When Archie Bradley uttered the words that first made him a Diamondbacks icon, I was sitting in the second deck at Chase Field.
It was Aug. 8, 2017. The Los Angeles Dodgers were in town. The stands on the first-base side at Chase Field — of course — were flooded with Dodger blue. “Let’s go Dodgers” chants swirled around the ballpark.
I’m not a Diamondbacks fan now — my career as a baseball journalist required me to shed that label several years ago — but I was then. As far as I was concerned at the time, Dodgers fans were some of the worst people on earth. There were few things I hated more than seeing them dominate my home ballpark.
When “Let’s go Dodgers” chants erupted, us D-backs fans would counter with either “Let’s go D-backs” or, much to my chagrin, a disjointed chorus of boos that felt like nothing more than a desperate attempt to just get Dodgers fans to just shut up.
On this particular day, the duel in the stands really felt like a losing battle.
The Dodgers took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning and appeared to be on track for their 80th win of the season. Entering the game, they were on pace for 115 wins.
But in the bottom of the seventh inning, Jake Lamb delivered a two-out, left-on-left grand slam that clanked off the right-field foul pole. It turned a 3-2 deficit into a 6-3 lead, sending D-backs fans into a frenzy and Dodgers fans into a stunned silence. In the top of the eighth, Bradley, the Diamondbacks’ best reliever, entered the game.
Dodgers fans quickly engaged again when Corey Seager opened that eighth inning with a single, but that hope did not last. Justin Turner grounded into a double play. Cody Bellinger struck out. Archie was fired up.
As he walked off the field, he said the words that became a rallying cry for D-backs fans everywhere, including myself.
“This is our house!” he shouted, pointing down at the Chase Field grass. “Let’s go!”
Of course, I was already a huge fan of Bradley. He was fun, animated, passionate. He had a beard that I knew I would never be able to achieve.
But when he spoke those words, it was as if he was speaking for me, as if he was putting those nasty Dodgers fans in their collective place in a way that I never could.
“You look up, you see the blue in the stands and this is our house, man,” Bradley told reporters after the game. “I don’t care how many games back we are, I don’t care if we’re the worst team in baseball. I want to win at home, and I want to see Diamondbacks fans in the stands. I don’t like seeing blue in the stands.”
Bradley, of course, went on to make bigger, better memories later in the year. He hit the most memorable triple in Diamondbacks history in the 2017 National League Wild Card Game. He finished the 2017 season with a 1.74 ERA.
For a Diamondbacks club that has historically struggled in the bullpen, Bradley was a revelation. He continued to pitch important innings for the Diamondbacks until he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds at the 2020 trade deadline. He won the hearts of numerous D-backs fans along the way.
When my co-host Derek Montilla and I first discussed the possibility of Archie joining us as a third member of our PHNX Diamondbacks Podcast team, we agreed that there wasn’t anyone else who has ever donned a D-backs jersey that we would rather have.
Bradley is not only widely recognized and revered by Diamondbacks fans, but he is perfect for what we do at PHNX. He has personal relationships with players and coaches in the D-backs organization and throughout the league. He offers a unique, unfiltered player perspective.
That was certainly on display on Monday, when Bradley made his first appearance on our show.
“This may not be the return of the beard that everyone was hoping for,” Bradley said at the beginning of the episode. “But it is a return nonetheless.”
After suffering a devastating right elbow fracture in 2022 that happened while hopping over the dugout railing during an on-field brawl at Angel Stadium, Bradley managed to work his way back and pitch briefly for the Miami Marlins last year. He is sitting out this season, but he is planning to pitch again next year. In spring training, he spent time as a color commentator for D-backs spring training games.
For now, I couldn’t be more excited to have Archie make regular appearances as an additional host for the rest of the season. We’ll hope you’ll follow along on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.
As the saying goes … bring in the beard.
Top photo: Getty Images
