The 2004
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...
season was the franchise's 7th season in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
and their 7th season at
Bank One Ballpark
Chase Field, formerly Bank One Ballpark, is a retractable-roof stadium in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. It is the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks. It opened in 1998, the year the Diamondbacks debuted as an expansion t ...
in
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...
, as members of the
National League West
The National League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was created for the 1969 season when the National League (baseball), National League (NL) expanded to 12 teams by adding the San Diego Padres and the Montr ...
.
They looked to improve on their 84–78 record from 2003. The D-backs hoped to contend for a postseason berth in what was a weaker
National League West
The National League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was created for the 1969 season when the National League (baseball), National League (NL) expanded to 12 teams by adding the San Diego Padres and the Montr ...
than in years past. However, just three years after
winning a World Series title, the Diamondbacks instead finished the season with a record of 51–111, the worst record by any
National League
National League often refers to:
*National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada
*National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...
team since
the 1965 Mets won one fewer game. The one highlight of a disastrous season was when
Randy Johnson
Randall David Johnson (born September 10, 1963), nicknamed, "the Big Unit," is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (1988–2009) for six teams, primarily the Seattle Mariners and Arizo ...
pitched a perfect game on May 18, 2004. The franchise record would not be threatened until 2021, when they finished 52–110. Despite the 110-loss season in 2021, the Diamondbacks didn't earn the first overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, as the Baltimore Orioles finished with a 52–110 record, but were worse due to records against American League opponents.
Offseason
* November 28, 2003:
Curt Schilling
Curtis Montague Schilling (born November 14, 1966) is an American former Major League Baseball right handed pitcher and commentator for media outlet BlazeTV. He helped lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a World Series appearance in 1993 World Seri ...
was traded by the Diamondbacks to the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
for
Casey Fossum,
Brandon Lyon,
Jorge de la Rosa, and Michael Goss (minors).
* November 29, 2003:
Jesse Orosco
Jesse Russell Orosco (born April 21, 1957) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball from 1979 to 2003 for the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Indians, Milwaukee Brewers, Baltimor ...
was signed as a free agent with the Diamondbacks.
* December 1, 2003:
Lyle Overbay,
Chris Capuano,
Craig Counsell,
Chad Moeller,
Jorge de la Rosa, and
Junior Spivey were traded by the Diamondbacks to the
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...
for
Richie Sexson,
Shane Nance and a player to be named later. The Brewers completed the deal by sending Noochie Varner (minors) to the Diamondbacks on December 15.
* December 4, 2003:
Félix José
Domingo Félix Andújar José (born May 2, 1965) is a Dominican former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, New York Yankees and Arizona Di ...
was signed as a free agent by the Diamondbacks.
* December 15, 2003:
Quinton McCracken was traded by the Diamondbacks to the
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...
for
Greg Colbrunn and cash.
[Quinton McCracken]
at ''Baseball Reference''
* December 18, 2003:
Brent Mayne was signed as a free agent by the Diamondbacks.
* February 25, 2004:
Bobby Estalella was signed as a free agent by the Diamondbacks.
* February 25, 2004:
Scott Service was signed as a free agent by the Diamondbacks.
Regular season
Opening Day lineup
Season standings
National League West
Record vs. opponents
Notable transactions
* June 11, 2004: Quinton McCracken was signed as a free agent by the Diamondbacks.
* July 31, 2004:
Steve Finley and
Brent Mayne were traded by the Diamondbacks to the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
in exchange for
Reggie Abercrombie
Reginald Damascus Abercrombie (born July 15, 1980) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins and Houston Astros.
Professional career
Abercrombie graduated from Colum ...
(minors),
Koyie Hill and
Bill Murphy.
* August 19, 2004:
Elmer Dessens was traded by the Diamondbacks to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for Jereme Milons (minors).
Roster
Player stats
Batting
Starters by position
''Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''
Other batters
''Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''
Pitching
Starting pitchers
''Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''
Other pitchers
''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''
Relief pitchers
''Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''
Farm system
[Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., ''The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition''. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007]
References
External links
Arizona Diamondbacks official web site2004 Arizona Diamondbacks at Baseball Reference2004 Arizona Diamondbacks team page at www.baseball-almanac.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:2004 Arizona Diamondbacks Season
Arizona Diamondbacks Season, 2004
Arizona Diamondbacks seasons
Arizonia