Rockies History

The Rockies opening day in the month of April in Atlanta with only six players turned out to be the largest year-to-year turnover ever in professional team sports in 2000. That same season Todd Helton had two hits in his first three at-bats against Atlanta at Coors Field with a batting average to .400. In August 2000, catcher Brent Mayne became the first position player to be a winning pitcher since 1968. The Rockies, after trading their fan favorites Dante Bichette, and Vinny Castillia, surprised and their fans and rivals by finishing the season with an 82-80 record. With this accomplishment Larry Walker's 2-year period of influence as batting champion terminated as Todd Helton claimed the batting title with a .372 average and earned the Hank Aaron Award. In August 2001, President George W. Bush attended the Rockies game played against the Braves at Coors Field, where Colorado won by 5-4 in 10 innings. The same month Jason Jennings made his Major League debut and threw a complete-game shutout and hit a home run at Shea Stadium.

He becomes the first player in the history of Major League to accomplish that feat. To strengthen their pitching staff the Rockies signed high priced Free Agents Mike Hampton, and Denny Neagle. But these players in demand didn’t perform at par as everybody expected. Hampton would have a terrific 1st half earning a spot on the All-Star team and Neagle would not fair any better posting a 9-8 record, with an ERA of 5.38. The Rockies finished the season in last place with a 73-89. Larry Walker recaptured his batting crown with a .350 average. In 2002, Manager Buddy Bell was fired and was replaced by Clint Hurdle. Under Hurdle’s management the Rockies showed some signs of consistency. Jason Jennings and Denny Stark showcased outstanding pitching skills. RHP Jason Jennings recorded his 13th victory of the season to break the team’s rookie record, set by RHP Armando Reynoso in 1993. Jennings finished the season with a record of 16-8. He became the first player in the history of Rockies to earn the National League Rookie of the Year Award. Pitchers Mike Hampton and Denny Negale were once again a great disappointment for the Rockies. The Rockies finished the season in 4th place with a record of 73-89. The following season, the Rockies traded Hampton and signed Preston Wilson. First baseman Todd Helton, center fielder Preston Wilson, and head trainer Tom Probst represented the Rockies in the All-Star Game at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago.

Preston Wilson finished the season leading the National League with 141 RBIs. Todd Helton finished with a .358 batting average. However the Rockies pitching unit continued to struggle. The Rockies were on the verge of winning the Wild Card berth, however the margin faded when they won just 14 games and ended the season in 4th place with a 74-88 record. In 2004, Vinny Castilla returned to join the Rockies. Also bolstering the Rockies line-up was Jeromy Burnitz who hit 37 homers. By the end of the season traded away Larry Walker to the St. Louis Cardinals would also let go Denny Neagle whose contract was terminated to give the team’s hold to a roster of unproven players. In 1985, when Baseball's new agreement permitted the National League to expand by two teams, the Rockies and the Florida Marlins joined the National League as an expansion franchise in 1993. The team in its inaugural season played at Mile High Stadium and set a new NL standard for first-year franchises to host more than 4,000,000 fans in annual attendance. Veteran first baseman Andres Galarraga led the league with a .370 batting average In 1995, the Rockies moved to their new stadium, Coors Field. That same season they made their first and only post-season appearance as the National League Wild Card team manager Don Baylor, where they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Atlanta Braves. Bichette, Galarraga, shortstop Vinny Castilla, and outfielder Larry Walker each accumulated at least 30 home runs and 90 RBIs.

In 1996 the trio of Castilla, Galarraga, and outfielder Ellis Burks hit at least 40 home runs each in the same season. In 1997, Larry Walker became the first Canadian born player ever to win NL MVP award for driving in 130 runs and hitting 49 homers. In 1998, Coors Field hosted the 69th annual Major League All-Star festivities. In the contest's first round, Mark McGwire smashed a ball 510 feet off a billboard in center field, which became the highest-scoring All-Star Game in history. The Rockies finished the season in a 4th place finish with a 77-85 record. The following season Manager Jim Leyland replaced Manager Don Baylor. In 1999, the Rockies became only the third team in the 20th century to score in every inning of a 9-inning game. However, the Rockies finished the season last place with a 70-92 record. The team’s nickname represents the Rocky Mountains, which go through Colorado. The logo of the team has a baseball exploding out of purple colored snow capped. Atop the logo is a black arch with Colorado written in silver with Rockies written in black and silver underneath. The mascot of the team is dinger.