Sit down, and watch this Story throw

August 1st, 2020

DENVER -- Rockies shortstop threw from the seat of his pants -- on a night when the Rockies and Padres flew by the seats of their collective trousers in the 2020 Coors Field opener.

A ball that ricocheted off right-hander turned into a fortuitous out in the seventh inning when Story nailed Padres first baseman Jake Cronenworth at first base during the Rockies’ wild 8-7 loss.

Before the deflection, it looked as if the Rockies would get a double play. Instead, Story -- with help from first baseman ’s scoop -- ended up with a viral video.

“I felt like I was in a good position for the ball off the bat,” Story said. “I thought we were going to turn two. But it ricocheted off Bard, and I had to throw on the brakes real quick. I ended up having to fall back to catch the ball. It was just a weird play. The runner was coming on me then. I just tried to get it over to ‘Murph’ as quick as I could, and he made a nice pick for me.”

Story also gave the Rockies a 5-4 lead in the seventh with his third home run of the season, an opposite-way shot to right field off lefty reliever Matt Strahm.

For all the good plays, however, Story was unhappy with his sixth-inning error on Tommy Pham’s bouncer. Instead of a possible inning-ending double play, a run scored that created a 3-2 deficit for the Rockies and starter , who pitched solidly for 5 2/3 innings.

“That error really bothered me,” Story said. “I just kind of got stuck in between. I didn’t pick up Jonny -- he did his job, made his pitch. That’s on me.”