The Arizona Diamondbacks have been eliminated from the 2024 MLB postseason after finishing with an 89-73 record. Despite tying with the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves, the Diamondbacks lost key tiebreakers to both teams, sealing their fate. A year after their dramatic World Series run, the team fell short of returning to the playoffs, leaving fans and players to reflect on a season that ended in disappointment.
Diamondbacks Eliminated After Braves-Mets Doubleheader Split
On Monday, the fate of the Arizona Diamondbacks rested in the outcome of a doubleheader between the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves. The Diamondbacks needed one team to sweep the series to secure their spot in the playoffs. However, the Braves and Mets each won one game, resulting in a tie between the three teams.
Arizona lost the season series tiebreakers to both the Braves and the Mets, which ultimately eliminated them from postseason contention. In the second game of the doubleheader, Atlanta shut out the Mets 3-0 after an intense 8-7 loss to New York in the first game.
A Heartbreaking End to the Diamondbacks’ 2024 Season
The Diamondbacks were coming off a successful season with 89 wins, five more than the previous year. They improved despite injuries and underperformance from key players, playing meaningful baseball until the very end. But after going 2-4 in their final homestand, they found themselves watching from the sidelines as the Braves’ victory in Game 2 ended their postseason hopes.
An auxiliary locker room at Chase Field had been prepped for a potential celebration on Monday, but instead, the Diamondbacks found themselves exchanging goodbyes and reflecting on a season that slipped through their fingers.
Diamondbacks’ Late-Season Collapse
This year’s Diamondbacks are now remembered for the worst late-season collapse in franchise history. Just eight days before the end of the season, they had a 93% chance of making the playoffs, according to FanGraphs. However, they lost five of their last seven games, including crucial matchups against the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres, leading to their elimination.
Starting pitcher Merrill Kelly captured the mood of the team, saying, “I think frustrated. I think we controlled our own destiny there for a little while and we let it slip away. We had a pretty sizable lead heading into the last little while of the season and there were a couple key games that (slipped away).”
Key Moments That Sealed the Diamondbacks’ Fate
A critical moment in the Diamondbacks’ season came on September 22, when they blew an 8-0 lead and lost 10-9 to the Milwaukee Brewers. The team’s inability to hold onto that win was a painful reminder of their season’s collapse. Reflecting on that game, Kelly said, “It’s hard to not relive that…just sitting here watching a game that’s out of your control when we had a game that’s in your control and let it slip through our fingers.”
The final week of the season was particularly rough for the Diamondbacks, as they lost two key games to the Giants and Padres. A game against the Padres on Saturday featured back-to-back homers off reliever A.J. Puk, further highlighting their bullpen struggles. Additionally, second baseman Ketel Marte, a key player for the team, was at the center of the final week’s struggles. Marte asked out of the lineup to rest an ankle injury in one of the losses, and he made a crucial misplay in a loss to the Padres.
Disappointing End for a Team Full of Potential
Despite missing the postseason, the Diamondbacks had a talented roster, stronger than last year’s team that reached the World Series. They spent over $175 million this season, their largest payroll in franchise history, and drew the most fans to Chase Field since 2008.
“This is the best team I’ve played on,” said right-hander Zac Gallen. “I think that’s what makes this disappointing is we had the talent in here to win 89 games and probably more, honestly. It’s a little unfortunate.”
Pitching Struggles Plague the Diamondbacks All Year
The Diamondbacks’ offensive production was strong, leading the league in runs scored. However, their pitching staff, which was hit by injuries and inconsistency, was a different story. Arizona’s bullpen, despite being bolstered by midseason acquisitions like left-hander A.J. Puk, never found the same level of success it had last year.
The team’s 4.62 ERA ranked among the worst of playoff hopefuls, and their adjusted ERA+ was 9% below league average, with a rating of 91. No team with pitching stats that poor has ever reached the postseason. Manager Torey Lovullo struggled to find reliable late-game options as Paul Sewald’s struggles further destabilized the bullpen.
Reflecting on Missed Opportunities and Looking Ahead
As the Diamondbacks pack up and head into the offseason, players and coaches are left to reflect on the opportunities they missed, particularly during the season’s final week. Zac Gallen emphasized that the team had the talent to make the playoffs, but they didn’t execute when it mattered most.
“We didn’t execute,” Gallen said. “If we had executed it might be a little different story. We might have been sitting here waiting to see where we were going, not not going at all.”
A year ago, the Diamondbacks clinched a wild-card spot in Game 161, but this season, they couldn’t maintain the momentum down the stretch. Their inability to win critical games in September and October, combined with a shaky pitching staff, ultimately led to their postseason elimination.
Looking Ahead to 2025
The Arizona Diamondbacks have not made the playoffs in consecutive years since 2001 and 2002, and this season will go down as another missed opportunity for the franchise. With a talented roster and strong fan support, they’ll head into the offseason determined to regroup and come back stronger next year.
“This is going to be definitely more disappointing than years that we weren’t even in it,” Gallen reflected, “because of the talent we had in this room.”
As the Diamondbacks prepare for the 2025 season, they will look to address their pitching concerns and ensure that they don’t repeat the mistakes of this year’s late-season collapse.
