Best and Worst of Rockies Games Attended

Best: Game 4 of the 2007 NLCS was pretty good. Was also at the only one-hitter in Rockies history in 2006 (and if anybody can tell me who the two pitchers that combined for the one-hitter were, I’ll be impressed). Any Opening Day – I’ve been to three – is always good, win or lose. And even though the Rockies lost, I;ll always remember an 06 game that saw 13 runs scored in the ninth inning. It was 1-1, Fuentes gave up seven runs to the D-Backs, and then the Rox rallied with six runs of their own and had the tying and winning runs on base when Quintanilla struck out.

Worst: I remember seeing us get shut out on thirteen (13!!!!) hits against the Nationals in 05. I watched Shawn Chacon blow two saves back in 2004. But it’s hard to beat my first ever Rockies game, an 18-1 shellacking at the hands of the Phillies in 1993. AND I got separated from my parents and lost after the game. That was pretty great.

Best Game: 20 rows up, right behind first base. I’m thinking if you were there, it’s probably your best game too. I was at game 4 of the NLCS in ’07 and it was sweet, but the play-in game was better.

Worst Game is a tie between a one-hitter against the Marlins (let’s not talk about how many the Marlins had), and the Friday game the last weekend of ’07, also known as the one game we lost on our way into the post-season.

to have a large variety to choose from. Best was a big comeback in 2000. Pierre had just been called up and hit a triple late in the game, although Mike Piazza’s last game as a Met at Shea in 2006 was nice seeing Cook through a CG in NY. Worst was last week in NY on Tuesday, getting shut out 4-0 and just having every bounce seem to go the wrong way. The team is ~18-7 (plus or minus a win or loss) in games I have attended over the years (Montreal and NYM) so I have had good luck!

I got tickets to the game the instant they went on sale. Convinced one of my roommates to come along as well, even though he wasn’t much of a baseball fan. Seats in the upper deck, but that didn’t matter we were inside! And man…the absolute chaos that erupted in the stadium when Holliday scored (You touched it, didn’t you Matt? Yeah, I touched it, get over it!)…wow. Greatest sports moment in my life. I still have my ticket and “Go Rockies!” towel from the game. Later went to Game 4 of the NCLS, and that was a very close second.

Worst game…probably one of the fireworks games like 5 years ago. We had seats along the left field side, figured that they’d be nice and close to the fireworks and we’d get a good show. Except the overhang was too close and the fireworks went off higher than it. Couldn’t see a thing, all we heard was the booms. I think the Rox lost too.

But alas, I have not. So I can really only pinpoint a couple specific games.

My dad got six free tickets (enough for my entire family) about six rows up from first base for this July 4 game in 1995 that we lost to the Astors 16-8. I had remembered that we gave up a ton of runs, but I had forgotten that the Rockies actually scored a bunch, too (including two Dante Bichette home runs). But despite the result, I actually have incredibly fond memories of that day, for the incredible seats and the amazing fireworks show (still among the best I’ve ever seen).

I was also at the game in SF last season in which Tulo got hurt. But we still won, and the interesting defense (CDI on 3rd, Atkins on 2nd) made it fun. Best part was watching the other players (particularly Helton) laughing at Atkins the entire game. And hey, he even made a couple really incredible plays!

I also vaguely recall having been at the game where Bichette hit for the cycle, but I could be imagining that.

Worst games would probably have to be the one or two I went to at Mile High against the Braves. This was during the stretch where we could not beat them if our lives depended on it, and of course my cousins visiting from Wyoming were Braves fans so those were the games we went to.

Todd Helton’s 500 double game/8th inning home run was the best game I’ve been to.

Worst game(s): Dbacks’ game where they lost 6-5 (first Rockies loss at Coors Field when I was there) and the pair of games in KC last season when Holliday hit home runs but got thoroughly drubbed by the Royals. I started to officially hate the Royals then.

