“Bulldogs are Goated!” - Zac Gallen's pooch pawsitively steals the spotlight amid Diamondbacks Spring Training excitement
Zac Gallen will head into the 2024 spring training with the goal of making it to the Fall Classic yet again. After a 4-1 loss to the Texas Rangers in the 2023 World Series, Gallen and his party hit the ground running on February 9th, way ahead of the reporting date for spring training.
But the star of the show while Gallen tossed the baseball around was his bulldog, who accompanied Zac Gallen to the early sessions of training. D-backs fans were excited to see their ace come out on the field this early and were even more happy to see his four-legged friend running and frolicking around in the field.
"Bulldogs are Goated!" - Roshocker22
The Arizona Diamondbacks will be playing in the Cactus League, with their maiden preseason game coming against the Colorado Rockies on February 23, 2024. The pitchers are expected to report to the bullpen by February 14, while the positional players will be reporting to the srping training by February 19, 2024.
The team will be practicing in the spring for the 26th time and playing at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick for the 13th time. Home games for the D-backs are scheduled to commence at 3:10 p.m. EST.
Along with new players like Eduardo Rodriguez, fans will witness seasoned favorites like Corbin Carroll, Zac Gallen, and Ketel Marte during the D-backs spring training.
The Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants, and San Diego Padres are the National League West foes that the Snakes will face in nine preseason games. When playing against divisional rivals (the Dodgers) and two-time MVP Shohei Ohtani, the squad will not have home field advantage.
On February 27, the D-backs will also play host to the Texas Rangers, the current MLB champions, and their adversaries from the 2023 World Series. The Cactus League reported that the World Series contestants from the previous year usually command better spectator attendance during spring training.
The last time the league witnessed a matchup between the World Series rivals in spring training was after the 2016 World Series between the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Guardians.
Zac Gallen signed a deal with the D-backs ahead of the arbitration deadline
In order to avoid salary arbitration, the Arizona Diamondbacks agreed to one-year contracts with six players in early January. Among them were All-Star right-hander Zac Gallen and Gold Glove first baseman Christian Walker.
Next season, Walker will earn $10.9 million, while Zac Gallen will take home $10,011,000 which is almost double what he earned last year ($5.6 million). Last season, the National League All-Star finished third in the voting for the NL Cy Young Award with a 17-9 record and 3.47 ERA.