Ryan McMahon saves Rockies from stunning choke vs. Rays with walk-off grand slam

This season was expected to be a rebuilding year for the Rockies, but no one could have predicted how tough this start would be. The Rockies have just been overmatched in virtually every matchup so far. Hopefully a return home would light a fire and give the team something to play for and showcase some of their young talent.

They surely looked better to start the game as Brendan Rodgers and Nolan Jones would hit back-to-back doubles to tie the game at one. They would be down 2-1 until the sixth inning where we saw the offense string together a few at bats. Elias Diaz tied it up with a sacrifice fly before Ezequiel Tovar hit a 420' home run and we got to see the Rockies "home run helmet".

Kris Bryant also hit a home run and man, that was nice to see him lean into one; hopefully that is a sign of things to come for the former MVP. The Rockies slugger has really struggled to start this year with 10 strikeouts in 25 plate appearances and just two base hits. Bryant has come under a lot of pressure and him returning to form and staying healthy would make a lot of fans and players happy.

Austin Gomber struggled early but went on to strike out seven over four innings. Thought the stat line isn't great, Gomber looked pretty good after the first inning. After the bullpen blew a four-run lead in the top of the ninth, fans were back to their doom and gloom mood after what seemed like a very exciting opening day. A couple of really good at bats set the Rockies up well to scratch out a run to tie it and possibly win it with a base hit, but a fan favorite would deliver much more than that in one of the most memorable home openers in quite a while.

Ryan McMahon has been the best hitter on the Rockies team this year and is under a lot of pressure after a really tough 2023 season that saw his strikeout rate skyrocket. He has really limited the strikeouts this year, looking a lot more comfortable at the plate so far. He looks like he's ready to return to his 2021 and 2022 seasons in what could be a big bounce back year. He stepped up to the plate and in one of the most epic things that the Rockies have seen in quite a while, he hits a walk-off grand slam. He saved the bullpen from a terrible choke job and ignited some fire into this young team and fan base.

This is a great sign for the Rockies, fighting back a couple of times. They responded quickly to an early run from the Rays with a run of their own. They also fought back after an epic bullpen meltdown that seemed like it would ruin opening day. This builds off the team fighting back in the series finale against the Cubs, when they trailed 8-2 heading into the seventh. This is a huge game for a team that will struggle but seeing them fight back like this is huge and will hopefully provide some heart and fight during the year.

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