The Arizona Diamondbacks arrived at Petco Park for the final series of the season against the San Diego Padres with an improbable mission: make the Wild Card. While the odds were stacked against them, requiring nothing short of a miracle, the fact that a chance still existed heading into the 160th game was a testament to a phenomenal second half that defied all the odds stacked against them.

The flickering flame was extinguished in the first game of the series. The Diamondbacks fell to the Padres 7-4 on Friday night, a result that, combined with a Reds victory, officially eliminated Arizona from postseason contention.

The 7-4 defeat brought an abrupt, painful end to a run few outside the fanbase believed possible. The D-backs offense provided a flash of hope early, jumping out to a short-lived 2-0 lead in the first inning on back-to-back home runs from Ketel Marte (his 27th of the season) and Jake McCarthy. But the lead quickly evaporated.

While the D-backs offense clawed back to within two runs in the eighth inning thanks to a series of late walks, the magic had run out. Compounding the issue were costly base-running errors throughout the night, including Geraldo Perdomo being thrown out at third and Ildemaro Vargas oversliding second. Those outs highlighted a team that was desperately trying to do too much with everything on the line.

Manager Torey Lovullo summed up the feeling after the elimination, stating the clubhouse was “more than disappointed.” He praised the team’s commitment, noting they “didn’t know how stacked up the odds were against them. They didn’t care, just went out and continued to play good baseball.” Outfielder Corbin Carroll’s reaction was perhaps the most concise: “It just sucks. We just didn’t do enough.”

Gallen’s High-Stakes Start

The stakes for starting pitcher Zac Gallen were impossibly high. His start in the first game of the series was controversial, stemming from the prior series against the Dodgers when the D-backs opted for a disastrous bullpen game to give Gallen an extra day of rest following an illness. Manager Torey Lovullo later admitted regret, noting he made the “humane thing to do” by giving him an extra day after Gallen had “absolutely emptied his tank” in his prior outing.

Despite the rest, Gallen labored, going only 4.1 innings and allowing six runs (five earned) on 103 pitches. The decisive moment came when he surrendered a crushing lead to a home run from Fernando Tatis Jr. The final blow to the game also served as the final blow to the D-backs’ postseason aspirations.

With the playoff race decided, game 2 immediately shifted from intense competition to organizational planning. GM Mike Hazen and other front office staff flew to San Diego to begin exit interviews with players, officially transitioning to the offseason. The loss also meant the D-backs were unable to clinch a .500 record for the season in that game. The team fought that battle to earn and keep a .500 record all season long, but only failing right at the very end.

Rodriguez’s Early Struggles

The veteran left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez was hoping to build on a strong stretch of late-season starts, but he was ambushed early. The Padres jumped out to a lead on only seven pitches, highlighted by home runs from Fernando Tatis Jr. and Xander Bogaerts. Rodriguez gave up two more runs in the second, putting the D-backs in a hole just innings into the game. He settled down afterward, retiring of the next batters to hang four straight zeroes, ending his season with a ERA.

Perdomo’s Leadership and Commitment

The emotional weight of Friday’s game was still palpable. Manager Torey Lovullo shared that Zac Gallen, who is set to be a free agent, was still visibly struggling with the potential end of his time in Arizona. “It’s heartbreaking,” Lovullo said, recounting that Gallen wore his uniform to dinner and was one of the last to leave the clubhouse.

While stars Ketel Marte and Corbin Carroll were held out of the lineup,a well-deserved rest as both had been playing “banged up” (eat your heart out Dan Bickley), shortstop Geraldo Perdomo insisted on playing. Lovullo acknowledged that both Marte (sore foot/lower half) and Carroll (broken bone chip in wrist since mid-season) were “not 100%” and praised their toughness: “Corbin with a broken hand playing through pain that nobody else could possibly understand.”

Perdomo, however, told the manager, “I want to play. Put me in the lineup. I want to play. It’s my responsibility to be the leader of this team. I want to set a standard.” Lovullo honored the shortstop’s request. Similarly, rookie Jordan Lawlar was rested, with Lovullo citing the desire to field the “best defensive infield” against the lefty starter, but promised Lawlar would start the final game.

