Friday's weather was a reminder that the Rockies have played the two coldest games in MLB history

The sun is expected to come back out in Denver this weekend. But, the temperature is still going to be chilly when the Colorado Rockies meet the Washington Nationals this afternoon.

Saturday’s game was pushed back an hour in order to get the field back to normal after Friday’s snow-out. The Rockies and Nationals were supposed to meet Friday night at Coors Field, but, an April storm blew into the Denver Metro area on Thursday night, and has dropped over four inches of wet snow on the area. Coors Field and north Denver took some of the brunt of the storm as well, forcing the Friday night game to be moved to Sunday night as part of a day-night doubleheader.

A similar storm also hit Denver this exact weekend in 2024, forcing the same scenario when the Rockies hosted the Seattle Mariners. A Friday night cancellation on April 19 ultimately led to a Sunday doubleheader.

It’s not just moisture that doomed Friday’s game. Denver experienced unseasonably cold temperatures Thursday night and Friday, with the high never cracking 32 degrees Friday afternoon after reaching 81 degrees on Thursday afternoon.

Of course, the Rockies have played plenty of cold weather games before, including the coldest game ever played in Major League Baseball history, ands it just so happened to almost be on there same weekend as this one.

The coldest baseball game took place on April 23, 2013 when the Rockies and Atlanta Braves played the first of a twin bill. At first pitch, the temperature was 23 degrees Fahrenheit at Coors Field. To this day, that’s the coldest game ever played since the MLB started tracking gametime temperatures.

Not surprising, the Rockies also own the second coldest game ever played. On April 18, 2013, the temperature was just 28 degrees Fahrenheit when the Rockies hosted the New York Mets at Coors Field. That game is still listed as the second-coldest game in MLB history.

Of course, temperatures won’t be that cold when the Rockies host the Nats later today. The forecasted high is set for 44 degrees today, with some sunshine expected during the game, which will feel balmy compared to Friday’s chilly and wet day. 

Sunday’s weather for the double-dip between the Rockies and Nationals is supposed to be even warmer has Denver experiences a return to spring.

Yes, wild weather has been a a staple of the Rockies’ franchise, and is quite frankly, part of the team’s allure. But, after Friday’s winter comeback, Rockies’ fans will be glad that the weather is warming up.