Passing of the torch: Rox reflect on McMahon before Tovar's HR caps win

BALTIMORE -- The Rockies reacted with emotion to the news that third baseman Ryan McMahon was traded to the New York Yankees prior to their 6-5 win in the series opener against the Orioles on Friday.

The nine-year veteran was dealt for pitching prospects Griffin Herring and Josh Grosz.

TRADE DETAILS
Rockies receive: LHP Griffin Herring (Yankees' No. 8 prospect) and RHP Josh Grosz (Yankees' No. 21 prospect)
Yankees receive: 3B Ryan McMahon

Down 4-0 after two innings, Colorado rallied and took the lead on an Ezequiel Tovar solo shot in the eighth to beat the Orioles for their fifth win in seven games since the All-Star break.

"It was a very important at-bat, very important home run,” Tovar said via team interpreter. “I wasn't trying to hit a homer. I was trying to get on base, hit the ball hard. That's what the team needed at that point. Thankfully, the ball went out."

Tovar said his former lockermate was invaluable to his development early on with the Rockies, and maybe the shortstop can step in as another leader with McMahon moving on.

"McMahon was a good teammate for me,” Tovar said. “He was one guy that showed me the ropes when I got called up. We're all going to miss him. About the responsibility of being a leader, it is something I don't want to force. Something that if it's going to happen, it will happen eventually. I am going to be there playing every day hard and doing what I need to do to help the team win."

McMahon said goodbye as pregame activities had just begun at Camden Yards. The Rockies' 2013 second-round Draft pick had team personnel grab his equipment bag and luggage as he headed to New York four hours before first pitch in Baltimore.

A player just called up, a free agent with the Rockies starting this season, teammates that started off their pro career with him -- all had glowing words to describe McMahon.

Right-hander Zach Agnos, who made his debut with the Rockies on April 20, remembered McMahon when he walked into the Major League clubhouse for the first time.

"Coming in as a rookie getting called up, one of the first guys that I saw in the clubhouse was McMahon,” Agnos recalled. “He messed around with me to start, but then gave me a big hug and was like, 'Welcome in, we are excited to have you!' He's such an incredible human being, and obviously, he's an incredible baseball player.”

Center fielder Mickey Moniak -- who hit a solo homer in the third on Friday -- knew McMahon growing up 55 miles apart in Southern California. They share the same agent representation with Wasserman.

Moniak felt a connection when he signed with the Rockies on March 27 and understands why the Yankees wanted McMahon. He believes McMahon’s legacy with the Rockies is noteworthy.

"He has turned it on as of late,” Moniak said. “I think the numbers that he has put up this year don't really reflect how good he's been. He's run into some tough luck as far as hitting the ball hard and just right at guys.

“He's been a lifetime Rockie, and I'm going on my third month here. Just in those three months of being here you can tell how much he has meant to this organization. How much he has meant to the guys in this clubhouse, coaching staff, all the way up to the top. Definitely going to go down as one of the better Rockies in the history of this organization. Excited to see what he does over in New York."

Terms like “best friend” and “brother” were used repeatedly to describe McMahon.

Right-handed starter Antonio Senzatela signed with the Rockies in 2011 and remembers being called to then High-A Modesto in 2015 with McMahon, who invited the pitcher over to his family’s house for home cooking.

"We are really close,” Senzatela said as he got choked up. “I think in 2015, we went to start in Minor Leagues together and it was close to his hometown. We get to his grandma's house, and we have a nice time out there. She made dinner for us a lot. It's hard for me. I'm filled with emotion. He's my guy. He played hard every day here for us.

"He'd always give me the push up like, ‘Let's go, Papi! You can do it!’ When we were passing through a tough time, he was there. When he was [going] through a tough time, I was here for him. I think it's good to have a brother like that."

Said left-hander Austin Gomber on what McMahon meant to him: "Obviously, being teammates for five years, but beyond that, our families, our wives are close. We spent a lot of time together off the field.

“It sucks that we are in this position to have to do something like that. I'm actually really excited for him to get the opportunity to go play somewhere like New York. I think it will be awesome for him.”

Interim manager Warren Schaeffer will miss McMahon as a ball player and his mentorship of the younger Rockies, but understands these types of moves need to be made to build Colorado back into a contender.

"He's been a leader in this clubhouse for a long time,” Schaeffer said. “I think specifically this year, he took it to another level. [Kyle] Freeland, Senzatela, [Germán] Márquez and McMahon ... these guys have been playing in the big leagues for a long time together.

“It's tough when something like that happens and you've got to lose one of your friends, because that's basically what it is. You go to battle, you go to war with these guys every single day -- on the field for eight years in a row. That's pretty special. You become close."