Edwin Diaz thrilled Dodger Stadium with his entrance and secured his first save. The Dodgers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-4.
Diaz’s Electric Entrance at Dodger Stadium
When the ninth inning began, Teoscar Hernandez waited in the dugout. He wanted to watch closer Edwin Diaz make his first walk from Dodger Stadium’s bullpen to its mound. Hernandez wanted to experience Diaz’s electric entrance for the first time and wasn’t alone.
Hernandez said, “Everybody was waiting for that.”
Diaz pounded his glove twice as he reached the left-field warning track, just as the lights shut off. He settled into a jog, and the bass drums began. As he got about midway through the outfield, Tatiana Tate began to mimic Timmy Trumpet’s portion of the song “Narco.”
Diaz said he was a little surprised by the live performance. He said, “I heard a trumpet sounding before I was coming out. I said, ‘No way they got a live trumpet.’ It was pretty fun.”
Dodgers Secure the Win
Kyle Tucker put his new team ahead with a run-scoring single in the bottom of the eighth. Diaz then closed out the game in the top of the ninth. He retired three of the four Arizona Diamondbacks hitters he faced to notch his first save and give the Dodgers a 5-4 victory.
Diaz’s Move to the Dodgers
Diaz spent the past seven years in New York. He accumulated 144 saves for the Mets while turning into a fan favourite at Citi Field. Then he opted out, watched as the Mets brought in a potential replacement in Devin Williams and jumped at the opportunity to join the Dodgers. They signed him to a three-year, $69 million contract.
Diaz said, “I was in New York, but now I’m here. I’m enjoying the time with this team. We have a really good team. I got to keep doing my job. And I’m hearing the trumpets here at Dodger Stadium now.”
Addressing the Ninth Inning
Twelve pitchers recorded saves for the Dodgers last year. When the playoffs began, Roki Sasaki was converted to a closer to solidify a weary bullpen. And when the stakes were highest, in Game 7 of the World Series, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts trusted only his starting pitchers to hold down the mighty Toronto Blue Jays.
It was clear that the Dodgers needed to address the ninth inning. Roberts didn’t think they had any shot of landing Diaz. Then, while Roberts was on vacation in early December, one of the Dodgers’ front office members asked him to get on a videoconference call and help recruit Diaz. They spoke for roughly 45 minutes, selling Diaz on their culture and their city.
Roberts recalled, “Afterwards, I told my wife, ‘We’re going to get him.’ I felt really good about it.”
Now, Diaz gives the Dodgers their f