On April 2, Yorvit Torrealba sat on the bench watching rookie catcher Chris Iannetta receive the first pitch of the Rockies’ 2007 season.
More than six months later, as a cold drizzle enveloped Coors Field, Torrealba blasted one of the most memorable and important home runs in Rockies history. His two-out, three-run, 402-foot shot off Arizona’s Livan Hernandez in the sixth inning propelled the Rockies to a 4-1 victory and within one win of a trip to the World Series.
“When I wasn’t catching on opening day, it was a little disappointing,” he admitted Sunday night. “I definitely want to play every day and show everybody what I’m able to do. Then I was just basically waiting for my opportunity.”
His moment in the spotlight arrived during a classic October confrontation versus one of baseball’s craftiest pitchers. For seven pitches, the batter and the pitcher played head games against each another. On the sixth pitch, Torrealba managed to foul off Hernandez’s 60 mph curveball.
“It was kind of crazy,” Torrealba said. “He stepped off (the mound), then I stepped out of the box. I tried to focus, but he was taking a long time.”
On pitch No. 7, Torrealba was expecting a slider away, or perhaps another loopy curve. Instead, he got an 82 mph fastball, slightly inside.
“I didn’t see an inside fastball from him all year,” Torrealba said. “The pitch surprised me and I just reacted to it.”
Asked if he’d have been in trouble if Hernandez threw him another curve, Torrealba laughed and said, “Probably.”
Hernandez said he knew that Torrealba liked inside fastballs, so he threw him anything but all season long. But on the telling pitch, catcher Miguel Montero called for a low, inside, sinking fastball. It didn’t sink enough.
“I made a mistake with that pitch and if you make a mistake in the playoffs, you pay for it,” said Hernandez, who suffered his first National League Championship Series loss. He entered the game with a 2-0 record and 1.59 ERA in three games (two starts) in LCS play.
Torrealba’s climactic home run topped a roller-coaster season for the catcher. When Iannetta slumped, Torrealba took over starting duties behind the plate. Though he played in a career-high 113 games, he slumped badly at the tail end of the regular season, hitting just .215 from Aug. 1 until the playoffs.
But starting with his second- inning homer against the Padres in Game 163 of the regular season, he’s been one of the Rockies’ most dependable bats. He’s hitting a combined .381 in the NLDS and NLCS, with seven RBIs, tied with Kazuo Matsui for the most on the team.
After lifting the Rockies to victory, Torrealba ran around the bases as if on cloud nine. Yet he said he didn’t remember much about his journey.
“It was kind of like I was in a dream,” he said.
But the fiery Venezuelan absolutely knew why he held a clinched fist above his head.
When he hit a homer in the Rockies’ wild-card tiebreaker win over the Padres, his raised fist honored his mother. This time, it was his grandmother, Aurelia Hernandez, who was on his mind.
“I told my mom that the next one was going to be for grandma, so when it happened, it was very emotional,” Torrealba said.
Few Rockies players wear their emotions on their uniform sleeves, but game in and game out, Torrealba does. It’s one of the reasons he’s so popular.
“This was so wonderful for him because he’s worked so hard for this team,” said pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez, a rookie whom Torrealba has taken under his wing. “Every club needs somebody like him who gets you up all the time.”
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
