History of Arizona Diamondbacks in Timeline

The Arizona Diamondbacks, based in Phoenix, Arizona, are a Major League Baseball (MLB) team competing in the National League (NL) West Division. Established in 1995 and starting play in 1998 as an expansion team, they play their home games at Chase Field. Notably, the Diamondbacks are the youngest team to win a World Series, achieving this feat in 2001, only their fourth season.

1993: Colorado Joined the NL West

In 1993, Colorado joined the NL West, adding to the rivalry with the Diamondbacks.

March 9, 1995: Franchise Established

On March 9, 1995, the Arizona Diamondbacks franchise was officially established in Phoenix, Arizona.

1996: Thom Brennaman Hired

In 1996, Thom Brennaman was hired by Diamondbacks founder Jerry Colangelo as the primary television play-by-play voice for the team, two years before they would begin play.

January 16, 1997: Diamondbacks Voted into National League

On January 16, 1997, the Arizona Diamondbacks were officially voted into the National League.

March 31, 1998: First Major League Game

On March 31, 1998, the Arizona Diamondbacks played their first major league game against the Colorado Rockies at Bank One Ballpark.

1998: Start of Record Keeping

In 1998, the Arizona Diamondbacks began keeping records of their performance.

1998: Inaugural Season

In 1998, the Arizona Diamondbacks began play as an expansion team in Major League Baseball (MLB).

1998: Introduction of Cream Home Uniforms

In 1998, the Diamondbacks introduced cream uniforms with purple pinstripes for home games.

1998: KTVK was the Flagship Station

Since the inaugural 1998 season, KTVK (Channel 3), a popular over-the-air independent station in Phoenix, was the flagship station.

1998: Diamondbacks Founded

The Diamondbacks were founded in 1998, becoming the newest team in the league.

1998: Franchise Foundation

The jersey pays tribute to the original jersey with the Heritage Pinstripes worn from 1998−2006

1999: First Division Championship

In 1999, the Arizona Diamondbacks won 100 games and secured their first division championship.

1999: Road Cap Redesign

In 1999, the Arizona Diamondbacks' road cap became all-black and contained the alternate "D-snake" logo rendered in copper, and the teal and cream alternate caps were dropped.

2000: Uniform Details in 2000

From 1998 to 2000, the Diamondbacks' primary sleeved uniform featured the full team name stacked together in front and chest numbers.

2001: Uniform Change

Before the 2001 season, the Diamondbacks' sleeved uniform was changed to feature the "A" logo.

2001: Throwback Uniforms

Before the 2016 season, Arizona also kept the throwback pinstriped sleeveless uniforms from their 2001 championship season for use during Thursday home games.

2001: World Series Win

In 2001, the Arizona Diamondbacks won the World Series against the New York Yankees.

2001: Alternate Road Black Uniform Change

In 2001, the Arizona Diamondbacks' alternate road black uniform was changed to feature "Arizona" in front, with letters becoming purple with white and copper trim.

2001: Defeated Yankees in Game 7 of World Series

In 2001, the Diamondbacks defeated the Yankees in Game 7 of the World Series.

2001: Previous World Series Appearance

The Diamondbacks had not appeared in a World Series since 2001, prior to their appearance in 2023.

2002: Discontinuation of Alternate Home Purple Uniform

In 2002, the Arizona Diamondbacks discontinued the alternate home purple uniform.

2004: Sleeve Logo Change

Until the 2004 season, the left sleeve of all four uniforms contained the snake logo with the full Arizona Diamondbacks team name. After 2004, it became exclusive to the road black uniform.

2005: Stadium Renamed Chase Field

In 2005, Bank One Ballpark was renamed Chase Field following the merger of Bank One Corporation with JPMorgan Chase & Co.

October 2006: Brennaman Leaves Diamondbacks

In October 2006, Brennaman departed from the Diamondbacks to join his father in calling games for the Reds, starting in 2007, after signing a four-year contract.

November 1, 2006: Daron Sutton Hired as TV Play-by-Play Voice

On November 1, 2006, Daron Sutton, previously the TV voice for the Milwaukee Brewers since 2002, was announced as the Diamondbacks' primary TV play-by-play voice, signing a five-year contract with a team option for three additional years.

November 8, 2006: New Uniforms and Colors Unveiled

On November 8, 2006, the Diamondbacks unveiled new uniforms and colors, including Sedona red, Sonoran sand, and black.

2006: Mark Grace and Tom Candiotti Primary Color Analysts

In 2006, former Diamondbacks and Chicago Cubs first baseman Mark Grace and knuckleballer Tom Candiotti served as the Diamondbacks' primary color analysts.

2006: Heritage Pinstripes

The jersey pays tribute to the original jersey with the Heritage Pinstripes worn from 1998−2006

July 2007: Diamondbacks TV Broadcasts to be shown exclusively on Fox Sports Arizona

In July 2007, the Diamondbacks announced that for the 2008 season, all regionally broadcast Diamondbacks TV games would be shown exclusively on Fox Sports Arizona (now Bally Sports Arizona).

2007: Rockies Sweep Diamondbacks in NLCS

During the 2007 National League Championship Series, the Rockies, as a wild card, upset the division champion Diamondbacks in a sweep en route to the franchise's lone World Series appearance.

2007: Mark Grace and Tom Candiotti Primary Color Analysts

In 2007, former Diamondbacks and Chicago Cubs first baseman Mark Grace and knuckleballer Tom Candiotti served as the Diamondbacks' primary color analysts.

2008: Diamondbacks TV Broadcasts Exclusively on Fox Sports Arizona

For the 2008 season, all regionally broadcast Diamondbacks TV games would be shown exclusively on Fox Sports Arizona (now Bally Sports Arizona) and a few could possibly be shown on the national MLB on Fox telecasts.

