All-Star Game: Germán Márquez turning Coors Field storyline upside down

When Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Germán Márquez walked off the diamond following his one-inning perfect stint during Tuesday night’s All-Star Game at Coors Field, the ovation he received from the home fans was one of the more electric moments of the game.

The love shown to Márquez, and the love he returned with a tip of the cap after his 1-2-3 outing in the fourth, will go down as one of the All-Star Game highlights for the Rockies franchise. With the world watching (including plenty of friends and family in his home country of Venezuela), Márquez went out and did exactly what he’s been doing at Coors Field for some time now … and that’s dominate on the mound.

In 12 overall first-half home starts, Márquez has a 3.06 ERA and opponents are hitting just .198 against him. Over his last five starts (three of which came at Coors Field), he has surrendered three runs in 36 innings. That’s an 0.75 ERA if you’re interested.

Those numbers also include a complete game, one-hitter that was within three outs of being a no-hitter … at Coors Field … at altitude … at whatever other storyline and talking point you want to bring up about playing baseball in Denver.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Márquez isn’t getting the credit he deserves for conquering a ballpark where every storyline about it involves hitting.

But this article isn’t about statistics. You can find those in plenty of places, especially after his final start before the All-Star break where he held the San Diego Padres scoreless for seven innings. This is about a journey that Márquez is leading in a season where there has been more to groan about than cheer about if you’re a Rockies fan.

Colorado Rockies pitcher German Márquez showed in the All-Star Game that he can succeed where many think it can’t be done … Coors Field.

Be honest with yourselves, Rockies fans. When former Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich pulled off a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays in January of 2016 that brought Jake McGee and Márquez to Colorado in exchange for Corey Dickerson and Kevin Padlo, you were either upset that Dickerson was leaving or excited to see what a southpaw specialist could bring to the Rockies out of the bullpen.

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Roughly five and a half years later, Márquez walked off the mound to a roaring ovation in the All-Star Game. Colorado’s only representative in the Midsummer Classic made a franchise and a fanbase proud by once again working with precision to get outs (he needed just 13 pitches to navigate through three All-Star batters). For the season, Márquez is averaging 14.79 pitches per inning, good for the sixth-lowest mark in MLB.

"“Just to go out there and get those three outs. Pretty easy,” Márquez said through an interpreter when asked about the best part of his Tuesday night at 20th and Blake. “But to get that ovation from the fans, that was really special.”"

A love affair continues to grow between the fans and the skills the right-hander brings to the mound every time he toes the rubber. Yes, special things are happening with Márquez in Denver. Here’s hoping more people around the country are paying attention to it after the All-Star Game.