A lone fan stands in the left field grandstand to watch the Rockies commit a final out against the Giants after a rain delay in the bottom of the ninth inning Friday. (David Zalubowski, The Associated Press)
The Rockies and Giants returned to Coors Field late Friday night to finish a long-delayed ninth inning. They ran out to a rain-soaked outfield with a sulfur smell in the air and smoke around the stadium lights.
It all ended five hours and 27 minutes after it started.
In one of the strangest games at the house of weird, Coors Field, the Rockies and Giants finally finished the ninth inning after rain-delay, in-game fireworks; a for-naught singles rally in the last half inning; a towering third-deck homer; a pretty good start from Rockies veteran Kyle Kendrick; and a very good start from Giants lefty Ryan Vogelsong.
“That was very strange, to watch fireworks before the game was over,” Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu said. “But I guess you have to make the fans happy so they can leave.”
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“I’ve seen a lot of strange games here,” Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. “We’re down by a bunch and you have a weird stoppage at that point in the game, that’s rare. But guys went back out and competed until we ran out of outs.”
The Giants led 11-4 after scoring four runs in the top of the ninth. The game seemed over. But rain moved in and started to pour on San Francisco reliever Jeremy Affledt. In the wet, DJ LeMahieu and Rafael Ynoa singled.
Then the umpires called for a delay and the tarp came out. During a one-hour, 44-minute stoppage, Coors Field officials decided to go ahead with a planned fireworks show — before the rest of the game resumed.
By the time the teams came back out, with smoke from the fireworks still lingering, most of the fans had left.
** Nolan Arenado was held out of the bottom of the ninth inning after a back spasm worsened in the delay. The Rockies wanted to keep him healthy for a doubleheader Saturday.
** Kendrick took a sixth consecutive loss in his past eight outings (including two no decisions). He hasn’t won since opening day at Milwaukee. But the first-year Rockies righty allowed just one run through his first five innings before unraveling in the sixth and seventh.
** Vogelsong was better. He gave up just two hits in six innings.
** Wilin Rosario went 3-for-4 for his seventh multi-hit game since he was called back up from Triple-A on May 8.
** LeMahieu is hitting .541 against the Giants this season.
** off Kendrick in the sixth was just the 34th third-deck shot at Coors Field:
Tags: Brandon Belt, Coors Field, DJ Lemahieu, Kyle Kendrick, Nolan Arenado, rain delay, San Francisco Giants, Walt Weiss, Wilin Rosario
