managing personalities. There’s a lot of managing the things that people don’t necessarily see, and I think Torey does a really good job of that. Obviously, the last two years haven’t gone the way that we’ve intended, but for me, Torey is the person that had my vote of confidence to be back and manage the team next year, so I’m happy for him.
“I think it’s going to be great. Hopefully he gets a team next year that’s somewhat healthy and is able to show the naysayers and baseball wrong in his capabilities of being a manager.”
Gallen is another question mark looming for the Diamondbacks this winter as he heads to free agency. He’s been a fixture in the Diamondbacks rotation ever since he was traded over in 2019 has become a fan favorite.
“I love playing here, kind of laid down roots here,” Gallen said. “So for me, if I had the opportunity to come back, yeah, of course I would love to be a part of this organization. But I’ll have to see what the future holds. Sometimes that’s not always in the cards.”
As players packed their bags in the clubhouse, those that spoke mentioned the hopes of “running it back” next year and taking another chance at a World Series run.
“I feel like if we run this thing back, we’re going to be really happy next year after we play 162,” Thompson said.
Lovullo’s return is one piece of the puzzle, and Gallen’s situation will not be decided until later this winter. Still, Gallen sees promise when he looks around the Arizona clubhouse.
“The potential of this group is immense,” Gallen said.
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