The latest strain was called Platinum Paspallum, and Derrick Hall had high hopes for it. Whereas previous strains of sod withered into brown patches in the outfield over the course of the blistering Arizona summer, this strain had retained its green hue all throughout the 2018 season. It was a positive sign for the Diamondbacks president and CEO. Perhaps, at long last, they’d found a strain of natural grass for Chase Field that could stand up to the elements and rigors of 81 home games.



But that was just the eye test, and there were others to conduct. When Hall sought feedback from the players, grounds crew and coaching staff, his enthusiasm waned. The grass may have been greener literally, but not figurately. The surface played hard, the players said. The sod was loose, and slips were common.



“Very fast, very hard,” Hall said, “and, quite honestly, dangerous. We can easily say that we’ve witnessed games that were lost because of the...