Colorado Rockies flashback: A then-franchise record 24 hits set in 2000

This Colorado Rockies flashback for May 3 takes you back two decades to the 2000 season.

If the Montreal Expos pitching staff thought it had been shredded by Colorado Rockies bats in the first two contests of a three-game series at Coors Field to open the month of May 2000, Expos hurlers were in for an even greater shellacking on May 3.

After battering Montreal pitchers for a combined 27 runs and 31 hits in a pair of one-sided victories (15-8 and 12-6), the Rockies amassed a then-franchise record 24 hits in the series finale in a 16-7 blitz of the Expos and a series sweep.

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After going 4-for-5 with five RBI in Colorado’s win in the series opener, first baseman Todd Helton continued his mauling of Expos pitching by going 5-for-5 — all singles — and driving in two runs to spearhead the Rockies offense in the record-setting effort.

In fact, everyone in Colorado’s starting lineup had at least one hit and all but one of the 13 Rockies who had a plate appearance in the game hit safely.

But Helton wasn’t the only offensive star for the Rockies in the record performance against the Expos, who were making their final appearance at Coors Field for the 2000 season.

Mirroring Helton, third baseman Jeff Cirillo had a perfect day at the plate, going 4-for-4 with all of his hits also being singles. Cirillo scored three times as did right fielder Larry Walker.

Interestingly, the Rockies did not have a home run in the game with 20 of the team’s 24 hits being singles. The other hits were two doubles and two triples.

Tom Goodwin added to Colorado’s banner day with three hits and three runs batted in. The Rockies center fielder and leadoff hitter also scored twice.

Colorado finished the game going 12-for-21 with runners in scoring position. All 16 runs scored against four Montreal hurlers (only three actually surrendered runs) were earned.

The offensive production was more than enough for Rockies starter Pedro Astacio, who picked up the win to improve his record to 3-2 on the season. Astacio went seven innings, allowing 10 hits and five earned runs while striking out six.

For the three-game series, Colorado totaled 43 runs (40 runs were earned) and garnered 55 hits.

The Rockies series sweep May 1-3, 2000, avenged a pair of losses to the Expos in Montreal a week earlier (10-4 and 9-2 setbacks on April 25 and 26).

After the victories in Denver, the Rockies would go on to capture the final four meetings of the season with the Expos by sweeping a four-game set in Montreal in August.

For the season, Colorado finished 7-2 against the Expos, outscoring Montreal by an 82-51 margin. Of its seven wins against the Expos, Colorado scored in double digits in five contests.

The 24 hits by the Rockies on May 3, 2000, stood as the franchise record for more than a decade. The mark was eclipsed on Sept. 25, 2011, when Colorado banged out 25 hits in a 19-3 romp at Houston.

The 25 hits against the Astros stands as the current franchise record.