Colorado Rockies news and links for Sunday, May 15, 2022
A week ago we learned from MLB.com’s Thomas Harding that the Rockies have taken the black vest jerseys out of rotation in preparation for the reveal of the new Nike City Connect uniforms in the coming weeks. Now, there is a fairly sizable difference of opinions on this uniform with some celebrating the move and others lamenting the iconic look. Personally, I always liked the black vests, as it was a unique look for the team and black goes very well with purple and silver. Retiring looks is a natural part of baseball, so today I wanted to remember some of the foregone jerseys in Rockies history.
Black Alternate (1993-1993)
Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images
In their inaugural season in 1993, the Rockies had the classic early iterations of designs we have today. The white pinstripe home jerseys and the purple piping road gray jerseys are still prominent and primary uniforms for the team. In 1993 they included an alternate uniform that was a black jersey with purple lettering on the back. It was a clean, classic look, and one that I wouldn’t mind seeing making a return. If the New York Mets can revive their black jerseys, the Rockies could certainly bring this look back to replace the vests. They didn’t wear them often and were abandoned after the 1993 season.
Most iconic moment: Mainly the fact that they were the first alternates for the Rockies and were the predecessor of the black vests we came to know.
Pinstripe Road Grays (2000-2012)
Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
In order to get hip with a brand new century, the Rockies decided to add some pinstripes to their road grays to create some synergy with the classic home pinstripes. It made sense since the team had been around for a little while now and a refresh made sense. Despite the look working, it did look a little bit goofy with a full pinstripe uniform. Gray is already a weird color to work within the baseball, and the purple pinstripes just didn’t quite look right. Still, it’s the road uniform that I mostly associated the Rockies with until the original purple piping uniforms were brought back in 2012 to correspond with some Rockies anniversaries.
Most iconic moment: For me personally, it’s Jason Giambi’s three-home run game against the Phillies in 2011. I can’t think of these uniforms without thinking of the tanks the Giambino blasted that night.
Pinstripes Vest (2005-2012)
Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
We now get into the vest category for the Rockies’ uniform history. Believe it or not, for a time the Rockies didn’t wear their purple jerseys that often. Instead, they utilized this home alternate to shake up the classic home pinstripes. It evolved from an alternate jersey used in the 2002 to 2004 seasons that featured the “CR” logo on the front instead of “Colorado” or “Rockies” text. They chopped the sleeves and it became a pretty solid look and a nice alternate to the regular home jerseys, There is just something about the black undershirt sleeves combined with the white top that is just perfect.
Most iconic moment: Have to go with CarGo’s walk-off home run for the cycle. It seems like so many images of a classic CarGo swing have him wearing the white pinstripe vest.
Black Vest (2005-2012, 2014-2021)
Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
Last but not least is the most recent jersey to bite the dust. Introduced along with the white pinstripe vest, the black vest became a universal jersey for both home and on the road, a role the purple alternate has taken over more through the years. Initially, the black vest featured a purple undershirt but was quickly abandoned for black. Personally, I will defend that purple shirt and black vest combo and always wanted it to make a comeback but it was not to be.
The jersey was out of the rotation for the 2012 season until Walt Weiss finally convinced the team to dust them back off in 2014. It was something he had advocated for since he took over as the manager in 2013, citing the fact that he wanted to stay connected to the memory of the 2007 season and what that meant for the Rockies. The team enjoyed some good stretches after bringing it back out initially and since then it was available whenever a pitcher wanted to wear it. It’s unfortunate it’s been dropped for now, because it is such an iconic and quality look for the team. They don’t black well enough to go along with the purple.
Most iconic moment: There are so many classic moments. From the first no-hitter in team history to the legendary run to the 2007 World Series, best immortalized by Todd Helton’s scream of joy after catching the final out of the NLCS against the Diamondbacks. There are a ton of memories that are associated with the black vests.
At the end of the day, the Rockies will stick with their classic looks, but the City Connect jerseys better be good because they have some good options that would be worthy of a resurrection.
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The key for Rockies’ Sam Hilliard to break hitting slump? A clean shave: “It obviously helped”| The Denver Post ($)
Friday’s homestand opener against the Royals saw Sam Hilliard mix things up with a new shave and a new look. Things seemed to pan out as he had a couple of hits, including his first homer of the season. Then Saturday was more of the same as he drove in a career-high four runs and blasted a key three-run homer in their over the Royals. Sometimes change is needed to clear the mind and change some outlook, and it’s paying off for Sam Hilliard.
Why 2022 is going swimmingly for this Rockie | MLB.com
Yonathan Daza has been a pleasant surprise contributor for the Rockies this season. Turns out a new swimming workout has been yielding great results for the outfielder. During the offseason, Daza did plenty of swimming and he said it’s really helped him feel stronger and bulk up a bit to what the Rockies wanted him to do.
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On the Farm
Triple-A: Sugar Land Space Cowboys 12, Albuquerque Isotopes 2
Things were off to a good start for the Isotopes and Ryan Feltner. After three scoreless innings, Sugar Land began to take off taking a 2-0 lead after the fourth. They would score three more runs in the fifth off of Felter who lasted five innings, allowing five runs on six hits. Julian Fernández was roughed up the most for the Isotopes pitchers, giving up four runs on two hits in 2⁄3 of an inning. Logan Cozart did turn in a solid performance, tossing 1 1⁄3 scoreless innings while striking out three Space Cowboys. Scott Schebler had a pair of hits, while Ryan Vilade and D.J. Peterson drove in both Isotopes runs.
Double-A: Portland Sea Dogs 5, Hartford Yard Goats 4
An inability to string together hits caused Hartford to fall just short of the Sea Dogs in a 5-4 loss Saturday night. Mitchell Kilkenny’s struggles on the season continued after allowing four runs on four hits in just two innings of work, raising to an 8.42 ERA and taking his fifth loss of the year. Hartford outhit Portland 9-6, including four doubles and Michael Toglia’s fifth home run of the year, but it wasn’t enough to push them over the hump.
High-A: Hillsboro Hops 4, Spokane Indians 0 (Game 1)
In game one of the double-header, Spokane tallied just two hits as they were shut out in seven innings. Joe Rock took the mound for Spokane, and despite allowing four unearned runs in the first and second innings, lasted five innings while striking out three and walking four. The Spokane offense came to a screeching halt, striking out seven times.
High-A: Hillsboro Hops 2, Spokane Indians 1 (Game 2)
Making up a game from May 12th, Spokane managed to score a run on three hits, but Hillsboro was able to do just enough to take the victory. Will Ethridge pitched all six innings for Spokane, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits with six strikeouts. Offensively, Spokane got hits from Daniel Montano, Colin Simpson, and a triple from Bladimir Restituyo.
Low-A: Visalia Rawhide 9, Fresno Grizzlies 5
It was a hard-fought battle, but a five-run bottom of the fifth sunk Fresno as they lost 9-5 to Visalia. Victor Juarez tossed four innings, allowing two runs on four hits and striking out five, and left with the lead 5-2. Juan Mejia then came in to pitch, registering two outs while giving up four runs on two hits. Ever Moya came in to stop the bleeding but ended up giving up another run to make it 7-5 in Visalia’s favor. The Rawhide tacked on a couple more runs off Bryce McGowan to end the score at 9-5. Hunter Goodman belted his eighth home run of the year with Fresno, driving in three runs.
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