As the position player with the most games played on the team, Perdomo wanted to set an example by finishing out the season. He provided the D-backs’ lone run by crushing a 406-foot solo home run in the fifth inning, his 20th long ball of the season. He now sat just one RBI shy of what has been a career year.

Despite his offensive success, Perdomo’s true commitment to self-improvement shone through in his post-game comments. While his overall defensive metrics remained solid (+4 Defensive Runs Saved), he expressed deep dissatisfaction with his glove work, having committed 18 errors this season after making only nine total in 2023 and 2024.

“I feel like it’s been a great season, but on the glove side for me it’s been my worst season, even if the numbers say it’s positive,” Perdomo admitted. “I feel bad. I feel disappointed with the way I’ve been performing on defense… I need to put a little bit more effort this offseason, work a little bit harder, and perform the way I know I can perform on defense.”

Lovullo confirmed Perdomo’s accountability, recalling a mound visit where the shortstop immediately stated, “That’s my fault,” after a mistake. This determination from a young team leader speaks volumes about the culture of accountability the team is building. Other minor offensive highlights included Gabriel Moreno’s night and Jake McCarthy’s triple.

The final game of the season offered one last shot to finish the year at a .500 record, but the Padres continued their dominant performance, delivering a crushing 12−4 defeat and completing the series sweep. This left the Diamondbacks to finish the season with a final record of 80−82.

Pfaadt’s Road Struggles Continue

Right-hander Brandon Pfaadt had a tough day in what was supposed to be a final encouraging sign for 2026. Pfaadt was shelled for five runs in the first inning and exited after just four innings, allowing eight runs (seven earned). The start cemented a difficult season for Pfaadt, who finished with a 5.12 ERA. The split was alarming: a 3.24 ERA in 17 home starts contrasted with a heavy 7.71 figure in 16 road starts, highlighting a key area for development.

Geraldo Perdomo: Making Franchise History

The true highlight of the final game was the historic individual milestone achieved by Geraldo Perdomo, who became the first shortstop in Diamondbacks history to record a 100-RBI season.

In his final at-bat of the season in the ninth inning, after being dropped to third in the order specifically to maximize his RBI chances, Perdomo hit a ground ball that resulted in a fielding error, allowing him to collect his 100th RBI.

This was the punctuation mark on an MVP-level season for the 25-year-old. Perdomo finished 2025 with an incredible slash line of .290/.389/.462, 20 home runs, and the round 100 RBIs, earning him the fifth-highest FanGraphs WAR (7.1) in baseball.

“It feels good, honestly, I don’t want to lie,” Perdomo said postgame, reflecting on the support of his teammates. “I’m just more proud and happy because my teammates, they were cheering for me. They were supporting.”

The entire dugout was focused on the achievement. Ketel Marte, who has a close, mentorship-like relationship with Perdomo, offered high praise: “For him, I’m not surprised. He works so hard and he’s a guy who likes to learn… He’s a good kid and he deserves everything.” Lovullo agreed: “That was some good news that we all enjoyed.”

Other offensive notes from Game 3 included Ketel Marte’s home run to lead off the game and a night for Jordan Lawlar with a double and a walk. The sweep marked the end of Arizona’s season at 80–82. But beyond the final box scores, the last three days in San Diego also underscored the bigger storylines that will shape the franchise heading into 2026.

Reflections on the Season: Pride, Pain, and the Path Forward

The final three losses cemented a frustrating finish, but the final words from the clubhouse focused less on the result and more on the remarkable journey the team took through adversity.

Hazen’s Press Conference Key Takeaways

GM Mike Hazen and Manager Torey Lovullo addressed the media for the final time this season, reaffirming the organization’s collective disappointment in the finish while identifying key areas of focus for the offseason.

1. Pitching is the Primary Need: Hazen was unequivocal about the most pressing priority, stressing the need to rebuild the pitching staff, particularly the starting rotation. With Zac Gallen potentially departing in free agency and ace Corbin Burnes not expected back from injury until the All-Star Break, the rotation depth is critically thin. Hazen stated, “The starting pitching is going to be something we’re going to need to focus in ongoing into the offseason for sure. That’s probably the number one area outside of building the bullpen again that we’re going to have to focus in on.”

