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20/20 Retrospective – The 20 greatest Rockies moments in the 2000s

Jan 9, 2020, 7:04 AM | Updated: Jan 29, 2020, 8:40 am

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The past two decades have seen a lot of memorable moments in Colorado Rockies history — from the good to the bad to the downright ugly.

From perhaps the worst span of seasons the club’s ever seen to its first, and only, trip to the World Series, the past 20 years have seen the Rockies grow into the established MLB franchise it is today.

Full of heartbreak and joy, laughter and awe, these remarkable occasions give the franchise, for seemingly the first time, a sense of history.

In that vein, we countdown the most memorable of these moments since the dawn of the new millennium:

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20 | Nolan Arenado and Javy Baez hug it out | Oct. 2, 2018

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No, it wasn’t a play that had any real significance on or off the field. It didn’t affect the outcome of the game. It won’t go down in a record book anywhere.

But the obscure, awkward, potentially illegal moment when Javy Baez hugged Nolan Arenado during the waning stages of the National League wild-card game made for one of the weirdest, funniest and most memorable moments in recent Rockies history.

The Chicago Cubs infielder was lucky he wasn’t charged with interference when he wrapped his arms around the Rockies third baseman tagging him for the put-out. But, in the end, the image of Arenado and Baez sharing a smile in the middle of such a significant game strikes of the youthful joy baseball can bring out in people.

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19 | Ryan Spilborghs walks off the Giants with a grand slam | Aug. 8, 2009

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Speaking of playing baseball with child-like enthusiasm, the “Spilly Slam” barely had landed by the time Ryan Spilborghs reached home plate to walk off the San Francisco Giants 6-4 on Aug. 8, 2009.

Unofficially, it took Spilly — who sprinted like a mad man around the bases after depositing an opposite-field homer into the Rockies bullpen — just 16.37 seconds to make it back to home plate.

Again, it was one win in a season that’s (most times) 162 games long against a divisional foe Colorado played a dozen times. But the pure energy from Spilborghs, along with it being the only walk-off grand slam in team history, makes this a strong chapter in Rockies lore.

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18 | Mike Lansing hits for the fastest cycle in MLB history | June 18, 2000

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While cycles may compare to no-hitters in terms of rarity, the Rockies seem to pull off the feat with good frequency.

So, what makes Mike Lansing’s so remarkable? He did it before the game was even official.

Lansing hit an RBI triple in the first inning, a two-run home run in the second, a two-run double in the third and a single in the fourth (remember, this was pre-humidor Coors Field).

Just a little more than a month later, the Rockies shipped Lansing to the Boston Red Sox. But despite his short tenure in Colorado, the second baseman left his mark on the club’s history.

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17 | Rockies rally for bonkers walk-off win vs. Marlins | July 4, 2008

Coors Field over the years has certainly produced its share of high-scoring events. But on Independence Day 2008, the Rockies mounted the biggest comeback in franchise history.

Down by nine runs heading to the bottom of the fourth against the Florida Marlins, the Rockies chipped away and chipped away and chipped away at what must have felt like an insurmountable lead.

But one run in the fourth, four in the fifth, three in the sixth, four in the seventh and two in the ninth proved to be enough fireworks tor a Rockies walk-off win.

By the numbers:

– 325 pitches thrown

– 14 pitchers used

– 8 home runs

– 80 total bases

– 21 runners left on base

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16 | Rockies tally nine in the ninth for to walk off the Cardinals | July 6, 2010

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Speaking of improbable comeback wins at Coors Field, remember that one time when the Rockies put up a nine-spot in the ninth to beat St. Louis? I bet the Cardinals would like to forget that one.

A one-out wild pitch from Cardinals reliever Dennys Reyes made the score 9-4, then a three-run blast from Chris Iannetta brought the Rockies within two runs at 9-7.

But even at that point, down to their final out, Colorado needed to rally for two more runs to tie — which, of course, they did — before a Seth Smith three-run home run sent St. Louis packing.

The comeback was so improbably that Baseball Reference had the Rockies’ chances of winning heading into the bottom of the ninth at 0 percent.

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15 | Brent Mayne makes first, and only, appearance on mound | Aug. 22, 2000

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Using a position player on the mound isn’t exactly a rare occurrence, but having one secure a win is a different story.

