The final home game of the Rockies’ 2021 season began with a small but classy gesture.
Two-time all-star shortstop Trevor Story took the field by himself Wednesday afternoon at Coors Field. His teammates wanted him to have a solo moment in the sun.
It was veteran right fielder Charlie Blackmon’s idea.
“It caught me by surprise,” a tearful Story said after the Rockies beat the Washington Nationals, 10-5. “Chuck got me pretty good. He’s the one that usually leads us out. He told me right before we were about to do it.
“All of these teammates are special, man, and it means a lot that they did that. And Chuck has played a big part of my career and has had a big influence on me.”
Story, playing what was almost certainly his final game at Coors Field in a Rockies uniform, got to relish Colorado’s victory. After the game, the team made its traditional walk around the field to thank the fans. Then Story came back out on his own and handed some signed shoes and batting gloves to some lucky fans.
“(They) mean everything to me,” he said. “It’s just a small gesture that I hope goes a long way for the fans. I can get everybody something, it was a small token of my appreciation. Something that I felt would be pretty cool for them.”
Too bad there weren’t very many fans around to say goodbye.
The final game drew an announced crowd of 20,613, but by the time the 5-hour, 57-minute, rain-delayed game was complete, there were, at best, 2,000 fans remaining.
When Story came to the plate for his final at-bat in the eighth, those hearty souls gave him a standing ovation.
Story couldn’t eclipse the fireworks he created Tuesday night when he hit a 475-foot home run, but he did go 4-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored. Albeit all four hits of his hits were infield singles, but as manager Bud Black likes to say, “That’s baseball.”
After a first-pitch temperature of 70 degrees, Wednesday’s game quickly turned stormy, with a cold rain falling in the third inning and forcing a two-hour delay. Perhaps it was a not-so-gentle reminder from the baseball gods about what a tempestuous season it’s been for Colorado. By the final pitch, the temperature had dipped to 52 degrees.
Colorado’s crazy season began with Nolan Arenado being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals on Feb. 1 and continued with a front-office shakeup that began with general manager Jeff Bridich’s resignation on April 26.
Although the Rockies own a 39-38 record since July 1, a 19-34 start to the season doomed them to their third consecutive losing season and their 20th losing season in their 29 years of existence.
On the sunny side, Wednesday’s victory gave the Rockies a 48-33 record at Coors Field, the sixth-best home record in franchise history, despite the team going 5-12 over its last 16 games.
“We’ve shown that we’re a lot better off than people pegged us for at the start of this year,” Story said.
But that won’t stop Story from exploring what will be a talented free-agent market that includes fellow shortstops Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Javier Báez and Marcus Semien. Francisco Lindor already set a high bar by signing a 10-year, $341 million contract with the New York Mets in April.
Story, like Arenado, wants to play for a consistent winner with a chance to regularly compete in the postseason.
“Like I’ve always said, winning is at the top of the list,” Story said. “For me, culture, fit, geography, all of it goes into it. But winning has always meant the most to me. This is a chance for me to see where that’s at.”
Wednesday might have also marked the final home game at Coors Field for right-hander Jon Gray and first baseman C.J. Cron, both of whom are slated to become free agents.
The Rockies are expected to explore re-signing both players, but there has been no movement in that direction yet.
“It’s been a heck of a ride and winning a game for the Rockies is amazing, especially at Coors Field,” Gray said Saturday night after losing to San Francisco. “I’ve appreciated every single day. I wanted to kind of push it out of my mind a little bit, but I also wanted to appreciate what I was doing. I just really tried to take that in and that’s something I want to remember forever.”
TOP OF THE ROCKIES
The top home records in Rockies history:
1996: 55-26
2010: 52-29
2009: 51-30
2007: 51-31
2003: 49-32
2021: 48-33
2000: 47-34
2002, 2018: 47-34
Trevor Story’s Coors Field Chapter
Shortstop Trevor Story is scheduled to become a free agent at the end of the season, very likely making Wednesday’s game his final one at Coors Field in a Rockies uniform.
Here’s how Story fared at Coors Field vs. on the road :
Home
Games: 375
Avg. .303
HR: 95
2B: 100
3B: 21
RBIs: 279
OPS: .972
SB: 42
Away
Games: 368
Avg.: .242
HR: 63
2B: 80
3B: 6
RBIs: 170
OPS: .755
SB: 57
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