Rockies Teammates Surprise Trevor Story With Special Moment Before Likely Final Game in Denver
A fond farewell
If, as it appears it surely will be, Wednesday’s Rockies–Nationals game was Trevor Story’s final home appearance at Coors Field, it was a memorable one.
Story, a two-time All-Star, will be a free agent at the end of this season and is sure to command a high-priced contract. The Rockies don’t like to spend big money on free agents, so it’s a good bet that Story will be playing elsewhere in 2022. That made Wednesday’s game, an otherwise meaningless getaway-day matinee between two teams long since eliminated from playoff contention, an emotional one for Story.
At the start of the game, as the Rockies took the field for the top of the first, Story went out alone and got a moment to soak in the fans’ adulation before being joined by the rest of his teammates.
The gesture was orchestrated by Charlie Blackmon, the longest-tenured Rockie, and Story had no idea it was going to happen. It’s usually Blackmon who leads the team onto the field at the start of the game, but on Wednesday he told Story to have the honor and instructed the rest of the team to hang back in the dugout.
“I wasn’t aware—it got me by surprise,” a tearful Story told reporters after the game. “Chuck got me good there.
“I should’ve known something was up. But that means a lot. I really appreciate that. These teammates are special. It means a lot that they did that, so a big, big thank you to those guys.”
Story ended up going 4-for-4 in the game (with four infield singles) and scored three runs as the Rockies won 10–5. The game was delayed for two hours by rain in the third inning and by the time the final out was recorded, six hours after the first pitch, only a small portion of the 20,613 fans in attendance had stuck around. The committed fans who stuck it out gave Story a loud cheer and he rewarded a few lucky kids with some gear.
He had tears in his eyes as he made his way to the clubhouse.
Story was openly disappointed when the Rockies didn’t trade him to a contender at the deadline—and rightfully so. What kind of player doesn’t want to play meaningful games down the stretch instead of languishing on a mediocre club? But perhaps he’ll look back on Wednesday’s game in Colorado and be grateful that he had the chance to say a proper goodbye to the city where he played his first six years.
The best of SI
Taulia Tagovailoa finally gives Maryland a reliable quarterback after a decade of futility. ... Despite the drama during the last qualifying window, Weston McKennie is back on the roster for the USMNT’s World Cup qualifiers. ... For all the talk about the Lakers’ age, their positional fits are the much bigger problem.
Around the sports world
Brewers pitcher Devin Williams will miss the postseason after he “had a few drinks,” punched a wall and broke his hand. ... A Ghanaian soccer player who went viral for deliberately scoring own goals in a reported attempt to thwart a match-fixing plot has himself been charged with match-fixing.
The Dodgers prevailed in a wild one to keep pace with the Giants
Signing a one-year deal worked out really well for this guy
Does a mask really make a guy his size anonymous?
This was cute
He’s gotta go to a beach other than Rockaway
Is socks and sandals a cool look when they’re Gucci?
Not sports
Shakira says she was attacked by a group of boars in a Barcelona park and they ran off with her purse. ... A man in Korea says he’s been getting 4,000 calls a day since his phone number appeared in the popular Netflix show Squid Game. ... The pandemic is causing a clown shortage in Norther Ireland. ... River otters keep attacking people in Alaska.
A good song
Email dan.gartland@si.com with any feedback or follow me on Twitter for approximately one half-decent baseball joke per week. Bookmark this page to see previous editions of Hot Clicks and find the newest edition every day. By popular request I’ve made a Spotify playlist of the music featured here. Visit our Extra Mustard page throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories.
