Diamondbacks send weird message to Dodgers ahead of NLDS

Unless the National League Division Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers goes the full five games, it will end at Arizona’s Chase Field. If it’s the Dodgers celebrating, what will they be allowed to do?

On Friday night, we got that answer.

Should the Dodgers win the series and clinch in Arizona, they will be permitted to celebrate in Chase Field’s pool. Derrick Hall, the President and CEO of the Diamondbacks made that clear on Friday, saying (per Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times) that should the Dodgers win in Arizona, “They have the right to celebrate wherever they want, however they want.”

The Chase Field pool has twice been front-and-center in this rivalry.

In 2013, the Dodgers clinched the National League West title in Arizona. Their celebration included jumping into the pool, which ruffled some feathers on the Diamondbacks.

Four years later, the two teams met in the Division Series. Leading 2-0 going into Game 3, Los Angeles came away with a 3-1 victory to complete the sweep of Arizona. This time, celebrating in the pool was not an option, as the Diamondbacks had guards on horses sitting on the warning track, blocking access to the field.

Regardless of whether you think this is a good decision, this is a strange message.

Why is the team president talking about the other team’s celebration, before the series has even started? This feels like this would have been a better message to send ahead of a potential clinch game in Arizona. It may not have been meant this way, but this sounds like a concession message. Given that the series hasn’t even begun, that’s a weird message to send.

[Bill Shaikin on Twitter]