Why The Diamondbacks Finally Look Like a Connected Team Again

"If, at a time of crisis, you guys don't link up, [a comeback will] never take place."

That was, in paraphrase, the message eight-time Super Bowl champion and former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick gave Torey Lovullo and the Arizona Diamondbacks, not long after the Patriots' famed 28-3 comeback victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl 51.

Nearly a decade later, the Diamondbacks are still living and dying by those words.

Diamondbacks tie Cubs for MLB comeback lead

Aug 25, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pinch hitter Ryan Waldschmidt (right) celebrates with catcher Gabriel Moreno after hitting a two run walk off home run in the ninth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Those words echoed, in sentiment, through one of Lovullo's fiery postgame speeches during Arizona's miracle run to the 2023 World Series. "A connected team is a dangerous team" became the well-known moniker of a scrappy, comeback-fueled club.

In 2026, the circumstances are different. The roster is different. The stakes are different. But when rookie outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt crushed his second walk-off home run of the season Tuesday night, Lovullo said he felt something was notable about this iteration of his team.

"This group is pretty darn special. I legitimately think this group loves each other," Lovullo said after that game. He added that he could not say the same about every team he's managed.

It would be easy for this version of the Diamondbacks to lack that quality. There's been more head-turning drama surrounding Ketel Marte. Half the roster has cycled in and out of Reno — or on and off the injured list.

But with Tuesday night's win, Arizona tied those very same Cubs for the major league lead in comeback victories, with 40.

"40 games, comeback wins. That doesn't happen if you don't believe in one another," Lovullo said on Wednesday. "That tells me the story in itself, that when they need to, they link up and understand how important it is to rely on one another."

"When things are going down, they fight together. I hear that, I hear the comments, and I see the response."

Diamondbacks looking like connected team again

Lovullo said he's noticed the little things that indicate a positive shift in the internal culture, despite some of the recent noise.

Things like veteran starter Eduardo Rodriguez "holding court" with a hoard of teammates around him, "just telling stories and laughing and giggling." Like players so eager to share a movie-viewing experience on a plane ride that they're practically sharing a seat.

"I see these guys talking and laughing and carrying on, basically sitting in each other's laps. You got a full-size seat next to you, and two guys are basically sitting in the same seat, because they wanna watch the same movie," Lovullo said, with a hint of a smile.

"I just hear conversations, I watch things, and there's different groups of guys that are interacting that you never think would be buddies. ... That stuff doesn't happen in clubhouses anymore. It's a different time.

"It's that type of stuff that I get a chance to watch. And there's endless examples that are taking place every single day."

A connected team is a dangerous team. The Diamondbacks are dangerous again.

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