That magical year, Y2K7…

Wifey and I were at the wild card game, in section 230 or 231 (forget which). And game 3 of the Division Series (sitting in 157 in front of about eight crying Phillies fans). And game 4 of the NLCS, in section 238.

Alas, we only had tix for Game 5 of the WS, and never got to use them.

While not the best games, we were also there for Tulo’s triple play, and Jason Hirsh’s broken leg, and our five-run bottom of the ninth comeback against the Natinals (or was it six runs?)

Opening Day 2008 was also special, because we got to sit about eight rows behind the visiting team’s on deck circle, and wifey had NEVER had seats that good before.

Worst game attended? Well, I generally say even a bad day at the ballpark beats a good day almost anywhere else, but if my memory serves, the worst game would be a game in August 1994 (next to last home game before the strike) against the Reds. I seem to recall a 7th inning downpour ended the game early with a loss, and as we were sitting so high up in the upper deck, we simply got drenched trying to get out of the stadium. That sucked. Hard.

But the WORST game was one I only heard on the radio, driving from Denver to Cheyenne. Home game against the Pads, in 1993 or 1994, and it goes into extra innings. Score was 3-3 or 4-4, and in the top of an inning, the Pads scored like NINE runs to turn a nailbiter into an absolute horror show.

for best. The play in game. The euphoria walking out of there was otherworldly.

 And the first game at Coors, which ended with a Dante Bichette extra innings blast. I remember walking into that game from the home plate entrance, seeing Coors for the first time and tearing up. It was such a beautiful sight to behold.

Worst? Maybe the ’95 playoff game that ended with Lance Painter pinch hitting and the tying run on 3rd. that one hurt.

Best game: 1st place – 2007 NLDS Game 3 against the Phils. I got tickets as fast as I could after the tie breaker game and my brother and I sat in right field. It was so much fun through the black out and then we counted down 27 outs with the family sitting behind us giving each of the 5 kids a high five every time there was an out.

2nd place – 1999 last game of the year the Giants would go to the playoffs if they beat us and if not would have to play a play in game to get in. Nefi Perez hit a homerun in the bottom of the ninth to win it. I really disliked the Giants then and it was about the best moment of that entire season.

Worst game: Game 4 of the World Series in Coors. Although I can say I have been to a World Series game it was hard to watch another team celebrate on your own field after such a dramatic month. Not made much better by all the sox fans around us in the Rock Pile.

I’ve been to are bad, but the 24 April 2007 game is easily the worst. The best came the next day as I watched the Rockies win and I met Silverblood.

Worst:

Opening Weekend 2008 when we were swept by the D-Backs. That was quite possibly the most draining weekend of my life. My wife and I made the drive from Salt Lake and she got sick pretty much directly upon our arrival in Denver. We stayed in the horrible Red Lion (that’s now Hotel VQ, I believe) by Invesco Field in their terribly uncomfortable beds and dealt with their improperly sealed windows. Oh, and then there were the games – all of which were losses. The Opening Day experience was cool, but my goodness was that an awful series to have to witness.

Also, May 29th and 30th, 1993. My first trip to Denver to see the Rockies (and my first MLB games overall) was a good time, but the Rockies were outscored 24-1 by the Phillies in the two games I attended.

Best:

Game 3 of the 2007 NLDS. It was the only playoff game I was able to attend, due to time and financial constraints. I’ve made few better decisions in my entire life; it was absolutely amazing to witness an MLB playoff game, and to witness the atmosphere and a Rockies win.

Also, I was in Denver for a week-long trip in August of 2007 when not only did I get to see the Rockies sweep the Nationals (including the 4 or 5-run comeback in the bottom of the ninth), but I also got to meet Matt Holliday, and that was pretty awesome.

Opening Day 2009 was pretty awesome as well, with the Rockies beating up on the Phils and me getting to see my all-time favorite band, Poison The Well, in Denver on the same day. I hope I get to make another trip out there this year…

Not just the best Rockies game (besides playoff wins) I’ve ever been to, but the best sporting event in general—Rockies v. Braves, sometime in 2000.

