Rockies explode for franchise record 23 runs in win over Athletics
LAS VEGAS — Remember near the end of “The Hangover” where Doug was finally found on the roof of Caesar’s Palace and had been under the intense Las Vegas sun for an extended period?
Well, the Rockies were a collective Doug on Sunday afternoon at Las Vegas Ballpark. Sure, they seemed scorched after way too much time in the blazing sun and there was some early drama, but everything turned out just fine in the end.
Willi Castro’s eighth-inning grand slam put an exclamation point on a historic day as Colorado set a franchise record for runs scored in a game with a 23-9 win over the Athletics. It was also the eighth time in franchise history the Rockies had scored 15 or more on the road.
Colorado also pounded out 24 hits, falling just one shy of tying the franchise record.
“These aren’t my favorite games on either side of them,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said. “Especially in Albuquerque, you play a lot of games where you’re just trying to get through the ball game with your bullpen and it’s a challenge.
“I don’t foresee a game like this ever because this is a big-time outlier. But I always feel like something good is going to happen when our team takes the field, and I feel like the way we’ve been conducting our at-bats and the way we’ve been going about our business, as the year has gone on, it’s consistently gotten better.”
No, Sunday didn’t reach the 103-degree temperature as Friday’s game did, setting the mark for the hottest game in Rockies history. However, Friday’s 7:05 p.m. local start at least gave way to evening and cooler temperatures. That certainly wasn’t the case on Sunday as the game started at 101 degrees and hovered around triple digits throughout the contest.
The trio of games in Las Vegas will go down as three of the seven hottest games in franchise history. Colorado’s trip to Sin City will also go down as its most productive day at the plate since the franchise played its first game in 1993.
Tomoyuki Sugano has perhaps had the toughest weather luck of any Rockies starter this season. His start against the Dodgers on April 17 came as Denver temperatures dipped to 35 degrees at first pitch. On the opposite end was Sunday’s start in Las Vegas. Both ends of the extreme represent the coldest and hottest starts of Sugano’s 13-plus seasons in Japan, Baltimore and Colorado.
Sugano gutted his way through five innings for the Rockies, giving up eight runs. The eight runs allowed were the most since Sugano made his way to MLB before last season, but his 97 pitches helped preserve a Rockies bullpen that was taxed heading into the game and needed a break before starting a three-game series in Chicago against the Cubs on Monday night.
“I’m sure if you asked him, his stuff probably wasn’t the best today,” catcher Hunter Goodman said. “But for him to give us five innings in the conditions that this ballpark plays in and getting us to the bullpen and through five is awesome.”
Goodman blasted his 19th and 20th home runs of the season to lead the Colorado offense, putting him in elite franchise company before the end of June. He became the first Colorado player to hit 20 or more homers over the team’s first 72 games since Nolan Arenado in 2016 (21 home runs in the first 72 games).
He finished the game 5-for-6, marking his first-ever five-hit game and just the second-ever for a Rockies catcher, joining Miguel Olivo’s effort on May 12, 2010.
“You just have to make contact here,” Goodman said. “If you make solid contact, the ball is going to go.”
Goodman wasn’t the only one Colorado player supplying the power on Sunday against A’s starter Jeffrey Springs. Castro, who finished with a career-high seven RBI, also added a two-run shot in the second inning and Troy Johnston followed up with a two-run blast in the fourth. Johnston’s home run with his first career long ball against a left-handed pitcher.
A switch hitter, Castro’s two-homer effort marked the first time he had homered from both sides of the plate. It was also his first career grand slam.
It’s nearly impossible to list all the offensive accomplishments that happened on Sunday, both from a team and an individual perspective. With the interleague schedule, Colorado isn’t scheduled to play the Athletics on the road again until 2028. If all goes according to plan, the Rockies will be right back here in Vegas once again for that series.
“I don’t know how the new ballpark (in Las Vegas) is going to play. I’m sure it’s not going to play like this,” Schaeffer said. “This is absurd.”
Hottest games in Rockies history
June 12, 2026 — 103 degrees — Colorado vs. Athletics at Las Vegas (Rockies lose 6-4)
July 4, 2012 — 103 degrees — Colorado at St. Louis (Rockies lose 4-1)
June 13, 2026 — 102 degrees — Colorado vs. Athletics at Las Vegas (Rockies lose 7-5)
July 5, 2012 — 102 degrees — Colorado at St. Louis (Rockies lose 6-2)
June 14, 2026 — 101 degrees — Colorado vs. Athletics at Las Vegas (Rockies win 23-9)
September 5, 2020 — 101 degrees — Colorado at Los Angeles Dodgers (Rockies win 5-2)
July 7, 2012 — 101 degrees — Colorado at Washington (Rockies lose 4-1)
June 25, 2012 — 100 degrees — Washington at Colorado (Rockies win 4-2)
July 14, 2001 — 100 degrees — Colorado at Texas (Rockies win 11-2)
August 10, 2016 — 99 degrees — Colorado at Texas (Rockies lose 5-4)
* Note: These are temperatures for games played in outdoor stadiums. Hotter games have been played at Chase Field in Arizona, but the roof was closed and Rockies played in a climate-controlled environment. The hottest game in Arizona was 113 degrees on August 24, 2020.