PHOENIX – Salisbury University head baseball coach
Troy Brohawn revisited the scene of his greatest professional triumph this past weekend, rejoining his former Arizona Diamondbacks teammates for the 25th-anniversary celebration of their 2001 World Series championship.
"It was a great weekend," said Brohawn upon his return. "I've been to the 10-year, 20-year, and now 25-year reunions, and this was by far the best. They outdid themselves as far as taking care of us and giving us the chance to give back to the community."
The festivities began with a formal dinner at the team hotel on Thursday night, then on Friday morning Brohawn and his teammates spent time at a local firehouse before heading to Chase Field, where they mingled with the D-backs' current players and staff during batting practice. Among those Brohawn visited was longtime friend, sometimes foe, and current New York Yankees manager
Aaron Boone.
"I've known him for pretty much my whole life," said Brohawn. "I grew up playing against him and became good friends with him in high school. I hadn't seen him for a long time, but [since the D-backs were playing the Yankees] I got the chance to chat with him for a while."
Saturday's festivities featured an on-field pregame ceremony during which the 2001 team – decked out in the teal-and-purple pinstripe jerseys they sported that season – took center stage.
Brohawn and most of his teammates emerged from a gate in right field, sparklers shining as they passed by the Commissioner's Trophy and greeted the adoring crowd of nearly 48,000 attendees. Last to take the field was World Series hero
Randy Johnson, whose entrance from the bullpen mirrored his triumphant Game 7 performance, then after a team picture and ceremonial first pitch from manager
Bob Brenly, it was time to play ball.
"I get asked all the time if I miss playing," said Brohawn. "I don't miss playing at all, but if you ask anybody who has played professional sports, the one thing you miss is the locker room and the bus rides. With this team, it was like we just picked up right where we left off; the jokes were the same, there were guys getting on each other just like they did 25 years ago. It was just great."
Not even four years removed from the franchise's inaugural 1998 season,
Arizona had already built itself into a contender in 2001 behind future Hall-of-Famer Johnson, perennial All-Stars
Curt Schilling and
Luis Gonalez, and veteran leaders like
Reggie Sanders and
Mark Grace. Joining them was a 28-year-old left-handed reliever in Brohawn, who finally cracked "The Show" that spring after seven years in the minors. Despite his rookie status, Brohawn was taken under wing by fellow southpaw
Greg Swindell and quickly found his role in the clubhouse, pitching in 59 games over the course of the season.
"It was like an internship, and [Greg] was my boss," said Brohawn. "He took me around and showed me the ropes, how to be a professional on the field and off the field. We were both left-handed relievers and he could have easily thought of me as a young kid coming up to take his job, but he was completely the opposite.
"One thing that I really speak highly of about this team is that I was a rookie and they treated me like a 15-year veteran. None of that stuff mattered. They just wanted to win."
The Diamondbacks went 92-70 in the regular season, winning the National League West Division by two games and taking postseason series over St. Louis and Atlanta to capture their first-ever NL pennant. Awaiting in the World Series were the American League champion New York Yankees, three-time defending titlist and looking to add a 27th championship to baseball's most celebrated pedigree.
The series proved to be an instant classic, with Arizona taking the first two games at home before the Yankees won three straight in the Bronx. Facing elimination upon their return to the desert for Game 6, the D-backs pounded out 22 hits to back a strong outing from Johnson and won 15-2. Johnson departed after the seventh inning in anticipation for a Game 7 cameo, and after
Bobby Witt tossed a scoreless eighth, Brohawn
took the baton and got his team across the finish line with a scoreless ninth.
"I was up in the bullpen for Games 3, 4, and 5, but didn't get in," said Brohawn. "I wasn't upset about it; someone else had a better matchup. Everyone had a 'what's-best-for-the-team' mentality. You did your part when called upon."
Brohawn's contribution ultimately paid off in Game 7: Johnson entered from the bullpen with his team down 2-1 in the eighth and retired all four New York batters he faced. Staring down legendary closer
Mariano Rivera in the bottom of the ninth, the Diamondbacks pulled off a stunning rally and won 3-2 on
Gonzalez's walk-off bases-loaded bloop single. The victory brought an end to the latest Yankee dynasty and cemented the legacy of a new crop of heroes in the Valley of the Sun.
"Whenever we go back to these things, there's no measuring stick," said Brohawn. "Nobody is tracking who was up for 10 days or 50 days or the whole year. Everybody was a part of that team. You were treated as an equal, and with the guys that we had on that team, it means a lot."
Long after the ceremony concluded and the '01ers retired to the right field cantina for the game, the modern-day Diamondbacks paid one final unscripted tribute to their silver-anniversary brethren. Tied with those same Yankees in the bottom of the ninth, pinch-hitter
Pavin Smith stepped in and
belted a walk-off two-run home run to seal a poetic 5-3 win. Smith's blast traveled 391 feet, more than double the estimated 164 feet of Gonzalez's flare 25 years prior. To Brohawn and his cohorts, though, it will never match the power of the hit that made them World Series champions.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with affiliate membership in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (football, men's & women's swimming), Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse), State University of New York Athletic Conference (field hockey), and Colonial Women's Golf Conference (women's golf). With over 500 student-athletes in 23 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the nation's most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have won a combined 23 team national championships, 26 individual national championships, and 211 conference championships, and have produced 54 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.
