Colorado Rockies morning after: Carlos Gonzalez and all the feels

The Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs played a baseball game at Coors Field on Monday night. The two teams met in the 2018 National League Wild Card Game and now they’re battling to reach the 2019 postseason.

That is all of the top-level storyline you need to know about Monday night’s game. As throngs of Cub fans filed into Coors Field, there were plenty of good-hearted (and maybe not-so-good-hearted) comments from the Colorado Rockies faithful to the Windy City supporters.

For every Todd Helton jersey on Monday night, there was a Ryne Sandberg jersey to counter it. Every Nolan Arenado shirt had a Kris Bryant equal. There were plenty of things that Rockies and Cubs fans couldn’t agree upon on Monday night. One of them, however, was some love shown for Carlos Gonzalez.

The man affectionately known as CarGo made his first visit to Coors Field as a visitor on Monday night, starting in right field for the Cubs after a 10-year career with the Rockies. He was mobbed in a pregame media conference inside the Chicago dugout. He was cheered in a pregame video montage on the massive Coors Field scoreboard and when his name was read with the Chicago lineup. But the biggest ovation was saved for when he stepped to the plate.

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There was little that Cubs and Rockies fans agreed on on Monday night, but those few seconds had emotions that tied both fan bases together. Chicago fans were happy with their new sweet-swinging outfielder (who was hitting .250 in 20 at-bats since signing with the Cubs after he was designated for assignment by the Cleveland Indians). Colorado fans had their moment to say thank you to the player who had provided so many memories throughout the years.

Before the game, Nolan Arenado said Rockies fans should absolutely welcome CarGo back with a big ovation. They did just that.

It was very similar to the love Rockies fans showed for Troy Tulowitzki when he came back to Denver as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays after being traded during a road trip the previous season.

Now granted, not every moment was perfect on Monday night in the newly carved CarGo-Rockies fans relationships. After losing his bat on two consecutive pitches and having the bats sail into the netting above the Colorado dugout, CarGo heard it from the crowd as his former teammates playfully raised their hands to ask what he was doing.

CarGo went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout in his first game back in Denver. His Cubs dropped the first game of this three-game set to the Rockies, 6-5.

For Rockies fans, it was about as good as it could get on Monday. Not only did they get to tell Carlos Gonzalez thank you, but they also got to see his old team get the best of his new team. That made it a pretty darn good night at 20th and Blake on Monday.