It has been more than a decade since the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated their 2013 National League West title with an impromptu party in the Chase Field pool.
This drew the ire of several members of the Arizona Diamondbacks organization and has made for underlying tension between the teams ever since. Willie Bloomquist, a 14-year MLB veteran from 2002-2015, was among the players who took the Dodgers’ celebration personally.
The former Diamondbacks utility man recently revealed he hasn’t spoken to certain players from the 2013 Dodgers roster since the incident, via Sam Blum and Doug Haller of The Athletic:
“There’s guys I haven’t spoken to since,” Bloomquist said recently. “Whether or not you want to say the relationship ended — I’m not extending the olive branch. They’re the ones that pissed me off by doing it. I’m not going to be the first one to call them. If we never talk again, I’m not going to lose any sleep over it.”
Bloomquist did not find out the Dodgers were partying in the Chase Field pool until after he got dressed in the clubhouse. As soon as Bloomquist heard the news, he dashed to the field and confronted some of the players.
Bloomquist defended his decision to do so and believes the Chase Field pool should only be reserved for Diamondbacks players:
“I got crucified for going out there and wanting to fight their whole team for doing it,” Bloomquist said. “I thought it was wrong — I still think it was wrong. I got labeled the ‘fun police’ and all this stuff by all those guys who have their talk-radio (shows) and whatever. But, hey, I stand for something. And I still stand behind the fact that that’s our pool.”
The 2013 Dodgers remain the only team besides the Diamondbacks to celebrate in the Chase Field pool. The Philadelphia Phillies indicated they would have attempted to do so this year, but were unable to close out the NL Championship Series in Arizona — and then lost Games 6 and 7 at home.
The Texas Rangers defeated the Diamondbacks in Game 5 of the World Series to capture their first title in franchise history, but did not have an opportunity to celebrate in the Chase Field pool as security guarded the area. Though, the Rangers also didn’t show any signs of wanting to make a splash.
Diamondbacks wouldn’t have stopped Dodgers from pool celebration
During the NL Division Series, Diamondbacks president and CEO Derrick Hall suggested the organization was not going to prevent the Dodgers from celebrating in the Chase Field pool if they won the matchup.
“But look, we know this team here, they’re so good, and year after year they proved if you’re going to go somewhere, you’ve got to go through them,” Hall said days before the Diamondbacks swept the Dodgers.
“And they’ve earned that. They have the right to celebrate however they want, wherever they want. They’ve certainly earned that opportunity.”
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