The Arizona Diamondbacks began play in 1998 baseball betting season along with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Although they finished 65-97 in their inaugural baseball betting campaign, the Phoenix area was excited to have a team at brand new Bank One Ballpark, which featured a retractable roof for the brutal Arizona summers.
Arizona wasted no time trying to improve itself as in 1999 baseball betting season they signed free agent pitcher Randy “Big Unit” Johnson and acquired a key contributor to the lineup in outfielder Luis Gonzalez.
Johnson would enjoy his first of what would be four consecutive Cy Young MLB betting seasons in Arizona and, incredibly enough, the Diamondbacks went 100-62 to win the AL West in just their second baseball betting year of existence. Arizona lost the NLDS to the Mets but optimism was aplenty in Phoenix.
2000 baseball betting season started off well for Johnson who went 6-0 with a 0.91 ERA with 3 complete game shutouts in a baseball betting season in which he would reach his 3,000th strikeout. As a team, however, Arizona fell to 85-77 and their Buck Showalter was fired at baseball betting season’s end, replaced by Bob Brenley who was broadcasting at the time.
Johnson, along with another acquisition, Curt Schilling, became the most dominant 1-2 starting rotation combination in baseball and would finish 1-2 in the Cy Young voting. Arizona would win 90 games en route to the MLB betting division title. A two out single in the bottom of the 9th by Tony Womack clinched the NLDS against St. Louis. Arizona had far less problem with Atlanta in the NLDS dispatching of the Braves in 5 games. Four year old Arizona met the history rich Yankees in the MLB betting World Series. New York had won the previous 3 World Series and was the favorite but Johnson and Schilling kept Arizona in it. Arizona came home trailing 3-2 in games but with their two aces on the hill, they were able to win the World Series 4-3 in an MLB betting classic to remember. Johnson and Schilling, appropriately enough, would share the World Series MVP honors. Arizona would win the division again the following baseball betting season but suffer a sweep at the hands of St. Louis in the NLDS.
Arizona began to fade in 2003 baseball betting season, winning just 84 games and then hit rock bottom in 2004 baseball betting season with a mark of 51-111 as the initial novelty of baseball and winning wore off and the MLB betting fans started to stay home.