There was a rumor floating around Major League Baseball that if the Philadelphia Phillies had clinched the National League Pennant at Chase Field — the Arizona Diamondbacks’ home stadium — the Phillies were going to take a dip in the stadium’s famed swimming pool to celebrate their victory.
It was a trick that had been tried before. In 2013, following their victory over the Diamondbacks for the National League West title, the Los Angeles Dodgers rubbed Arizona’s noses in the win by racing across the field, scaling the outfield fences, and leaping into the pool. Adding insult to injury, it was rumored that one of the Dodgers players actually peed in the pool. Diamondbacks players and fans were furious.
After their win in this year’s National League Division Series, the Diamondbacks deodorized the bad smell left by the Dodgers. It was their turn for a celebratory romp in the pool.
So when the Texas Rangers met the Diamondbacks at Chase Field in what would be the final game of the Rangers’ first-ever World Series victory, the Arizona team took precautions to prevent another in-your-face swim
Chase Field — The Arizona Diamondbacks’ home stadium, the first Major League ballpark to have a swimming pool. The pool was built by Buzz Ghiz, owner of Paddock Pools, the largest pool builder and retailer in Phoenix, AZ.
By Marcelle Dibrell by stationing about a dozen security guards at the right-field fence.
The pool at Chase field remains an iconic venue for MLB victory. Chase field was the first Major League ballpark to boast such an accessory.
When Chase field opened in 1998, it offered several innovations. It was the first stadium with a retractable roof, the first indoor stadium with natural grass (which has since been replaced by artificial turf), and the first — and for many years only — stadium with a swimming pool.
The pool was built by Buzz Ghiz, owner of Paddock Pools, the largest pool builder and retailer in Phoenix.
There are a couple of different stories about who first had the idea of putting a pool in the stadium.
In one telling, it was Ghiz’s inspiration.
A few years before the stadium was built, while on a tour of the newly completed Phoenix Sun’s basketball arena, Ghiz had told the team’s owner, Jerry Colangelo, “You know what could be really great here? A pool. A 25-meter pool right under the hardwood so you could host swim meets.”
The Suns didn’t get their pool, but Colangelo apparently remembered the notion so as Bank One Ballpark — the original name of the Diamondbacks’ venue — was nearing completion, he called Ghiz and said, “Now I’m one of the owners of the Arizona Diamondbacks; we’re building a new stadium, and you know what? I want to put a pool in the outfield.”
In another telling, the idea for the pool was inspired by a joke someone made at meeting that took place between team executives Colangelo, Rich Dozer, and Scott Brubaker, as they were looking at a 3-D model of the stadium. All three of them were from Chicago, so Brubacher said, pointing at center field on the model, that was where Bill Veeck of the White Sox would have put the shower.
(Veeck, an owner of the White sox, was famous for publicity stunts. In 1975, he installed a shower in the center field bleachers at Comiskey Park, designed to be operated with a pull chain. A yank on the chain would send cold water gushing down on the person below.)
So after mentioning the shower, Brubaker added, “But here’s where we’re actually going to put the pool.”
Dozer thinks he’s the one who mentioned the pool first, but either way, the line was intended as a joke — not a serious proposal.
In any case, Dozer and Brubaker decided that the idea was interesting and that they should run with it.
Actually selling the idea to Colangelo was another matter, Brubaker remembers. When he heard they would be eliminating 180 seats in the right-field bleachers, Colangelo said he would pass on the idea.
At a later meeting, Brubaker floated the pool idea again, this time armed with possible revenue figures. He told Colangelo the pool could generate a half-million dollars a year.
According to this story, it took some months before Colangelo was totally on board.
The pool idea still had its critics. Tom Rawles, a Maricopa County Supervisor who oversaw the stadium district, said the pool was “stupid.”
His chief concern, he said, was making sure the county was compensated for lost revenue from the missing seats. To this day, he’s still opposed to the pool. People don’t go to the pool to actually watch the game, he says. Normally, it’s just kids playing.
Then there were modesty concerns. People were worried about scantily clad swimmers appearing on home television screens. They decided to outlaw thong bathing suits.
At the end of the day, Ghiz went to work and built the most recognized symbol of the Diamondbacks’ stadium. And Ghiz said he planned the pool carefully so that fans could actually see the game.
Home runs have been landing in the pool ever since. By some estimates, more than 50 homerun balls have made splashy landings.
And it’s a real money-maker. After nearly 20 years, the pool continues to sell out every season. The price tag ranges between $4,750 and $7,500 per game for 35 people — the pool’s maximum capacity — and tops out at $26,000 for a World Series Game, which includes tickets, parking passes, and 35 D-back pool towels. It has inspired similar pools at venues in Miami and Jacksonville.
It’s become an obvious place for a winning game celebration.The 2011 Diamondbacks team started the tradition, and they’ve been celebrating huge victories with a pool party ever since.
Ghiz says he never imagined players would use the pool like this. His focus was on building it for the fan experience; he never thought the team would jump in.
By the 5th game of the 2023 series, there was never any chance that the Diamondbacks would take a triumphant dip. Even if they’d won that game, the series would have moved back to Texas for the final games.
Diamondback fans are just going to have to wait for next year for their team to take the plunge.