Thanks for some late-inning fireworks — which included the ejection of former Rockies first baseman Andres Galarraga — Mayne got the call from the pen for mop-up duty in the 12th inning against the Atlanta Braves.

Then, the catcher-turned-pitcher stranded two runners to hold the game at 6-6, after which the Rockies would rally for a walk-off in the bottom half of the inning.

Mayne’s win came more than three decades after the previous position player — Rocky Colavito for the New York Yankees against the Detroit Tigers — accomplished the feat in 1968, the same year Mayne was born.

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14 | Nolan Arenado makes an insane catch in San Francisco | April 15, 2015

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Nolan Arenado making a circus-style play on defense happens so often it even has its own hashtag — #NolanBeingNolan. But the perennial Gold Glover made perhaps one the greatest catches of all time in April 2015 against the San Francisco Giants.

Words truly can’t express the insanity of Arenado’s web gem, so, you know, just watch the video.

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13 | Kyle Freeland dazzles in MLB debut | April 7, 2017

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Taking the mound on Opening Day for the team you grew up rooting for in front of a hometown crowd is something Little Leaguers dream about but few get to experience.

So, when Kyle Freeland, a Thomas Jefferson High School alum, struck out six in six innings for a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers during the Rockies home opener in 2017, it seemed almost surreal.

With the start, Freeland became the first pitcher in a half-century to make his MLB debut in the city in which he was born. Oh, and he notched his first career hit that day, too.

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12 | Todd Helton homers one last time at Coors Field | Sept. 25, 2013

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How can you not be romantic about baseball?

Who could imagine a better sendoff for the man who embodied Rockies baseball for the better part of two decades, who shepherded the organization from the days of the Blake Street Bombers through the lean years in the early 2000s to its first World Series appearance, than a home run in his final home game.

So what if Boston Red Sox starter Jake Peavy tossed up a meatball? Todd Helton still had to crush it. And crush it he did.

Plus, you know, he got that horse before the game. So, there’s that.

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11 | Rockies make unbelievable turnaround under Jim Tracy | 2009

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Following the letdown that was the 2008 season, in which Colorado followed up its National League title with a 74-88 thud, the start of the 2009 season wasn’t exactly encouraging for the Rockies either.

After a 18-28 start, a change was needed. The club fired manager Clint Hurdle, who’d been with the organization since basically its inception, replacing him with interim manager Jim Tracy.

From then on, the Rockies went 74-42, earning the National League’s wild-card on the heels of the best season in franchise history.

Tracy went on to win N.L. manager of the year honors, though Colorado fell victim to the eventual league champion Philadelphia Phillies in the divisional round of the postseason.

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10 | Nolan Arenado signs richest deal in Rockies history | Feb. 26, 2019

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Nolan Arenado’s contract extension ahead of the 2019 season isn’t a moment in Rockies history but rather one that’s currently playing out in front of our eyes.

With a Hall of Fame-level trajectory, Arenado could very well wind up the greatest player in Rockies history — should he survive the trading block. Offering him the richest contract in team history, an eight-year extension worth $280 million, only made sense.

And what did Arenado do to follow up the blockbuster deal? What he always seems to do: Have an all-star quality season ending with a Gold Glove.

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9 | The Rockies retire No. 17 | Aug. 17, 2014

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Aside from the fact it had to be rescheduled after a water main break near Coors Field postponed the previous day’s game, the ceremony to retire Todd Helton’s No. 17 probably won’t end up as one of those remarkable occasions people tell their grandchildren about.

But in Helton becoming the first Rockies player to have his number retired by the franchise is indeed a significant moment in Rockies history.

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8 | Nolan Arenado notches sixth ever walk-off HR for the cycle | June 18, 2017

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The image of a bloodied Nolan Arenado roaring with excitement is one that will be ingrained in Rockies fans minds for some time.

Arenado’s jersey, blood-stained and dirt-smudged, will live on in Cooperstown following his walk-off home run for a cycle on Father’s Day 2017, even if the inside it moves on from the organization at some point.

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7 | Carlos Gonzalez makes history with walk-off HR for the cycle | July 31, 2010

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Before there was Nolan blasting walk-off, cycle-completing home runs, there was Carlos Gonzalez.

