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Colorado Rockies: The nightmare stretches of seasons past

ByColin Gaiser|
25 Jul 1999: Larry Walker #33 of the Colorado Rockies misses the ball as he stands at bat during the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at the Coors Field in Denver, Colorado. The Cardinals defeated the Rockies 10-6. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bahr /Allsport
25 Jul 1999: Larry Walker #33 of the Colorado Rockies misses the ball as he stands at bat during the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at the Coors Field in Denver, Colorado. The Cardinals defeated the Rockies 10-6. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bahr /Allsport
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DENVER – JUNE 5: General view with fountain during the San Diego Padres game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on June 5, 1997 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images).
DENVER – JUNE 5: General view with fountain during the San Diego Padres game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on June 5, 1997 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images).

Henry was pitching for the Montreal Expos by the end of July as he was traded for pitcher Kent Bottenfield, who also didn’t pitch well in his short tenure in a Rockies uniform (6.04 ERA in 101 1/3 innings before he was released in 1994).

The team endured an all-time franchise-worst losing streak of 13 from July 25 – Aug. 6, but by that point the season was already done and dusted.

Stretch: 1997, July 1 – July 19

Record: 1-15, went from 43-39 to 44-54

By the end of June 1997, the Rockies were contending for the team’s second playoff appearance. But like in 2019, a disastrous July sent this team hurtling toward the bottom of the standings. And it was not the pitching this time – the bats were the culprit, as the team scored three runs or less nine times during the 16-game tailspin.

Yet when the bats were firing, the pitching suddenly let the Rockies down. On July 13, Colorado lost 13-11 to the Padres when Curt Leskanic and Jeff McCurry combined to give up five runs in the top of the ninth. The next night, the Rockies lost 14-12 in extra innings to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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