Here are the Rockies' Top 10 HRs of the decade
The Rockies play at Coors Field, where home runs are plentiful. To make the list of this past decade’s best, one has to be special.
The homers on this list skew heavily toward family celebrations, how far the ball traveled or how much the home runs meant to the standings. It’s true that more occurred toward the end of the decade than in the beginning or middle, but that’s not only because we are prisoners of the moment or victims of recency bias. It has more to do with the Rockies' only postseason trips of the decade coming in 2017 and '18.
1) The cycle of life
June 18, 2017: Rockies 7, Giants 5
On Father’s Day, with dad looking on from the stands, Nolan Arenado stepped up in the ninth inning needing a home run for a cycle and the Rockies needing a big swing for a win. Arenado delivered. More >
2) That went a long, long way
Sept. 5, 2018: Rockies 5, Giants 3
Trevor Story was on fire. During this three-homer night, he actually sank to a knee while launching the ball into the bleachers. But Story’s most memorable homer of the game was his second. It went a projected 505 feet -- at the time the longest homer measured by Statcast. More >
3) DJ turns the season around
June 28, 2018: Rockies 9, Giants 8
The Rockies were four games under .500 and trying to bounce back from their struggles on the mound. But in the eighth inning of this wild game, DJ LeMahieu delivered a two-run homer off Giants reliever Will Smith. The win sparked the Rockies to their second straight postseason berth. More >
4) Putting a cycle to bed
July 31, 2010: Rockies 6, Cubs 5
No one left their seats as this thriller reached the ninth inning. Carlos González rewarded those who stayed by launching a third-deck homer to lead off the ninth inning and complete the cycle. Well, he pleased most everyone. The fan wearing Cubs paraphernalia who caught the ball didn’t look thrilled.
5) Pinch me
July 20, 2018: Rockies 11, D-backs 10
Raimel Tapia, waiting for his chance to gain footing in the Majors, contributed in a big way off the bench with a seventh-inning grand slam in a key win that helped the Rockies on their path to the postseason. More >
6) And he is gone!
Sept. 25, 2013: Red Sox 15, Rockies 5
Todd Helton, who spent all 17 years of his star-studded career in purple pinstripes, launched his final home run in his final game at Coors Field.
7) Keeping it in the park
June 14, 2014: Rockies 5, Giants 4
Outfielder Brandon Barnes liked getting his homers the hard way. This two-run, ninth-inning, inside-the-park homer, which turned the game in the Rockies’ favor, was his second inside-the-park shot within a week. More >
8) Arrival of the Mac
Aug. 11, 2018: Rockies 3, Dodgers 2
Ryan McMahon made his first Opening Day roster in 2018, but he bounced between the Rockies and Triple-A while trying to find his Major League swing. He found it with a two-run, walk-off shot in this key late-season game. More >
9) Let’s get this over with!
April 19, 2019: Rockies 4, Phillies 3
During a difficult 2019 season, there was a time when it seemed the Rockies would turn things around. One big swing during that period was Charlie Blackmon’s 12th-inning, two-run, walk-off shot off Juan Nicasio. It was the Rockies’ latest game-winning homer since Ryan Spilborghs' 12th-inning grand slam to beat the Giants in 2009. More >
10) A sign of things to come?
Sept. 28, 2019: Rockies 3, Brewers 2
In the Rockies' next-to-last game of the decade, one of their newest power-hitting prospects, Sam Hilliard, swatted an impressive, left-on-left homer off of Brewers hard-throwing closer Josh Hader to tie the game in the ninth. Story would win it with a leadoff homer off Matt Albers in the 10th. Was Hilliard’s game-turning shot a sign of what's to come in the 2020s? More >