Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon scored the winning run Friday night to celebrate his own bobblehead night. (Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post)
The Beard might have made Charlie Blackmon a fan favorite, but his preparation, hustle and heads-up play have made him one of the Rockies’ most valuable players.
Friday, on his own bobblehead night, Blackmon went 3-for-5 with an RBI and scored the game-winning run on a wild pitch in the ninth inning. The Rockies beat the Reds 6-5 win at raucous Coors Field.
It was just the second time in franchise history that the Rockies won a game on a wild pitch. The last time was Aug. 24, 2011 in 7-6 victory over the Astros at Coors Field. Troy tulowitzki scored the winning run in the 10th inning on a wild pitch by Houston’s Aneury Rodriguez.
It was Blackmon’s baseball I.Q. and aggressive mindset that led the Rockies to their fifth walk-off win of the season.
“I was going to be aggressive and I was going to looking to hit the ball very hard,” he said of his ninth-inning heroics. “But I noticed the third baseman (Todd Frazier) took a couple of steps back.”
So Blackmon put down the bunt single that started the winning rally. He figured he could steal a base off of Cincinnati reliever Ryan Matheus, but he almost figured wrong. He was originally called out at second.
“The ball beat me (to the bag),” he said. “But I thought it was really close and I thought (second baseman Brandon Phillips) missed the tag. So I felt pretty confident.”
Blackmon’s confidence was justified when replay over turned the call. He advanced to third on a grounder to second by DJ LeMahieu and then scored on Matheus’ wild pitch.
“At first I didn’t know how far away the ball had gotten from (catcher Tucker Barnhart),” Blackmon explained. “When I saw that it got a good ways away from him, then I broke for the plate.”
Said manager Walt Weiss: “Charlie is always looking for opportunities, especially when he gets on base. He’s done a great job at the top of the order all year.”
Blackmon is hitting at a torrid clip reminiscent of the stretch last spring that earned him a trip to the All-Star Game. He’s hit safely in 12 of his past 15 games at a .426 clip, and in 25 of his past 31 at a .364 pace.
Tags: Aneury Rodriguez, Charlie Blackmon, Troy Tulowitzki, Walt Weiss
