The Colorado Rockies play at the gorgeous Coors Field in the heart of Denver, Colorado. A National League West team, the Rockies have seen both ups and downs in their somewhat-short history. The Rockies are owned by a group of people, and only began playing in 1993, along with the Florida Marlins. Due to embezzlement issues by one of the owners, there was actually talk of the Rockies moving to Tampa before the ’93 season started. The Rockies lost their first game, but won their second in Denver. Over 80,000 fans attended the game, which holds the record for most fans present at a regular season MLB game. In fact, throughout that whole season, over 4,400,000 fans attended the Rockies games, which broke the record for the most attended season in history.
When the player’s strike hit in 1994, the Rockies were in last place in the National League West division, though they were playing much better ball than they had been in the ’93 season. Colorado’s hitters were noted for their raw power, which was contributed to the fact that the air was thinner in Denver than in other parts of the country. Combined, Rockies’ players Andres Galarraga and Dante Bichette were projected to hit 80 home runs during that season if it had not been cut short by the player’s strike. Those two players, in addition to Mike Kingery (replaced just one year later by Larry Walker) and VinnyCastilla, would become known throughout the league as the “Blake Street Bombers”.
The Bombers would hit a combined total of 139 homeruns in ’95, the season when the team moved to Coors Field. The Rockies won seven out of their first eight games in their new home, and by the end of the ’95 season had placed 2nd in the West division and made it into the playoffs. Despite their sudden run for the World Series, though, the Rockies were shot down by the powerhouse that was the Atlanta Braves. The following year, Larry Walker got injured, killing the Rockies dreams for a second playoff appearance. When he got better, though, he went on to win league MVP in ‘97.
The Rockies wouldn’t see their World Series debut until 2007, when they came out of nowhere to fight their way into the playoffs, beating out both the Dodgers and Diamondbacks, who were favored to win. Finally, the Rockies and the Padres were tied for the NL wildcard spot, and a game was played at Coors Field to determine who got it. The 13th-and last- inning was the most intense. The Padres gained the lead with two home runs, but Colorado came back to match those two plus snag another one.
The Rockies breezed through the competition to become the National League champions and face off against the Red Sox in the 2007 World Series. Unfortunately, they met a devastating loss and were swept in four games. Despite this loss, though, the Rockies team continues to look promising, and another World Series appearance could be in the near future.
