PHOENIX -- In 2001, the Arizona Diamondbacks first chance at a World Series was slowly slipping away.
It was Game 7, and the Diamondbacks were down 2-1 to the New York Yankees in the top of the eighth inning.
Diamondbacks manager Bob Brenly made a call to the bullpen.
He called for Diamondbacks ace Randy Johnson, who had started and won Game 6 just a day earlier.
Johnson took the mound and retired four straight batters, keeping his team close and setting the stage for a thrilling bottom of the ninth that ended with a game-winning Luis Gonzalez single that gave the Diamondbacks their first World Series only four seasons into the club's existence.
Friday, over a decade after that championship, Johnson became the first person in the history of the city of Phoenix to be awarded the key to the city.
At a lunchtime ceremony at Phoenix City Hall, the six-foot-ten Johnson bent over to reach the podium microphone, sharing a smile with laughing fans who filled the building's atrium.
"I'm really at a loss for words for all this," Johnson said. "I just enjoyed doing what I did and tried to do it the best that I could and I'm very humbled and honored."
"I think that a lot of you need to get back to lunch," Johnson joked to the crowd, "and back to work."
Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton told Johnson and those in the crowd that the award wasn't just about Johnson's stellar professional career, but also his work off the field.
"Today is a celebration of you, your success, the success of the Diamondbacks, what you represented previously, and what you still represent for this community: the very best of this city," Stanton said.
"He was a great community guy during his time with the Diamondbacks," Stanton told reporters. "Particularly as it relates to supporting women and men in the military."
Adrean Mendoza, a Diamondbacks fan who attended the ceremony, said he read about it on Facebook and couldn't miss the opportunity to attend.
"I made plans to come down and bring my brother along," Mendoza said. "I made sure I was down and out of work."
"He cares about the community, he loves Arizona," Mendoza said. "He is truly a big part of the team and this state, and I'm just so happy for him."
After a career spanning 22 seasons, five Cy Young Awards and over 4,000 innings pitched, Johnson will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 26.
He will be the first player to ever wear a Diamondbacks hat on his plaque in Cooperstown, cementing Arizona's place in baseball history.
"He has honored us by choosing to go into the Hall of Fame wearing that Diamondbacks uniform. So, Randy, once again, is serving as kind of a unifying figure to bring people together in this community," Stanton said.
"If he doesn't deserve the key to the city, I don't know who does."
