BOSTON — A lasting image from Wednesday night’s Game 1 of the World Series features 21-year-old Franklin Morales, his eyes big as Frisbees, mopping sweat from his brow.
The Rockies’ rookie left- hander allowed seven runs in just two-thirds of an inning, and he was called for the first Series balk since the Yankees’ David Weathers in 1996.
Morales’ meltdown provided the most extreme example of the Rockies’ World Series inexperience. It’s a factor that cannot be discounted, even as the Rockies return home to the friendly confines of Coors Field for Saturday night’s Game 3.
While the Red Sox feature eight players who helped them win the 2004 World Series, the Rockies have only one man on their 25-man roster who has played in the Fall Classic. That’s center fielder Willy Taveras, who played for Houston in 2005.
“There’s a lot of first-time things going on for this ballclub, and that’s how you build an organization’s value and how you build tradition, and you build all those things that they have going on in Boston,” Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. “We’ve got some guys that are experiencing some things for the first time, some of them better than others so far.”
While a number of Rockies appeared wide-eyed – Brad Hawpe, for instance, went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in Game 1 – it is the young relievers who must regain their footing for Colorado to have a chance as the Series moves forward.
While Morales was pummeled in Boston’s seven-run fifth inning, Ryan Speier was simply wild. Coming in for Morales with the bases full, Speier walked three consecutive batters with the bases loaded, the first time that has happened in a series game.
“I think they were pressing,” pitching coach Bob Apodaca said. “They both got behind in the count and then they tried to throw the perfect pitch. You can never throw a perfect pitch, especially not against the Red Sox. Our guys just have to take a deep breath and pitch like they always do, like we know they can.”
Heading into the World Series, Rockies relievers had a cumulative postseason ERA of 1.61.
While it’s true that neither Morales nor Speier is a bullpen stalwart, most of the Rockies seemed awed by their first Series adventure. But before Thursday night’s Game 2, Hurdle predicted inexperience wouldn’t be a continuing theme.
“The thing we’ve been very, very good at in our clubhouse is guys picking up one another after performances that didn’t go well,” he said. “Just complementing one another and pushing things forward.”
