The Rockies are officially celebrating their 30th anniversary this year, although it’s the club’s 31st season of baseball. Here’s a look at a dozen notable home openers since 1993.
1993 — In the first MLB baseball game in Denver, an MLB record 80,227 fans packed into Mile High Stadium to see the Rockies beat the Expos 11-4; Eric Young led off the bottom of the first with a home run.
1995 — The first game at Coors Field lasted 4 hours, 49 minutes and went 14 innings before outfielder Dante Bichette hit a two-run, walk-off home run for an 11-9 comeback win over the Mets.
1997 — The Blake Street Bombers ripped the Reds, 13-2, behind 19 hits, including a homer by Vinny Castilla, a triple by Larry Walker and doubles by Bichette and Andres Galarraga; Reds leadoff hitter Deion Sanders was 0 for 4.
2001 — After signing a massive free-agent deal, pitcher Mike Hampton made his Rockies debut in an 8-0 win over the Cardinals. He tossed a gem, allowing no runs in eight-plus innings.
2005 — Colorado burned Hall of Fame closer Trevor Hoffman with four runs in the bottom of the ninth, all with two outs, to walk off the Padres, 12-10; shortstop Clint Barmes had the game-winning two-run homer.
2006 — In a second straight walk-off win in the home opener, the Rockies beat the Diamondbacks 3-2 in 11 innings after Brad Hawpe’s game-winning RBI drove in Matt Holliday; Jason Jennings threw seven innings of one-run ball.
2012 — In an early omen for what became the worst team in franchise history, finishing with 98 losses, the Rockies made Giants veteran southpaw Barry Zito look young again. The 34-year-old threw a complete game, four-hit shutout in San Francisco’s 7-0 win.
2014 — Charlie Blackmon got his first all-star season off to a scorching start in a 12-2 thrashing of the Diamondbacks. The right fielder was 6 for 6 with five RBIs, four runs scored, three doubles and a homer for 12 total bases.
2016 — The Rockies lost 13-6 to the Padres, but rookie shortstop Trevor Story stole the show. After hitting four home runs across his first three MLB road games, Story launched two homers in the home opener, signaling his arrival as a star in the making.
2017 — Thomas Jefferson product Kyle Freeland made his MLB debut in front of the hometown crowd and lived up to the billing. Freeland allowed one run over six innings in a 2-1 win, outpitching the Dodgers’ Hyun Jin Ryu.
2021 — The Rockies humbled future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw, tagging the Dodgers southpaw ace for six runs in less than six innings of work; outfielder Raimel Tapia had two RBIs and chased Kershaw from the game.
2022 — In only the 12th 1-0 game in Denver in franchise history, the Rockies beat the Nationals behind six-plus strong innings from Freeland. Fellow Colorado native Pierce Johnson, a Faith Christian alum, recorded the save.
