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I
t was a 3-2 pitch from Montreal Expos righty Kent Bottenfield.
CRACK! With a single swing of the bat, Eric Young forever
etched his name in Rockies history and Colorado sports lore, smacking a leadoff home run in the first-ever Major League game in the
Centennial State. The home run pose is classic. Fans readily recite,
“It’s a mile high and outta here!” and can recall the image of EY
rounding the bases and eventually rising out of the dugout for his
curtain call.
But lost in the hullabaloo of that golden moment are the many
other highlights from the inaugural home opener, some even in that
same first inning.
Immediately after EY’s leadoff home run, the two-hole hitter,
center fielder Alex Cole, worked the count and reached base on a
walk. Once on base, Cole quickly swiped second. With Dante
Bichette still batting, Cole then stole third base. And then, as if to
keep the speedy Cole on his toes, Bichette smacked a single to left
field and settled in at first base. Cole scored. But Bichette wasn’t at
first for long because he stole a base as well—that was the third stolen
base in the first inning.
With Bichette at second and after Andres Galarraga flied out,
the five-hole hitter, third baseman Charlie Hayes, stepped up to the
plate and continued to pile it on by hitting a two-run home run off
Bottenfield. Outfielder Jerald Clark kept the first-inning hit parade
going with a double, before catcher Joe Girardi grounded out and
shortstop Freddie Benavides struck out to quietly end, perhaps, one
of the loudest innings in Rockies history.
In the bottom of the second inning, the Rockies tacked on another run as Alex Cole hit a single to right field that split the first and
second basemen to score EY. 5-0 Rockies.
The third inning was quiet with the bottom of the order, but the
bats came alive again in the fourth as the Rockies plated another pair
of runs. Young singled, Cole reached base on a throwing error and
Dante scored EY with a sacrifice fly. Then, Andres Galarraga singled to score Cole, before Hayes grounded out to end the inning.
7-0 Rockies.
The fifth inning was much of the same, with a Clark leadoff single followed by a Girardi double, all off Mark Gardner who had replaced Bottenfield. Back-to-back singles by Young and Cole scored
two more runs to give the Rockies a commanding 9-0 lead.
Rockies starter Bryn Smith continued to deal in the sixth and
seventh inning, tossing two 1-2-3 frames in a row: four groundouts
(John Vander Wal, Wil Cordero, Tim Laker and Lou Frazier), a
strikeout (Archi Cianfrocco) and a flyout (Mike Lansing). And to
start the seventh inning, Smith had some new fielders behind him:
Vinny Castilla replaced Benavides at shortstop and Dale Murphy
took over in right field for Bichette.
Murphy made an immediate impact at the plate, hitting an RBIsingle that scored pinch-hitter Daryl Boston, who singled to lead off
the seventh inning. Young, who had recorded yet another hit, then
scored on a Galarraga knock. 11-0 Rockies.
Willie Blair pitched a 1-2-3 eighth for the Rockies, followed by
Bruce Walton who pitched a scoreless bottom half for the Expos.
Steve Reed entered to pitch the ninth inning for the Rockies and
while he did concede four runs in the final frame, the party was already rockin’ in Denver and Rocky Mountain baseball fans couldn’t
care less about a few empty runs.
So next time you see EY’s famous home run or recall that day—
Young actually went 4-for-4 that afternoon—remember the entire day
and all of the outstanding performances in the box score.
Cole’s two stolen bases in the first inning.
Hayes’ follow-up home run to EY’s homer.
Clark’s and Galarraga’s 3-for-5 afternoons.
Smith’s seven shutout innings, ground ball outs galore.
Murphy’s instant impact off the bench.
The first glimpse of Vinny Castilla.
18 team hits.
Two RBI each from Bichette, Galarraga, Hayes and Young.
April 9, 1993 might have started with a home run for the ages,
but it was just the beginning of the Opening Day fireworks. v
(left to right) Montreal Expos Manager Felipe Alou shakes hands with Rockies Manager Don Baylor before the historical game began; starter Bryn Smith pitched exactly
as one should at altitude, inducing ground ball after ground ball; and the team celebrates with high-fives all around after the first home win in franchise history.
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RO C K I E S M AG A Z I N E
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AUGUST 2013