When the Colorado Rockies and Pittsburgh Pirates meet this weekend at Coors Field, it will be a pivotal series for both clubs. Pittsburgh, one of the hottest teams in the National League, is quickly rising toward the top of the National League standings. Colorado is fighting with Arizona for who has the top Wild Card spot and second place in the National League West.
One of the things that could make the difference this weekend at Coors Field? The Colorado Rockies faithful, who have been making their presence felt more and more as the season has progressed.
In back-to-back save situations during the series against the San Diego Padres earlier this week, Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black said he was impressed with the noise coming from the stands.
"“I really like the fact that, in the last couple of games, they’ve been extremely loud in the ninth inning in save situations for Greg (Holland),” Black told Rox Pile and other media members after Wednesday’s win over San Diego. “That’s been great. Let’s keep that up. There’s a lot of good stuff happening fan-wise so let’s keep that going, Denver.”"
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Colorado ranks eighth in MLB attendance through its first 47 home games. An average crowd of 37,220 has ventured through the Coors Field turnstiles for each game this season. That’s almost 5,000 more per game than came to 20th and Blake last season and 6,000 more than the previous year.
Sure, winning means a lot when it comes to attendance figures. However, baseball fans in Denver are starting to realize that there are some pretty magical things happening inside Coors Field. Think back to Nolan Arenado’s walkoff cycle and Kyle Freeland’s quest for a no-hitter. The energy inside Coors Field was unlike anything seen in recent season. Arenado talked about the crowds and the noise and the difference it makes in this article.
A crowd of 37,128 sat through the heat (93 degrees at first pitch) on Wednesday afternoon and were treated to Arenado making history again. Big crowds are expected again this weekend. And they’re not just coming for the sunsets and Star Wars figurines. They’re coming to watch the Rockies continue their quest for the postseason.
Next: We debate if Denver will ever really become a baseball town?
"“The crowds have been great. We’re talking about the crowds inside the clubhouse. That’s a good thing,” Black said. “The players are noticing the crowds. The players are talking about it. The coaches are talking about it. That’s fabulous. Hats off to our fans for coming out and being supportive and being loud.”"