Aaron Cook, the 2007 Opening Day starter

The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National League West division. The first game of the new baseball season for a team is played on Opening Day, and being named the Opening Day starter is an honor, which is often given to the player who is expected to lead the pitching staff that season,[1] though there are various strategic reasons why a team's best pitcher might not start on Opening Day.[2] The Rockies have used 20 different Opening Day starting pitchers in their 28 seasons. Since the Rockies' first season in 1993, the 20 starters have a combined Opening Day record of eleven wins, nine losses (11–9), and eight no decisions. No decisions are only awarded to the starting pitcher if the game is won or lost after the starting pitcher has left the game.[3][4]

Eight Rockies pitchers have started on two Opening Days: Kevin Ritz, Darryl Kile, Mike Hampton, Jason Jennings, Aaron Cook, Ubaldo Jiménez, Jorge de la Rosa, and Jon Gray. Kile has the best Opening Day record with two wins and no losses. Armando Reynoso is the only Rockies pitcher to start on Opening Day in Colorado's former home of Mile High Stadium. Rockies starting pitchers have an Opening Day record of four wins, two losses, and one no decision when at home. With the exception of one lost game at Mile High Stadium, the other games were played at Colorado's current home stadium of Coors Field. On the road for Opening Day, Colorado starting pitchers have accumulated a record of seven wins, seven losses, and seven no decisions. The Rockies have a record of two wins and three losses on Opening Day for seasons in which they would later go on to participate in post-season play.[3]

The longest Opening Day winning streak for Rockies starting pitchers is three years, when Colorado won in 2004, 2005, and 2006, under three different pitchers, Shawn Estes, Joe Kennedy, and Jason Jennings. Rockies starters have lost twice in two consecutive years, once in 1993 and 1994, and once from 2002 to 2003.[3]

Key

Season Each year is linked to an article about that particular Rockies season.
W Win
L Loss
ND (W) No decision by starting pitcher; Rockies won game
ND (L) No decision by starting pitcher; Rockies lost game
Pitcher (#) Number of appearances as Opening Day starter with the Rockies
* Advanced to the post-season
** NL Champions

Pitchers

Season Pitcher Decision Opponent Location Ref(s)
1993 David Nied L New York Mets Shea Stadium [3]
1994 Armando Reynoso L Philadelphia Phillies Mile High Stadium [3]
1995* Bill Swift W New York Mets Coors Field [3]
1996 Kevin Ritz ND (W) Philadelphia Phillies Veterans Stadium [3]
1997 Kevin Ritz (2) ND (L) Cincinnati Reds Riverfront Stadium [3]
1998 Darryl Kile W Arizona Diamondbacks Bank One Ballpark [3]
1999 Darryl Kile (2) W San Diego Padres Qualcomm Stadium [3]
2000 Pedro Astacio L Atlanta Braves Turner Field [3]
2001 Mike Hampton W St. Louis Cardinals Coors Field [3]
2002 Mike Hampton (2) L St. Louis Cardinals Busch Memorial Stadium [3][5]
2003 Jason Jennings L Houston Astros Minute Maid Park [3][6]
2004 Shawn Estes W Arizona Diamondbacks Bank One Ballpark [3][7]
2005 Joe Kennedy W San Diego Padres Coors Field [3][8]
2006 Jason Jennings (2) W Arizona Diamondbacks Coors Field [3][9]
2007** Aaron Cook L Arizona Diamondbacks Coors Field [3][10]
2008 Kip Wells ND (W) St. Louis Cardinals Busch Stadium [3][11]
2009* Aaron Cook (2) ND (L) Arizona Diamondbacks Chase Field [12]
2010 Ubaldo Jiménez W Milwaukee Brewers Miller Park [4]
2011 Ubaldo Jiménez (2) ND (L) Arizona Diamondbacks Coors Field [3]
2012 Jeremy Guthrie W Houston Astros Minute Maid Park [3]
2013 Jhoulys Chacín ND (L) Milwaukee Brewers Miller Park [3]
2014 Jorge De La Rosa L Miami Marlins Marlins Park [3]
2015 Kyle Kendrick W Milwaukee Brewers Miller Park [3]
2016 Jorge De La Rosa (2) ND (W) Arizona Diamondbacks Chase Field [3]
2017* Jon Gray ND (W) Milwaukee Brewers Miller Park [3]
2018* Jon Gray (2) L Arizona Diamondbacks Chase Field [3]
2019 Kyle Freeland W Miami Marlins Marlins Park [3]
2020 German Marquez L Texas Rangers Globe Life Field [3]
2021 German Marquez (2) ND (W) Los Angeles Dodgers Coors Field [3][13]
2022 Kyle Freeland (2) L Los Angeles Dodgers Coors Field [3]
2023 German Marquez (3) W San Diego Padres Petco Park [3]

References

  1. ^ Bastian, Jordan (March 22, 2010). "Marcum tapped for Jays' Opening Day". MLB.com. Retrieved September 26, 2010.
  2. ^ Dilbeck, Steve (February 24, 2014). "Dodgers may not start Clayton Kershaw in Sydney". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af "Colorado Rockies Opening Day Starters and Results". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Colorado 5, Milwaukee 3". Yahoo!. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
  5. ^ "Cardinals 10, Rockies 2". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
  6. ^ "Kent slugs homer in first at-bat with Astros". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
  7. ^ "Johnson gives up six hits, Estes just two". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
  8. ^ "Rockies rally off Hoffman in ninth inning". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
  9. ^ "Holliday, Rockies nip Diamondbacks in 11". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
  10. ^ "D-Backs chase Rockies with three in 8th to prevail". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
  11. ^ "Nix's bases-loaded walk caps off two-run eighth for Rockies". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
  12. ^ "Instant offense: Lopez ignites D-backs (0-1)". Major League Baseball. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
  13. ^ "Los Angeles Dodgers at Colorado Rockies Box Score, April 1, 2021". Baseball Reference. Retrieved April 10, 2021.

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