Pool Party for the Diamondbacks: A Brief History of a Unique Party

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – An entire decade has passed since the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated an NL West title in the small four-foot-deep pool located behind the center field wall of Chase Field.

Only two players who appeared in that game are still major leaguers. The rivalry that stemmed from the Dodgers’ actions that night has grown and is long gone. Time has passed. People move on.

But not Willie Bloomquist. The ex-Arizona Diamondbacks utility man and current Arizona State head coach seems just as angry in 2023 as he did after that Sept. 19, 2013 game.

“There are guys I haven’t talked to since,” Bloomquist said recently. “Whether or not you want to say the relationship has ended, I’m not extending the olive branch. They’re the ones who pissed me off by doing this. I won’t be the first to call them. If we never speak to each other again, I won’t lose any sleep over it.”

The D-Backs pool is one of the more unique features a major league ballpark has to offer. The last time the World Series was played in this building, in 2001 against the New York Yankees, then-Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly covered Game 1 from the pool. Since then, the pool has undergone two makeovers and inspired other organizations to personalize their parks in a similar way.

“Was it gimmicky (at first)? Yeah, probably,” said former infielder Jay Bell, who played for the Diamondbacks from 1998 to 2002 and later coached in the organization. “But it certainly set us apart.”

Arizona has celebrated twice this season on its own waters. Once when it reached the play-offs on the penultimate day of the season. And again when it eliminated the aforementioned Dodgers to reach the NLCS.

The D-Backs’ success has brought the drama of a decade ago to the forefront as the 2023 World Series moves to Arizona, with the home team and the Texas Rangers tied at one game each. But to understand the present, it is important to fully understand the context and history of that humble but highly sought-after body of water.

Several of those 2013 Dodgers look back on that night fondly. Brandon League, who pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings that night, said a Los Angeles PR representative was told by a D-Backs official before the game that they couldn’t celebrate if they won.

At that point in the season, it was inevitable that the Dodgers would win the division. They were more than 10 games ahead of the D-Backs. The question was whether they could win that night – the final game of the series. The last chance to end the division with a splash, so to speak.

“We were like, that’s a little weird to bring up,” League said of the instructions to stay clear. “It wasn’t our intention. But now that we think about it, we’re going to do it.”

After the Dodgers’ 7-6 victory, Bloomquist was in the Diamondbacks clubhouse talking to reporters. One of them asked him what he thought of the Dodgers’ celebration in the Chase Field pool.

“No, they wouldn’t do that,” Bloomquist said.

“They’re there now,” a reporter replied.

Dressed in his travel suit – the Diamondbacks were next playing in Colorado – Bloomquist left the clubhouse and stormed onto the field. He barked at some Los Angeles players as they left the pool. He told them this was not something the Yankees would have done.

“I was crucified because I went there and wanted to fight their whole team,” Bloomquist said. “I thought it was wrong – I still think it was wrong. I was labeled as the ‘fun cops’ and all that stuff by all those guys who have their talk radio (shows) and whatever. But hey, I stand for something. And I still support the fact that this is our swimming pool.”

There were rumors that the Dodgers urinated in the pool. It was talked about on the radio in Phoenix for days. Bloomquist said it wasn’t a rumor.

“No, it’s true,” he said. “And knowing who did it, and knowing some of the guys on their team who told me they did it.”

Another Dodgers reliever, J.P. Howell, recalled his team receiving a billing from a very angry D-Backs team.

The entire episode caused quite a stir. John McCain, then a United States senator, tweeted that it was a “no-class act by a bunch of overpaid, immature, arrogant, spoiled brats!” It was a national story for days.

A classless act by a bunch of overpaid, immature, arrogant, spoiled brats! “The #Evaders are idiots”

— John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) September 20, 2013

“I would call it disrespectful and classless,” D-Backs president Derrick Hall said at the time. “But they don’t have a nice swimming pool at their old park and they must really want to see what it looked like.”

There was already bad blood between the teams. This all happened just three months after a nasty brawl that resulted in eleven suspensions. There was no love lost between the two organizations, whose Triple-A affiliates fell out the following season.

Before the Dodgers settled into Arizona to close out the 2017 season, manager Dave Roberts vowed that history would not repeat itself.

“That’s not going to happen,” Roberts said. “This is a completely different team. I think we have bigger goals than jumping into a pool. Our guys clearly understand what this is about. We have no interest in jumping into a pool.”

Just to be on the safe side, there were police officers on horses guarding that part of the stadium. No risks would be taken.

That brings us to 2023. This swimming pool, together with its potential inhabitants, is once again the subject of discussion. Before the start of the NLDS, Hall was asked if the Dodgers would be free to celebrate in their pool – should they qualify in Arizona.

“They have the right to celebrate however they want, wherever they want,” Hall said sincerely. “They certainly earned that opportunity.”

But this Dodgers team couldn’t even gain a lead in the NLDS, let alone win the series. The topic came up again in the NLCS, when the Phillies won the first two games at home. If they won two out of three in the desert, they would have a chance to celebrate.

“If we take two here against Arizona, we’ll be keeping an eye on the water,” Phillies backup catcher Garrett Stubbs said. according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Throughout this postseason, the Diamondbacks have done a good job of taking exceptions to people who doubted them. After clinching their place in the World Series, veteran third baseman Evan Longoria called the betting lines that looked heavily in Philly’s favor. Tommy Pham stood on stage after Philadelphia’s Game 7 victory and filmed sad and angry Phillies fans who had ruthlessly harassed them.

It was the personality of the team in October. ‘Us against the world’, all the way to the World Series. They have taken to keeping the receipts. So it was no surprise that manager Torey Lovullo had some fun at Stubbs’ expense as his team celebrated at Phillies’ home ballpark.

“When I heard the comment that they wanted to celebrate in our pool, it bothered me a little bit,” Lovullo said after Game 7. “I think it motivated this team externally. Being able to take a photo (in Philadelphia) made it a little more special.”

The World Series now moves to Arizona. Each team won a match.

Both teams enter Game 3 on Monday knowing they have a chance to win a championship in this stadium. Both teams can end their season in that group.

Three victories in three days, with a dip in the water as the ultimate reward.

(Photo of the Diamondbacks in their pool, celebrating their NLDS victory over the Dodgers: Elsa / Getty Images)