• John Wasdin gets kicked out after getting into it with Andres Galarraga, leaving no relief pitchers left for the Rockies in a tied up 11th
• Brian Bohanan, who started the day before, sneaks in the game to finish the 11th…. without telling Buddy Bell (he got pulled after that)
• Helton and Neifi Perez ask to pitch but are denied. Brent Mayne says he’ll do it
• Mayne, a platoon catcher who never even pitched in little league uses his high 70s fastball to get 3 out of 5 batters out (including Chipper Jones) and preserves the tie
• Adam Melhuse wins the game on a bases loaded single

WIN—Brent Mayne!
LOSS—John Rocker!

Unbelievable! Sorry for all the exclamation points but I still get excited just thinking about that game. I mean, Galarraga rushed the mound! come on!! awesome.

Worst Game—I once got to a game in the top of the 1st inning and the score was already 7-0 Cubs. It didn’t get any better. eesh.

Best: Game 3, 2007 NLDS. As soon as the Rox made the playoffs, I bought three tickets, a plane ticket from Florida, grabbed my brothers and we all went to the game. That many people all waving around their towels and cheering just blew me away. And the Rockies pulled off the sweep, so that was pretty awesome, too. My brother had the best line during the power outage: “Sorry about that; we haven’t had to pay our utility bills for October for a while.”

Worst: First Rockies game I ever went to. It was in Mile High, I was in Jr High, I think, and the game was against the Braves. I don’t even remember who won. I think we got to the game late (it was a long drive and the weather sucked), and it ended after 6 (like I said, the weather sucked) and we all got absolutely soaked in the rain.

only games and it’s a pleasure to attend. My favorite game..

162 in 2007…went to ihop with my dad and ate blueberry pancakes knowing a miracle would have to happen for the Rockies to get in the playoffs…walked up to the will call and laughed at the people buying playoff tickets! You have to wait 6 weeks to get your refund doofuses!!…. got to the stadium and realized the Mets had already lost….. halfway through the game the fans went wild when the out of town scoreboard showed the Brewers tied the Padres………Corpas closed out the game and Helton jumped 12 feet in the air!…..Rockies passed out grab bags after the game and Coors field was Rockin’!!!

best are, too.

Like NewMexicanSteven said about Game 3, Game 4 of the WS would be the best and worst. Didn’t get to go to any of the other playoff games, and that was absolutely electric. When one part of the stadium would say “GO!” and then the other “ROCKIES!” that was awesome, it was so loud. But then, on the other hand, seeing how many Sox fans were there when their team won, and they all crowded down towards the dugout, it just… I can’t even describe it.

The other Best would be this one but pretty much what made it so special was this one.

The other wost? Can it be a game that we had tickets for but didn’t go to? In that case, it’d have to be July 4th, 2008. We were supposed to go, we had tickets on the third base line. But then we decided to go on a last minute vacation, and we were scheduled to fly out that night. So, when we were at the airport about to leave, we checked the score and it was 13-5 or somewhere around there. So, we get on the plane, and don’t think too much about it. But my brother decided to pay and get ESPN on the plane, and saw the final score. That last half hour of the plane ride was horrible.

Best- Play-in game, the Brent Mayne Game, Games 161 and 162 of 2007 against the D-backs. Game 162 was amazing for the way the fans reacted everytime they put up a new score for Milwaukee. This game sticks out in my mind because of how back and forth it was. Matsui’s bases loaded triple in the bottom of the eighth was on of the better moments I have had at Coors Field.

Worst-Well I try and block out the bad ones but this game was particularly rough because of how much I hate the Cubs and their obnoxious fans they bring with them. (It is hard to describe my feeling towards cubs fans when I have to keep the language clean.)

I can think of six of the best and three of the worst I’ll never forget. We’ll start with the best.

