Rockies end 103-loss season with 3-2, 11-inning win over Twins

You can close the book on the 2023 Rockies, who finished with a franchise-worst 103 losses.

At least there was a happy ending Sunday afternoon at sun-splashed Coors Field, where the Rockies celebrated a 3-2, 11-inning win over the Twins before a crowd of 33,375.

Rookie Brenton Doyle, who opened the 11th inning as the ghost runner at second base, stole third base and came around to score on a wild pitch by outfielder-turned-emergency reliever Jordan Luplow.

“The guy was slow to the plate, and it couldn’t have been a better pitch to go on because the catcher ended up missing it, and I was able to be aggressive and score there,” Doyle said.

Manager Bud Black was thrilled, and amused, by how the Rockies’ season ended.

“I’ve been in this game a long time, and I’ve seen a lot of unusual endings, and that was one of them,” Black said. “That was a good win for us.”

Cover-to-cover, it was a lousy season for the Rockies, who set numerous records for futility, including striking out 1,543 times and hitting .249 as a team, barely edging out the 2021 team for the worst batting average in franchise history.

Still, there were some feel-good chapters in Colorado’s season.

No one stood out more than left fielder Nolan Jones, who made franchise and major league history Sunday. He became the first Rockies rookie to hit 20 homers and steal 20 bases in a season. He also became the first big-league rookie to hit 20 homers, steal 20 bags and record 19 outfield assists.

“It’s been crazy,” Jones said. “I never expected any of this stuff to happen. I just wanted to go out, play hard, stay healthy and help the team win.”

And now Jones, finally, knows that he belongs in the big leagues after hitting .297 with a .931 OPS to lead the Rockies in both categories.

“It’s just really hard to believe that you belong in the big leagues,” Jones said. “That’s what the younger guys, including myself, struggle with. We want to prove that we belong here. So to have a year like this, to prove, just to myself, that I belong was really important.”

Jones hit home run No. 20 in the fourth inning with a solo blast to right-center field off right-hander Bailey Ober, and then stole second base in the ninth for his 20th theft. Jones threw out Ryan Jeffers trying to stretch a single into a double in the eighth inning for his 19th assist.

“Spring training was tough for Nolan, but we saw the tools and we saw the natural ability,” Black said. “It’s been impressive for him to come up and put up these numbers. It’s fun to watch and he comes to the ballpark every day with energy. He’s upbeat and he’s got good mojo.”

Ober dominated Colorado for 6 2/3 innings, allowing just two hits — Jones’ solo homer and a single by Doyle in the sixth — while striking out nine and walking none.

The Rockies tied the game, 2-2, on Sean Bouchard’s pinch-hit, solo homer in the eighth, the club’s first pinch-hit homer of the season. It was Bouchard’s fourth homer in his last five games.

The Rockies struck out 17 times, highlighting an issue that has plagued them all season. Black said multiple times that the Rockies need to clean up the Ks and cut down on their high chase rate.

“This was a tough season for us, no doubt,” third baseman Ryan McMahon said. “You never want to lose 100 games. But the young guys we have, like Jones and Doyle and ‘Tovie’ (rookie shortstop Ezequiel Tovar) are going to help turn things around. That’s something I’m excited for next year.”

Rockie Numbers

Some notable statistics from the Rockies’ 2023 season:

• 103 losses, five more than the previous high of 98 in 2012.

• 1,543 strikeouts, the most in franchise history.

• .249 team batting average, the lowest in franchise history (by percentage points over the 2021 team).

• 721 runs scored, third-fewest for a full season (698 in 2022, 706 in 2013)

• .715 OPS, second-lowest to the 2022 team (.713).

• 5.67 ERA, second-highest to the 1999 team (6.01).

• 5.91 starters ERA, second highest to the 1999 team (6.19).

• 5.14 bullpen ERA, fifth-highest in franchise history.

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