So the World Series score is 2 games Red Sox, 0 games Rockies, and our Red Sox are headed out to Colorado. But how much do you know about these Colorado Rockies and their Coors Field?
Although there have been so many "great" baseball teams including the '27 Yankees, the '36 Yankees and the Big Red Machine (see Baseball Almanac's Determining the Best Major League Baseball Team Ever From 1902-2005), the 2007 Rockies are the only team in history to have been in the middle of any postseason riding a 19-1 streak that dates back into the regular season. So this is historic stuff! The Rockies have also become the first National League team in 30 years, and only the second in the past 44 years, to run off a 19-1 streak at any time of any year. The last to do that were the 1977 Phillies. And the Rockies are now the first major league team in 30 years, the first National League team in 72 years and the fourth team ever to win 19 of 20 after September 1. The last team to do it in the NL, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, were the 1935 Cubs. The last to do it in the major leasues were the 1977 Royals, a team that called up a prospect named Clint Hurdle in the middle of the streak. The only other team in that late-season 19-1 Club is John McGraw's 1916 New York Giants.
Creation of the Rockies
After previous failed attempts to bring major league baseball to Colorado, in the early 1990s rhe Colorado Baseball Commission successfullly persuaded Denver voters to approve a 0.1 percent sales tax to help finance a new baseball stadium. The Rockies joined the National League in 1993 along with the Florida Marlins. The Rockies' first pick in the expansion draft was pitcher David Nied from the Atlanta Braves organization. (Nied pitched four seasons for the Rockies.)
The first game in Rockies history was played on April 5, 1993 against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium. David Nied was the starting pitcher and the Rockies lost, 3-0. The Rockies' first home game at Mile High Stadium, and their first win ever, came four days later in an 11-4 win over the Montreal Expos.
"Rocktober"
The Rockies were behind the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Aarizona Diamondbacks, and the San Diego Padres for most of the season. By August, however, Colorado showed a steady series of wins while the division-leading Dodgers began to struggle. By September, the Dodgers were eliminated from playoff contention, the Diamondbacks were expected to clinch the National League West division title and the Padres looked like a sure bet for the National League wild card spot. The Diamondbacks eventually clinched the National League West division title, but the Rockies staged one of the greatest comebacks in baseball history. They were a major-league best 20-8 in September, after trailing by six games on September 1st. They won their last 13 of 14 games, including 11 in a row, the most of any team in the 2007 season. It should be noted that Colorado set the single-season major league baseball record for fielding percentage (.98925).
Thus the Rockies finished the regular season tied with the Padres for the wild card spot in the playoffs. The two teams played a regular season play-off game at Coors Field on October 1 to determine the wild card. The game lasted thirteen innings, and although the Padres got two runs off of a Scott Hairston home run in the top of the thirteenth to break a 6-6 tie, the Rockies came back in the bottom of the thirteenth by scoring three runs off of closer Trevor Hoffman to win 9-8.
So the Rockies made the playoffs for the first time since 1995, and then blew the Philadelphia Phillies out of the National League Division Series in three games. The three-game sweep was Colorado's first post-season series win in team history. Next the Rockies swept the National League Championship Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Rockies became the first team ever to sweep both the division series and league championship series in the same postseason. But our Red Sox have stopped the Rockies' win streak, blowing them away in Wednesday's World Series opener, 13-1.
Coors Field: Home of the Rockies
On August 16, 1990, almost a year before baseball awarded Colorado an expansion team, Denver voters approved a 0.1 percent sales tax to fund a baseball-only stadium. The ballpark's total cost was $215 million. Architects originally designed the park to seat 43,800.The park currently seats 50,445 fans. Every year since it opened in 1995, Coors Fields has been a league leader in attendance. The Rocky Mountains can be seen from the first-base and right-field areas. Most of the stadium seats are green. The upper deck's 20th row is painted purple, signifying exactly one mile above sea level.
Coor Field's high altitude has several effects on the game. (See Air too thin? Save your breath/Altitude plays a much different role - It can affect the players). According to an article in the Colorado Springs Gazette, altitude can give local teams an advantage because of what it does to the body, specifically the opponent's body. At a mile high, the oxygen level per breath is about 20 percent lower than at sea level. Heart rates and breathing rates increase to make up the difference, and fatigue sets in more quickly. Over time, bodies can adjust but not fast enough, however, for teams making a quick stop along a road trip. This has a slighter effect on baseball than on basketball, for example, where the players are in constant motion.
The high altitude can also affect the distance a ball travels.The ball travels 9 percent farther at 5,280 feet than at sea level. Therefore, a home run hit 400 feet in sea-level Fenway Park would travel about 440 feet in Denver. However, you should note that the wind can easily play a much greater role than altitude in turning fly balls into home runs. The same 400-foot shot, with a 10-mph wind at the hitter's back, can turn into a 430-foot blast. Another important effect of altitude on baseball is the influence thinner air has on pitching. In general, curve balls will be a little less snappy, and fastballs will get about an extra six inches of giddy-up due to the decrease in resistance the thinner air provides.
Humidor controversy
In 2002, a humidor was installed at Coors Field to store baseballs according to the manufacturer's specifications. It ensures that the balls will not become too dry and too hard and that they do not travel farther than normal. The discovery of the humidor has cast suspicion on the Rockies talent, or lack thereof. Since the installation and discovery of the humidor in Coors Field, runs and high scoring games are less frequent. There were 13.4 runs per game scored at Coors in the year before the humidor's introduction; that number was down by nearly three runs this season. In 2001, there were a major league-high 268 homers hit out of Coors Field. This year, there were 185, which ranked 10th. The Rockies claim they are making sure they are playing with baseballs that meet Major League Baseball's specifications, and are not necessarily trying to prevent opposing teams from hitting homers. You may wish to take a look at Baseball's Expanding Issues for more information.
You may wish to read some of our factual books about baseball, including David Ortiz' s Big Papi: my story of big dreams and big hits. Or take a look at our collection of fiction books about baseball.
Let's root for a good, exciting Series and victory for "our guys". Let's Go Sox!!!