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Rockies Rookie Found Out About MLB Promotion From Hotel Confirmation Email

Karl Rasmussen

Chase Dollander, top prospect of the Colorado Rockies, pitches during MLB's All-Star Futures Game.
Chase Dollander, top prospect of the Colorado Rockies, pitches during MLB's All-Star Futures Game. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
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Toeing the rubber for the Colorado Rockies on Sunday is rookie starting pitcher Chase Dollander, who is making his MLB debut against the Athletics.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Dollander acknowledged that he was tipped off to the possibility he'd be called up to MLB prior to Sunday's start, thanks to a confirmation email he received for an upcoming hotel stay.

"Right before I got called into the office I got a text from a hotel, saying, 'Hey, we're looking forward to welcoming your stay,' and I was like, 'Oh.' Immediately, my heart dropped and I was like, 'what's going on?'" said Dollander.

"I walk in and, thankfully our pitching coach, [Chris] Michalak, played it off really well and was like, 'Hey let's just go into the scouting report...' I look up and I saw the camera, and I was like, 'Is this happening right now?'"

The Rockies released a video of the moment Dollander found out about his promotion to the big leagues. He was discussing the scouting report with Michalak when the Albuquerque Isotopes' pitching coach informed him that he wouldn't be facing the team's upcoming opponent and that he'd instead be heading to Denver to join the Rockies.

Any confusion that hotel confirmation email created was quickly resolved when Dollander officially got word he'd be heading to the show.

Dollander, who ranks as the No. 1 prospect in Colorado's farm system, is a former first-round pick by the Rockies, having been selected with the No. 9 pick in the 2023 MLB draft out of the University of Tennessee. Across two minor-league levels in 2024, he recorded a 3.05 ERA throughout 23 starts with 169 strikeouts in 118 innings on the mound.

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Karl Rasmussen
KARL RASMUSSEN

Karl Rasmussen is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News team for Sports Illustrated. A University of Oregon alum who joined SI in February 2023, his work has appeared on 12up and ClutchPoints. Rasmussen is a loyal Tottenham, Jets, Yankees and Ducks fan.

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