The very 1st Coors Field game was a classic Coors Field game
Matt Kelly
@mattkellyMLBIn its video series "Hidden Classics," MLB is digging into its archives and dusting off big games you might have forgotten about from your favorite stars of yesteryear. Stay tuned to MLB.com/HiddenClassics and MLB's YouTube channel for more Hidden Classic games.
There¡¯s no MLB stadium like Denver¡¯s Coors Field, and the ballpark established its frenetic aesthetic right from game No. 1.
The season-opening Mets-Rockies showdown on April 26, 1995, featured on this week¡¯s edition of ¡°Hidden Classics,¡± was a vintage "Coors Field game" ¨C well before the park was old enough to even define its own vintage. For starters, the first-pitch temperature was just 42 degrees, giving Colorado fans a taste of the October playoff chill they¡¯d experience for the first time in that year¡¯s National League Division Series.
And, of course, there was offense. Lots of offense. This was the first game of the Blake Street Bombers era, as Larry Walker made his Rockies debut alongside Andrés Galarraga, Dante Bichette and Vinny Castilla (Ellis Burks joined them from the injured list in May). The Mets -- led by Bobby Bonilla, Jeff Kent and Todd Hundley -- went toe-to-toe with those Bombers, lacing 18 hits of their own.
In total, Coors Field¡¯s first game featured 14 innings, 20 runs, 33 hits, five plays that swung either team¡¯s win probability by at least 30 percent and one incredible finish. To find out how this one ended, watch the condensed game in the video player above or at MLB¡¯s official YouTube account.
And for previous editions of ¡°Hidden Classics,¡± check out:
- Ken Griffey Jr. and the Mariners¡¯ final game at Seattle¡¯s Kingdome
- A vintage Pedro Martinez-Roger Clemens pitchers¡¯ duel at Yankee Stadium
- Barry Bonds¡¯ upper-deck homer (and showdown with Mariano Rivera) in the Bronx
- The Phillies¡¯ 10-run comeback against Tommy Lasorda¡¯s Dodgers in 1990
- A 1999 Mets-Yankees showdown that set the stage for the ¡®00 Subway Series
- A 12-run comeback by Cleveland ¨C tied for the largest in AL/NL history