Today’s the day! It’s Opening Day! Since 1993, the Rockies have strung together a record of 17-14 on Opening Day. Can this recharged, and motivated group the Rockies have win Thursday afternoon against last season’s National League Champion Arizona Diamondbacks? Straight out of the gate during that Opening Day game, the Rockies offense must assert itself. We don’t know what type of performance we’ll see tomorrow from this 2024 Rockies crew, but all it takes is one player to crack the game wide open. There have been plenty of memorable Opening Day performances by some Rockies in the past. These players’ execution at the plate was key to the Rockies Opening Day victories of years past. It’s now time to look at the best all-time Rockies Opening Day performances!
All-Time Best Rockies Opening Day Performances
Eric Young (1993)
The Colorado Rockies first-ever Opening Day game was not played at Coors Field but at Mile High Stadium. On April 9th, 1993, the team played their first home opener against the Montreal Expos. Colorado would pick up a dominant 11-4 win. They were up 11-0 the entire game up until the top of the ninth when the Expos scored all four of their runs. Colorado recorded a whopping 18 hits in their first Opening Day matchup. Second baseman Eric Young was by far the best player at the plate during the win. Young went four for four with a home run and two runs batted in. His home run would be the first of three he put up during the 1993 season. Young also went on to 132 hits and 42 stolen bases during the Rockies inaugural season.
Dante Bichette (1995)
On April 26th, 1995, the Colorado Rockies would face the New York Mets at Coors Field. This enticing game went into extra innings as both teams after nine innings of play were tied at six runs apiece. Both teams would score one run during the tenth inning. While the Mets scored one run, the Rockies scored three runs at the bottom of the 11th to pick up a phenomenal 11-9 win. One player who was effortless at the plate was left fielder Dante Bichette. Although he went just two for six at the plate, Bichette picked up a home run with four runs batted in, which was the most for a single player in the matchup. By the end of the 1995 season, Bichette had 40 home runs and 128 runs batted in.
Clint Barmes (2005)
During the Rockies 2005 Opening Day matchup they play quite possibly their biggest NL West rival of all-time, the San Diego Padres. Once again, this Colorado franchise racked up another 18-hit game during a 12-10 win. The Rockies were down 10-8 heading into the bottom of the ninth. However, Colorado scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth to capture one of their most memorable Opening Day wins of all time. Shortstop Clint Barmes had a huge game for the Rockies. He went four for six at the plate with a home run and three runs batted in. Barmes finished the 2005 season with 102 hits, 10 home runs, and 46 runs batted in.
Charlie Blackmon (2014) – All-Time Best Rockies Opening Day Performance?
After the 2014 Rockies lost three out of four games to the Miami Marlins, they came back to Colorado for their home Opening Day matchup against the team they’ll see tomorrow, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Colorado picked up a much-needed win after their series with the Marlins as they defeated the D-Backs 12-2. They had 17 hits in the win and at one point during the game, they were up 10-1. Charlie Blackmon and Carlos González led the way for Colorado as they recorded nine out of the 12 runs batted in. Blackmon’s stats are what stand out as he went six for six with a home run and five runs batted in. 2014 is when Blackmon made a giant leap in his career numbers-wise as he broke out and became a star for this Rockies organization.
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