PHOENIX — What's old will be new again at Chase Field as the Arizona Diamondbacks unveil a new mode of transportation for their relievers this season.
The D-backs recently announced that the bullpen cart, a piece of baseball lore, will be used to drive pitchers from the bullpen to the mound during pitching changes.
Dubbed the "OnTrac Bullpen Cart," the custom cart features a roof designed like a large baseball helmet and a baseball.
“We have been working on this idea for several years and there’s no more appropriate time to bring back the bullpen cart than this season, as we celebrate our 20th anniversary,” said D-backs President & CEO Derrick Hall. “Fans of baseball in the 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s and even the 90s enjoyed watching their favorite players emerge from the bullpen in various vehicles and we’re excited for this special delivery to come to Chase Field.”
Arizona tweeted out a photo of the cart Tuesday morning.
According to a release from the D-backs, the first official entrance of a motorized cart came in 1951 by the Chicago White Sox.
The last known use of a motorized vehicle in Major League Baseball was in 1995 when the Milwaukee Brewers utilized a motorcycle with a sidecar.
