Colorado Rockies are a professional baseball team that plays in the National League West division of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Rockies play at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado.
Colorado entered the National League as an expansion team in 1993. The team played its first two seasons at Mile High Stadium. In 1995, the Rockies opened Coors Field and won the National League Wild Card, becoming the fastest expansion team to reach the postseason in MLB history. The Rockies lost to the Atlanta Braves in the playoffs. After a number of disappointing seasons, Colorado returned to the playoffs in 2007. The ball club reached the World Series that year, but the Rockies were swept by the Boston Red Sox.
Throughout the team’s short history, Colorado has been one of the most powerful hitting teams in baseball. Denver’s high altitude means the air is thinner than in cities closer to sea level, allowing batted balls to travel farther. To compensate for this, Coors Field has larger-than-normal dimensions, but the outfield expanses allow many balls to drop for hits that might be outs in other ballparks. Consequently, Colorado hitters are perennially among the players with the highest batting averages in the National League. First baseman Andrés Galarraga won a batting title in the Rockies’ inaugural season, and Rockies hitters have since won many other batting crowns. On the other hand, Colorado pitchers often have inflated earned run averages compared to the rest of the league. Position players such as Galarraga, Todd Helton, Larry Walker, Nolan Arenado, Troy Tulowitzki, Trevor Story, and Carlos González are among the best hitters in Rockies history. Few Rockies pitchers have enjoyed sustained success.