6. 6/20/04 – Orioles 4, Rockies 2: My dad has been an Orioles fan since the days of Jim Palmer and Brooks Robinson, so seeing an Orioles-Rockies game with him on Father’s Day was pretty cool. We were both rooting for Baltimore that day, so seeing Brian Roberts hit a game-winning grand slam off Shawn Chacon was pretty awesome.

5. 10/3/95 – Braves 5, Rockies 4: The first playoff game in Rockies history. Sure we lost and I was sick as a dog that day, but it was still great to be there and see a future Hall of Famer in Greg Maddux.

4. 10/6/07 – Rockies 2, Phillies 1: The first home playoff win and first playoff series win in team history. I’ll always remember Baker’s single to take the lead, we had a great view of it from right field.

3. 9/30/07 – Rockies 4, D-Backs 3: Game 162 in 2007. The mix of scoreboard watching and the intense game was incredible. We got to Coors at 9:30 to get rockpile tickets, but spent most of the game watching from the concourse. After the game, we went straight to get tiebreaker tickets.

T-1. 10/1/07 – Rockies 9, Padres 8: Speaking of the tiebreaker, we were up the left field line somewhere around the purple row for it. The last play of the game caused one of the biggest roars from a crowd I’ve ever heard.

T-1. 4/9/93 – Rockies 11, Expos 4: The first ever Rockies home game. We had four generations of my family at that game. EY’s homer to lead it off is the other biggest roar from a crowd I’ve heard.

Now, the worst:

3. 9/28/07 – D’Backs 4, Rockies 2: The Friday game of the final regular season series. We were in left field, and walking down to the field to watch fireworks I remember discussing our prospects for 2008. Guess we spoke too soon.

2. 4/28/96 – Expos 21, Rockies 9: We gave up 21 runs to the freakin’ Expos, and it was cold. No fun at all.

1. 5/25/09 – Dodgers 16, Rockies 6: We figured 2009 was a lost cause after this one. But four days later, we got our wish and Hurdle was fired. The rest is history.

But both were great experiences.

1) I went to see a Yankees-Rockies game back in 2006. I remember being extremely excited because A)This was the first Rockies game I had seen and B)Jason Jennings, my favorite pitcher was pitching. He was doing well until the sixth until the Yanks shelled him out of the game, John Flaherty hit a GS (which I thought was very random), I saw Choo Freeman’s first career home run, Jeff Baker homered, and I saw Helton (my favorite player) homer. Good experience, didn’t care at all that the Rockies lost 11-4.

2) The second game of this year’s doubleheader against the Mets, AKA the only game we’ve won in Citi Field. This time I had a better idea of what was happening, I was sitting right behind home plate (my uncle got free tickets from someone in the golf club that he worked at) with luckily, respectful Mets fans. I saw JDLR throw a great start, went crazy when Barmes homered (which garnered me weird looks) and walked around the whole field after the game. Rockies won 4-2. Great experience.

I love going to baseball games, never had a bad experience yet.

and I’m lazy so I’m not going to look stuff up.

Honorable mention:
Barmes Walk-off Homer on Opening Day
Kaz lead comeback against the Astros in 07 in June or July
07 NLDS win against the Phillies

But…..best was the NLCS game 4 victory against the D-Backs. It was amazing. I had thought the Division series win against the Phillies was big…but it was nothing compared to going to the World Series

Worst:
I remember a long rain delay that was cold, and long in like 04 I think that I and like 30 others were stupid enough to stay for….Rockies lost game ended near mid-night. I want to say the game was against the Expos…but I remember staying for one against the Cardinals that was similar and I maybe getting them mixed-up and combined.

But I lucked into Tulo’s triple play game. It happened so fast, it was a bit a shock…I said, “That’s a triple play!” and several around me hadn’t even noticed.

Best: Play in game in 2007, NL Pennant Clincher (both)

Worst: A 17-2 crushing by the Marlins in Sept 1995.

In between: My 2007 game 5 WS Tix that were never used.