2. Emphasis on Defensive Upgrades: Beyond pitching, Hazen singled out the team’s defense, which was uncharacteristically poor and compounded the issues faced by the pitching staff. He plans to make aggressive changes to improve run prevention. “[The defense is] something that I’m going to look to lean into a little bit more aggressively into the offseason, ensuring that our defense at all eight positions is where we need it to be,” Hazen said. He added that the poor defense made it difficult to fairly evaluate the pitching performance:

“I think as much as we were all complaining about the results of the pitching staff in the first half, it was very difficult for me to tease out where the pitching wasn’t up to par and where the defense was below, and those things run in combination with each other.”

3. Alignment on Manager Lovullo’s Return: Hazen confirmed organizational harmony with Owner Ken Kendrick regarding the decision to retain Lovullo for 2026. Hazen took responsibility for the roster deficiencies, reinforcing that Lovullo could not be judged solely by the 80−82 record. This alignment suggests internal stability as the team heads into the offseason.

Manager Lovullo’s Confirmed Return and Front Office Dynamics

Despite the organizational disappointment, the Arizona Diamondbacks confirmed that Manager Torey Lovullo will return for the season, marking his tenth year with the club.

This decision comes after owner Ken Kendrick reportedly expressed extreme disappointment in the finish, which Lovullo acknowledged placed his job under intense scrutiny. Before the final decision was reported, Lovullo was candid about the pressures of the job: “Well shoot, there’s always doubt, right? This is a cutthroat industry.” He stated his daily mindset was to “impress Mr. Kendrick and Derrick Hall and my bosses every single day.”

General Manager Mike Hazen offered a detailed explanation for the decision, stressing that a manager’s evaluation involves much more than wins and losses, especially given the injury adversity faced in . Hazen acknowledged the black-and-white nature of the results but took responsibility for the roster’s shortcomings: “I’m aware that a lot of what happens during the course of a season falls on the manager producing wins… I can’t give him a bad roster and then tell him to go out there and win 90 games.” Hazen praised Lovullo’s job in managing the adversity: “I felt like from the engagement to the coaching to the pushing of the players to where they needed to go, I thought he did a good job. I do.”

Hazen highlighted the intangible building blocks that cemented Lovullo’s return, specifically noting the development of young talent: “The relationships he has with our players, the emergence of a star shortstop Geraldo Perdomo… those are the building blocks of things in my mind that aren’t just seen out on the field.” Hazen also defended the manager’s commitment through difficult team changes: “I think at the Trade Deadline when I sold off half of his roster… I never got one complaint about the team that was going out there to play today.” He concluded that Lovullo’s ability to keep the team competitive and focused was crucial in his evaluation, stating, “Those are the things that I respect and appreciate in the job that I know he has to do that is very difficult on a daily basis.”

The manager’s return is also strongly backed by players like Geraldo Perdomo, who defended Lovullo’s leadership amidst the chaos of injuries and roster changes: “I feel he did a great job,” Perdomo said. “Even if he got a really good team in the beginning and they, for some reason, made a lot of changes, I feel like he handled it really well. At the end of the day, it’s not about him, it’s about the players. If we don’t perform how we’re supposed to perform, nothing is going to be the way they want.”

Lovullo also took time to clarify the changing dynamics of his job. Unlike the traditional baseball manager, decisions on “personnel things, when it comes to the finer working dynamics inside of rotations and lineups,” are open discussions with the front office. “There’s a group of people that are behind the scenes that are making a lot of decisions that used to be made in the traditional baseball manager sense,” he explained, though he has a “seat at the table.” General Manager Mike Hazen took responsibility for the team’s issues, noting that despite the injuries, the results were ultimately not there. Hazen defended the manager’s process, stating that when execution fails, it is often too easy to blame the decision, but “The players bear responsibility to execute in those situations.”