Seven years before Arenado’s Father’s Day send-off, Cargo despited an absolute rocket in the outfield seats for his own walk-off, cycle-completing homer.

Amazingly, Arenado and Gonzalez make up 40 percent of all Major Leaguers to ever accomplish the feat, joining Ken Boyer of the Cardinals in 1961, Cesar Tovar of the Twins in 1972 and Dwight Evans of the Red Sox in 1984.

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6 | Troy Tulowitzki makes all three outs on his own | April 27, 2007

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Before Troy Tulowitzki was “Tulo,” the budding rookie shortstop made a fun bit of history in April 2007.

Tulowitzki snagged a seventh-inning line drive off the bat of future Hall of Famer Chipper Jones for out No. 1, then stepped on second base to double-up Kelly Johnson and then tagged Edgar Renteria for an unassisted triple play — just the 13th in MLB history at the time.

And for good measure, Tulo tossed the ball over to first base for “out No. 4.”

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5 | The humidor evens up the playing field at Coors Field | 2002

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The installation of the baseball humidor at Coors Field is less of a moment and more of the embarking of an era of Rockies baseball.

Before 2002, Colorado’s home stadium had earned the moniker “Coors Canaveral” for its tendency to be a launching pad for offenses. But adding a little moisture back into the rawhide, however, brought the Rockies’ home park back down to Earth.

Coors Field still stands as one of the more hitter-friendly venues in all of baseball, but at least teams aren’t putting up video game numbers anymore.

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4 | Rockies punch their ticket to their first World Series | Oct. 15, 2007

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Seth Smith’s two-run bloop double to open up a six-run fourth inning. The poetic justice of Eric Byrnes making the final out. The image of Todd Helton squeezing the ball on first base, reaching toward the sky in exaltation.

Game Four of the NLCS in 2007 capped one of the most remarkable runs in MLB history, sending the Rockies to the World Series after winning 21 of 22 games.

It would be the last game Colorado would win in 2007, but it will forever be a top moment among the purple pinstripe faithful.

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3 | Ubaldo Jimenez throws the first no-no in Rockies history | April 17, 2010

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It’s somewhat ironic that perhaps Ubaldo Jimenez’s shakiest start of the first half of the 2010 season was the one that earned Colorado its first no-hitter.

Jimenez tossed a career-high 128 pitches, walking six Braves while striking out just seven. The Rockies ace had such bad command issues that he ditched his usual windup delivery, throwing from the stretch from the fifth-inning on.

On top of his gem on the mound, Jimenez also helped his own cause, scoring Brad Hawpe with an RBI single in the fourth inning.

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2 | The Rockies basically don’t lose for a month | Sept. 16 to Oct. 15, 2007

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From mid-September through mid-October 2007, Colorado sports fans witnessed one of the best stretches by a professional sports team in history.

There are almost enough iconic moments from the Rockies road to Rocktober to make its own lists. Todd Helton’s walk-off blast against lights out Dodgers closer Takashi Saito. Brad Hawpe’s 14th-inning home run in San Diego. Josh Fogg, aka “The Dragon Slayer,” getting the ball in Game 163 against the Padres.

Speaking of Game 163 …

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1 | Rockies need one more game for improbable playoff berth | Oct. 1, 2007

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Until Matt Holliday touched home plate in the 13th inning — and he absolutely did — the Rockies hadn’t held the lead in the wild-card race. But the chin-busting, controversial play at the plate send Colorado to the postseason for just the second time in team history — and sparked a run to World Series in which they didn’t lose a game.

What an emotional rollercoaster the tie-breaker game ended up becoming. Colorado jumped all over Cy Young Award and triple crown winner Jake Peavy early but blew the lead when Adrian Gonzalez hit a grand slam in the third inning.

Three-time all-star closer Briant Fuentes blew the game again in the eighth inning, allowing the Padres to tie things up 6-6 — a score that would stand until the top of the 13th.

The silence that befell Coors Field after Scott Hariston’s tie-breaking blast in extra innings was only surpassed by the roar of Rockies fans during the team’s comeback in the bottom of the inning.

Had it been the Red Sox and Yankees instead of the Padres and Rockies, Game 163 of the 2007 season would have gone down as one of the best — if not the best — games of all time.

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20/20 Retrospective – The 20 greatest Rockies moments in the 2000s