PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks didn’t gain their 50th victory last season until their 120th game, or when many Phoenix sports fans had long since switched their attention to the NFL Cardinals.
This season, Arizona needed just 78 games to get to 50 wins.
So, what changed? The players? Not that many. The payroll? Not that much. The manager, for sure — Torey Lovullo came over from the Red Sox, for whom he was the bench coach. He quickly instilled the mentality of a winner that persisted from his time in Boston, where he was on the bench for the 2013 World Series champions.