For DBacks players who suffered through 2021, World Series even more special

ARLINGTON, Texas — Zac Gallen sat on the Diamondbacks’ team bus Thursday afternoon, thinking about it all. He looked at the police escort that zoomed him and his teammates to Globe Life Field for their workout day. He looked at the sprawling expanse of north Texas. And he thought about just how improbable the past two years had been.

On Oct. 3, 2021, Josh VanMeter pulled a walk-off home run into the right field seats at Chase Field, where it landed among a few dozen fans, each celebrating the final moment of a 52-110 season. Then, 751 days later, Corbin Carroll secured a pop fly in the Citizens Bank Park outfield then sprinted to join teammates in a mob scene at the pitcher’s mound. And two days after that, Gallen conducted a press conference in front of a backdrop adorned with the logo of the 2023 World Series, in which he will start Game 1 on Friday night.

“Who would have really thought,” Gallen said, “we would be here right now, this soon, this quickly?”

He is not alone in that disbelief. Eight members of the Diamondbacks’ World Series roster played for Arizona in 2021. Gallen and Merrill Kelly were key pieces of the starting rotation. Christian Walker, Ketel Marte and Pavin Smith were in the everyday lineup, though Smith is now a little-used bench player. Geraldo Perdomo got his first taste of the big leagues. Kevin Ginkel and Joe Mantiply were part of a bullpen that led the National League with 41 losses.

“I contributed to some of those losses just as much as anybody else,” Mantiply reflected Thursday. “And to still be thought of as a guy that can contribute to this team, it means a lot to me and it definitely makes this all worthwhile.”

On one hand, it reflects the Diamondbacks’ remarkable turnaround that they have 18 players who did not appear in even one game with the club two years ago. But for the eight who remain, their past experiences only add to the magic of playing for a World Series.

“Losing 110 games, it's not fun coming to the baseball field,” Gallen said. “It's supposed to be fun. It's a game.”

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This year has embodied the opposite side of that coin. Arriving at the ballpark is a joy, not a chore. That’s attributable in part to winning, but Gallen and Kelly said the tide began to turn last year, as the roster stabilized and players were able to develop closer relationships with one another. The infusion of youth, with additions like Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas and Jake McCarthy, also brought a new dimension to the clubhouse.

“The relationships that you build in this game are one of the biggest things about what we do,” Kelly said. “The ability to meet different people from all different walks of life and then share this experience. … As a team, that creates a really special atmosphere once you get to a place like this.”

The losing that Kelly and his teammates once endured only strengthened their relationships. He and Gallen have developed into close friends, with lockers next to one another at Chase Field and often on the road. He and Walker, too, have bonded as two of the three longest-tenured Diamondbacks. This summer, they were part of the cohort of team leaders that would sit together after games, brainstorming how to keep the clubhouse positive as their season threatened to unravel.

Over the past few weeks, those two have found themselves in conversation, realizing how far they’ve come. Sometimes, words aren’t even necessary. They’ll just look at each other in awe.

“Not necessarily that we can't believe it because we obviously believe in ourselves,” Kelly said. “But just the fact that we're here is pretty crazy.”

That undertone of disbelief is a common thread among the players. Walker said that the experiences of 2021 do make playing in the World Series more special, but not for the reasons one might think. He isn’t sitting around, thinking about what he went through.

“It's just, I think it's cool to look back and see how quickly things can change,” Walker said. “And how a couple additions here and there and sticking to your values as an organization, how quickly it can pay off.”

Mostly, though, there’s one unifying sentiment about 2021.

“I try not to think about two years ago,” Gallen said. “Those were some dark times in Arizona.”

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: For DBacks who remain from 110-loss 2021, World Series even more special