Addressing the fans directly, Lovullo emphasized the desire to earn their loyalty and bring postseason baseball back to Phoenix. “We want to earn their trust. We want to bring them back to the stadium… When that building gets filled up, and they’re engaged the way they are, and the way they can be, we feel that support.” He concluded with an apology and a promise: “I’m sorry to the fan base that we couldn’t close this deal the way we wanted to, and we’re going to do all we can. We’re going to die trying to go out and find a way to the Postseason and not allow something like this to ever happen again or let us feel the way we’re all feeling right now.”

Owner’s Message and Financial Commitment

Owner Ken Kendrick shared in the extreme disappointment of the 80−82 finish, especially considering the high expectations and the franchise-record 220 million spent on the 40-man roster in 2025. However, Kendrick’s message focused heavily on gratitude for the fan base and a commitment to future investment.

“The thing that happened this year that I want to give a thank-you to is our fans,” Kendrick said, citing the remarkable million people who attended games, the largest number since . “The fans stepped up and we didn’t give them the result that they deserve for the investment they made in coming to our games. That’s not lost on me at all.”

He pledged to use the significant revenues generated by the fan support to reinvest heavily in the team for 2026. While the payroll figure may not match the 220 million record, Kendrick was adamant: “We are going to reinvest in putting a really, really capable team out on the field next season… I think it’ll be a handsome number that will allow us to have a very, very competitive team. I wouldn’t want us to back away from the focus on being in the postseason a year from now.”

James McCann: A Veteran’s Impact and the Culture

The signing of veteran catcher James McCann was a notable success, quickly becoming an under-the-radar force both on the field and in the clubhouse. McCann, who started the year in the minors, was proud of his ability to contribute immediately to the major league roster.

“From a personal standpoint, it’s definitely something that I’m proud of, and that’s why I took a minor league deal, because I knew I still had something left to give the game,” McCann said.

His primary impact was his experience, which the coaching staff valued for its effect on the pitching staff. McCann noted his role in “helping pitchers understand how to sequence pitches, and how to help them understand how their stuff plays at this level, how it plays together.” This veteran savvy also extended to the young position players, where he focused on teaching them the importance of “not getting too high and not getting too low,” and “understanding the nuances of a major league baseball season.”

McCann spoke lovingly of his time with the team, praising the positive organizational culture: “I loved my time here… I think this organization has done a tremendous job of building a culture here that players enjoy being a part of.” Despite being a free agent this offseason, his comments indicated a high regard for the Diamondbacks.

Corbin Carroll: The Disappointment and the Lesson

Star outfielder Corbin Carroll reflected on the season’s end, calling the totality of the finish “very disappointing.” “When you take in the totality of the season and where we started, it’s just very disappointing to miss the playoffs,” he stated.

Despite the disappointment, Carroll saw value in the struggle, particularly for the team’s young core. “There’s a lot to be proud of in this clubhouse, the way that we fought,” he said. He hoped the intense, meaningful games late in the season would be a crucial lesson. “There was something special in this clubhouse over the last month, month and a half… I hope learning from that and playing, knowing that we can hold our own against anyone, I think that’s an important lesson to learn.”

Zac Gallen: A D-back Until the End

The finality of the season was perhaps felt most deeply by ace Zac Gallen, whose final outing was marked by the high stakes of an elimination game and the uncertainty of his future with the team. Long after the final out, an emotional Gallen sat at his locker, unable to remove his jersey.

“It’s tough for me to take it off,” he said. “I’ve worn this uniform for seven years now… I think of myself as a D-back really. If it’s the last time, it would be a tough pill to swallow.”

Despite the personal disappointment over his performance and the team’s elimination, his pride remained: “Every fifth day I put the uniform on, It was an honor. I was proud to put the uniform on.” Lovullo mirrored this sentiment: “I love Zac Gallen, and I told him that… he did everything he could in the Valley to help bring us a World Championship.” Gallen’s final word on the campaign was a mix of heartbreak and perspective: “We battled for the last two months just to have it end in this fashion. It’s heartbreaking, for sure… We gave ourselves a chance.”

Whether Zac Gallen has thrown his last pitch in Sedona red remains uncertain. But his refusal to take off his jersey after that final loss said it all: even in heartbreak, this team fought to the end. And with Perdomo’s rise, Carroll’s lessons, and Burnes set to return, the Diamondbacks leave 2025 with a foundation built not just on talent, but on heart.