LOS ANGELES -- Braxton Fulford was enjoying his day off in Albuquerque on Monday when his phone started blowing up.
Fulford's teammates from the Triple-A Isotopes were all trying to get ahold of him, as manager Pedro Lopez had put the word out that he was looking for him. When Fulford finally gave his skipper a call, Lopez sounded concerned.
"Dude, what happened last night?¡± Fulford recalled Lopez telling him. ¡°Police are at your house.¡±
There was a quick moment of confusion for Fulford before Lopez revealed the real reason for the call.
"Nah, I¡¯m just kidding,¡± Lopez said. ¡°You¡¯re going to L.A. You¡¯re going to the big leagues.¡±
And just like that, two hours later, Fulford was hopping on a flight. There were some delays at Albuquerque International Sunport, but by 6:50 p.m. on Monday, Fulford officially joined the Colorado Rockies.
Before Tuesday¡¯s 6-2 loss to the Dodgers, Fulford took some time to reflect on his journey that culminated with the Rockies selecting his contract in the corresponding move as Kris Bryant was placed on the 10-day injured list.
Fulford¡¯s road to The Show -- literally -- started on the 20 freeway in Texas. Growing up in Lubbock, Fulford¡¯s summers consisted of regular six-hour drives to Dallas. Games. Tournaments. It didn¡¯t matter. Every weekend, Fulford¡¯s parents, Jai and Tammy Fulford, loaded up the car and made the trip back and forth.
"They¡¯ve done a whole lot for me,¡± Fulford, 26, said about his parents. ¡°... Those two really sacrificed a lot for me to be able to play this game.¡±
It was only right that they were his first call once he heard about his callup.
"Elated,¡± he recalled of their reactions. ¡°We all were. Got a little emotional and just enjoyed the moment.¡±
But after enjoying the moment came the realization: Jai, Tammy and the rest of the Fulford family had to get to Los Angeles, too. There was a quick scramble to find flights, but they eventually landed at LAX at 11 a.m. Tuesday morning. By first pitch, everyone from Jai and Tammy to Fulford¡¯s siblings and his girlfriend were in attendance at Dodger Stadium.
And though Fulford didn¡¯t get into Tuesday¡¯s game for his Major League debut, the family met postgame to take pictures and share a moment that was just as emotional as if he would have.
"Mom shed some tears,¡± Fulford said. ¡°But I haven¡¯t made the debut yet, so I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll shed some more.¡±
Turns out they¡¯ll have to wait just one more day for the real debut, as manager Bud Black confirmed that Fulford will be in the lineup for the series finale against the Dodgers.
For Fulford, there was no better place he could¡¯ve asked to start his career than at Chavez Ravine.
"It¡¯s a historic ballpark,¡± Fulford said. ¡°We¡¯re going to be playing them a lot. I¡¯d love to put it to ¡®em, stick it to ¡®em on my debut. A lot of people show out here. I think it¡¯d be a great place to play. A lot of good players to play against, too.¡±
"A lot of good players" feels like an understatement. The Rockies have been outscored 11-5 by the Dodgers in the first two games of the series. Starters Antonio Senzatela and Ryan Feltner were both chased from the game before the end of the fifth inning, giving up a total of nine earned runs on 14 combined hits and seven walks across the two outings. But Fulford feels up to the task both behind and at the plate.
"I¡¯m hoping I can command the pitching staff. Get us through this lineup,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s a tough lineup, but our guys are more than capable of sitting them down.
"And then on top of that, just producing offensively. Scoring runs. Driving runners in. Just all around, want to help the team win.¡±