The Rockies have 3 games left to play this season, but they played their final game at Coors Field yesterday.
Which means we already have some year-end stats for Coors Field attendance!
This season, 2.2 million fans attended games at Coors Field, which is about 27,721 fans per game.
Sounds like a lot, but that’s actually the 5th-lowest attendance in Rockies’ history.
And, if it wasn’t for COVID impacting the 2020 season – and probably the 2021 season – this would be the 3rd-lowest attendance in Rockies’ history.
Here’s a breakdown of the Rockies’ record-low attendance years:
With the Rockies having 4 consecutive 100+ loss seasons, it makes sense the attendance would be so low.
If the Rockies can find a way to improve this offseason, then we’ll see their attendance bounce back.
And in case anyone was wondering, Coors Field can hold a max of 50,144 fans.
Now, let’s jump into the Rockies news from this past week.
Rockies Won 1 Game This Past Week
Well, it finally happened. The Rockies lost their 100th game of the season on Wednesday.
That marks the 4th consecutive year of losing 100 games or more in a season.
The Rockies now join a short list of teams to have 4 or more 100-loss seasons in a row:
- Philadelphia Phillies: 5 seasons (1938 – 1942)
- Washington Senators: 4 seasons (1961 – 1964)
- Boston Braves: 4 seasons (1909 – 1912)
- New York Mets: 4 seasons (1962 – 1965)
- Colorado Rockies: 4 seasons (2022 – current)
A 100-loss season next year means they would tie the MLB record.
My first thought was this Happy Gilmore meme:
Here’s a breakdown of how the Rockies’ last week went:
| Date: 9/18 Event: Mariners @ Rockies Result: L, Rockies 4 – Mariners 5 |
| Date: 9/19 Event: Mariners @ Rockies Result: W, Rockies 5 – Mariners 3 |
| Date: 9/20 Event: Mariners @ Rockies Result: L, Rockies 1 – Mariners 2 |
| Date: 9/22 Event: Diamondbacks @ Rockies Result: L, Rockies 2 – Diamondbacks 7 |
| Date: 9/23 Event: Diamondbacks @ Rockies Result: L, Rockies 3 – Diamondbacks 5 |
| Date: 9/24 Event: Diamondbacks @ Rockies Result: L, Rockies 8 – Diamondbacks 12 |
Kyle Freeland Will be a Free Agent This Offseason
Kyle Freeland has been a Rockie for his entire 10-year career, and it’s possible his time in Colorado is coming to an end.
Kyle Freeland’s contract expires at the end of the season, which means he will officially be an unrestricted free agent the day after the World Series ends.
And it’s unclear what he will do next season.
He could try his chances on the open market and see what’s available to him, but there’s also been speculation of him retiring.
Kyle Freeland is the Rockies’ all-time leader in games started and innings pitched. He’s also the 2nd all-time Rockies leader in strikeouts.
So we’ll have to wait and see what happens this offseason!
Kyle Freeland is scheduled to make his last start on Sunday against the White Sox, and there’s a chance it will be his last game.
Well, there is one exception.
His current contract says he has an option to return to the Rockies for the 2027 season if he pitches 170 innings this year.
Kyle Freeland is currently sitting at 131.1 innings pitched.
All he has to do is pitch 38.2 innings in these last 3 games!
Because, in baseball math, 131.1 innings + 38.2 innings = 170 innings.
But the chances of that happening have to be astronomical.
Hunter Goodman is One Home Run Away from 40
Hunter Goodman is very close to making history! He’s currently sitting at 39 home runs this season.
And he has 3 games left to hit one more!
If Hunter Goodman reaches 40 home runs, he will become the 6th catcher in National League history to hit 40 or more home runs in a season.
If Hunter Goodman hits one more home run, he’ll join this list of National League catchers who have hit 40+ home runs in a season:
- Roy Campanella (41 home runs in 1953)
- Johnny Bench (45 home runs in 1975 and 40 home runs in 1972)
- Todd Hundley (41 home runs in 1996)
- Mike Piazza (40 home runs in 1997 and 1999)
- Javy Lopez (43 home runs in 2003)
And honestly, this milestone is the biggest reason I’ll be tuning into the final 3 games of the season.
Chase Dollander Looking to Return in 2027
Chase Dollander hasn’t pitched since he was removed from the game on May 14th with right arm soreness.
Since then, he was placed on the 60-day injured list and had surgery on June 22nd to put an internal brace on his right elbow.
This month, he’s been performing a plyo-ball routine. And it sounds like he’s scheduled to play some light catch in the next few weeks.
And all that’s been reported is that he’s working toward returning sometime in 2027.
So there hasn’t been a lot of news about Chase Dollander, but it’s good to hear he’s making progress!
Todd Helton Statue Unveiled
The Todd Helton statue was finally unveiled on Saturday!
The ceremony was held right next to the Larry Walker statue, in front of the home plate entrance to Coors Field.
Next time you’re around 20th and Blake, check it out!
And I thought the Rockies did a good job of providing a snippet of that ceremony with this one-minute video on Facebook.
The statue honors Todd Helton’s 17-year MLB career, all with the Rockies.
And more specifically, it showcases the moment most Rockies fans remember – Todd Helton celebrating after catching the last out that sent the Rockies to the World Series.
Upcoming Rockies Games
🎟️ Want to catch a Rockies game? Check out their full schedule and ticket prices here!
| Date: 9/25 Event: Rockies @ White Sox Time: 5:40pm MDT View Tickets |
| Date: 9/26 Event: Rockies @ White Sox Time: 5:10pm MDT View Tickets |
| Date: 9/27 Event: Rockies @ White Sox Time: 1:10pm MDT **Rockies’ last game of the season View Tickets |
That wraps up this week’s newsletter! Hope everyone has a great week!
-Steve
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