“You always know it’s going to be a really nice night,” Blackmon stated. “It’s going to be great weather. It’s going to be a good crowd. It’s going to be a pretty competitive team you’re playing against.”
It appeared like evening for a stroll round the park, or not less than the bases. Blackmon did it twice, however just one jog counted.
The first time – Blackmon’s first-inning leadoff at-bat towards Ryan Brasier, the first of eight Dodgers pitchers – was an optimistic endeavor, simply in case Mookie Betts actually didn’t maintain on whereas crashing into the proper–subject wall. Betts made the catch, and replay backed it, however, hey, he figured simply in case …
“It was a good swing,” Blackmon stated, smiling. “It got in on me a little bit, so I didn’t know exactly where it was going to end up. I think it was about going to make it to the fence, but you never know.”
The second counted. The solo shot off Daniel Hudson in the fifth was Blackmon’s tenth homer of the season, and 226th of a profession spent wholly with the Rockies.
“It felt good, especially after coming up a little short in the first inning,” stated Blackmon, whose homer gave the Rockies a 2-0 lead that survived till beforehand efficient Kyle Freeland gave up an Andy Pages homer to open the fifth, and later in the inning the 52nd homer of Shohei Ohtani’s historic season, for 2 extra runs. “Super-tight sport. That was an enormous run for us, and it feels good to do it the first sport out on the street, too.”
There was a notable high quality about Blackmon’s two four-base trots. There was little in the manner of celebration, as if he’d performed it earlier than and can do it once more.
But with eight video games left in the one-year, $13 million contract he signed final 12 months to be a veteran presence and provides youthful outfielders time to develop, what number of video games will he have to repeat the act? Was this the first sport of his final street journey? Or perhaps the first sport of his final street journey in a Rockies uniform?
The man behind the beard isn’t telling, or freely giving something along with his actions.
The sport noticed homers from Sam Hilliard in the sixth and Michael Toglia in the ninth. It noticed Freeland account for himself nicely however falter the third time via the lineup (six innings, seven hits, 4 runs). Freeland stated Ohtani’s homer on a full-count pitch that was up however not a strike was “a very good mistake … better swing.” Many of the Rockies mentioned the pitches they hit and missed as they dressed and left the clubhouse.
Most have been gone earlier than Blackmon, nonetheless sporting his game-face eyeblack, accomplished his prolonged postgame exercise that has been a staple of his profession.
“That’s a pretty good attitude to have all the time, right?” stated Blackmon, batting .248 with a .706 OPS primarily as the designated hitter and the group’s simplest leadoff hitter. “Don’t take issues with no consideration. You by no means know. I method the sport that manner just about each day, so I don’t have to change a complete lot.
“I haven’t made any decisions yet.”
Meanwhile, outfielders like Brenton Doyle, who sat out Friday with left knee soreness however will quickly proceed his huge 12 months, and Nolan Jones, who didn’t begin or play and has no alternative however to search for a rebound in 2025, are two seasons into their quests to choose up the place Blackmon could go away off. Jordan Beck debuted this 12 months, and '25 may see debuts of Rockies No. 3/MLB Pipeline No. 85 prospect Zac Veen, Rockies No. 4/Pipeline No. 89 prospect Yanquiel Fernandez and membership No. 16 prospect Benny Montgomery (who missed a lot of this season with a left shoulder harm).
Blackmon described a efficiency Friday of a group that may very well be shifting ahead.
“There were a lot of good pitches thrown tonight — it wasn’t like we missed a lot of pitches,” Blackmon stated. “We did a pretty good job when we got a pitch in the middle of the plate of doing something with it.”
Freeland stated it will really feel odd if the '25 Rockies do not embody Blackmon.
‘To this day, I don’t suppose anybody will ever outwork Charlie Blackmon,” Freeland stated. “He’s an unimaginable participant, unimaginable chief. In my eyes, all-around Rockies baseball.
“I hope I get to see him continue to do his thing, but I don’t know what the future holds.”