2009: Grace and Sutton Main Broadcasters

From 2009, Grace and Sutton became the main broadcasters of the Diamondbacks with pre-game and postgame shows on Fox Sports Arizona, hosted by Joe Borowski.

2009: Spanish Broadcasts End on KPHE-LP

Prior to the 2009 season, the arrangement to televise games in Spanish on KPHE-LP ended due to the team switching fully to Fox Sports Arizona and the lack of carriage of KPHE-LP on the Cox cable system.

June 21, 2012: Sutton Suspended Indefinitely

On June 21, 2012, Sutton was suspended indefinitely amid rumors of insubordination.

October 18, 2012: Bob Brenly Returns as Broadcaster

On October 18, 2012, the team announced that Bob Brenly would return as a broadcaster to replace Grace and that he would be joined by then-ESPN personality Steve Berthiaume.

2012: Astros Color Scheme

The Arizona Diamondbacks' updated color scheme bore a striking resemblance to the Houston Astros' color scheme (brick red, sand and black) that the Astros used until 2012.

2012: Grace and Sutton Main Broadcasters

Until 2012, Grace and Sutton were the main broadcasters of the Diamondbacks with pre-game and postgame shows on Fox Sports Arizona, hosted by Joe Borowski.

September 19, 2013: Dodgers Clinch Division and Celebrate in Chase Field Pool

On September 19, 2013, after eliminating the Diamondbacks and clinching the division, multiple Dodgers players celebrated the win by jumping into the pool at Chase Field.

2013: Sutton and Grace Not Returning

At the end of the 2012 season, the team announced that neither Sutton nor Grace would return for the 2013 season.

2013: Tribute to Yarnell Hill Fire Victims

In 2013, the Arizona Diamondbacks introduced an alternate black uniform with "Arizona" written in red with black and sand trim as a tribute to the victims of the Yarnell Hill Fire.

2016: Reincorporation of Teal and New Uniforms

Before the 2016 season, the Diamondbacks reincorporated teal into its color scheme and unveiled eight different uniform combinations.

2016: Jeff Munn backup radio play-by-play announcer until 2016

Jeff Munn served as a backup radio play-by-play announcer until 2016; he served as the regular public address announcer at Chase Field in the early days of the franchise.

2016: Evolutionary Jersey

The jersey pays tribute to the evolutionary jersey from 2016−19

2017: Diamondbacks Swept by Dodgers in NLDS

During the 2017 National League Division Series, the Diamondbacks were swept 3–0 by the Dodgers en route to their appearance in the World Series that season.

2017: Arizona Wins NL Wild Card Game

In 2017, the Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies met in the National League Wild Card Game, which Arizona won.

2020: Uniform Redesign

Starting with the 2020 season, the Diamondbacks made slight redesigns to their uniforms, removing the snakeskin patterns and retiring the teal-trimmed grey uniforms.

December 2021: Chris Garagiola Replaces Mike Ferrin

In December 2021, Chris Garagiola replaced Mike Ferrin as a backup radio play-by-play announcer.

2021: City Connect Uniform Introduction

In 2021, the Diamondbacks were one of seven teams to wear Nike "City Connect" uniforms, featuring a sand design with "Serpientes" in black script lettering.

2022: Introduction of Red 'A' Cap

In 2022, the Diamondbacks introduced a red "A" cap with a black brim.

February 2023: Greg Schulte to retire after 2023 MLB season

In February 2023, it was announced that Greg Schulte, the regular radio play-by-play voice for KTAR, would be retiring after the 2023 MLB season.

July 18, 2023: Bally Sports Contract Declined

On July 18, 2023, a federal bankruptcy court granted Bally Sports' parent company, Diamond Sports Group, a motion to decline its contract with the Diamondbacks as part of its chapter 11 bankruptcy.

October 27, 2023: Return to World Series

On October 27, 2023, the Arizona Diamondbacks returned to the World Series for the first time since 2001, facing the Texas Rangers.

November 1, 2023: World Series Loss

On November 1, 2023, the Diamondbacks lost the World Series to the Texas Rangers in five games at home in Arizona.

2023: Diamondbacks Sweep Dodgers in NLDS

After clinching the 2023 NL Wild Card berth and defeating the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Wild Card Series, the Diamondbacks played the Dodgers again in the 2023 NLDS, emphatically sweeping the Dodgers to even the all-time postseason record between the two clubs at 3–3.

2023: Promotion of Teal Uniform

Before the 2023 season, the Diamondbacks promoted the alternate white uniform with teal accents to its primary home uniform and retired the previous Sedona Red white uniform.

2023: Avnet Sponsor Logo

Coming off their second World Series appearance in 2023, all uniforms featured the sponsor logo (Avnet since 2023) on either sleeve.

2024: DBacks.TV Broadcasting

As of 2024, Major League Baseball's local media division assumed production of the Diamondbacks' regional telecasts and distributed them via local television providers and MLB.tv under the brand DBacks.TV.

2024: End of Record Keeping

As of 2024, the Arizona Diamondbacks had an overall record of 2,087–2,185 (.489).

2024: Refreshed Uniform Designs

Starting in 2024, the Diamondbacks unveiled refreshed uniform designs, reintroducing turquoise as an accent color on all uniforms and removing sand (except on the "City Connect" uniform).

2025: Second 'City Connect' Uniform Released

In 2025, the Diamondbacks released a second "City Connect" uniform, updating the "Serpientes" wordmark and recoloring it to the original purple and teal colors, taking designs from all their different uniform combinations since they became a franchise in 1998.