History of Colorado Rockies in Timeline

The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. As a member of the National League West Division, they play their home games at Coors Field, located in downtown Denver. The team is owned by the Monfort brothers and currently managed by Bud Black.

1922: Philadelphia Phillies' Unique Schedule

In 1922, the Philadelphia Phillies played in four cities against four teams in five days, a feat matched by the Rockies in 2018.

1955: Denver Bears Replaced

In 1955, the original Denver Bears (or Grizzlies) were replaced by a Triple-A team of the same name in Denver's minor league baseball history.

1958: Continental League Proposed

In 1958, New York lawyer William Shea proposed the new Continental League as a rival to the two existing major leagues.

1960: Continental League Announcement

In 1960, the Continental League announced plans to begin play in April 1961 with eight teams, including one in Denver headed by Bob Howsam.

April 1961: Continental League Planned Start

In April 1961, the Continental League had planned to begin play with eight teams, including one in Denver, but the league never materialized.

1985: Attempt to Purchase and Relocate the Pittsburgh Pirates

Following the Pittsburgh drug trials in 1985, an unsuccessful attempt was made to purchase the Pittsburgh Pirates and relocate them to Denver.

January 1990: Coors Brewing Company Partnership

In January 1990, Colorado's chances for a new team improved when Coors Brewing Company became a limited partner with the AAA Denver Zephyrs.

1991: Franchise Granted to Denver

In 1991, Denver was granted a Major League Baseball franchise as part of a two-team expansion, along with the Florida (now Miami) Marlins. The team took the name "Rockies".

1992: Ownership Change

In 1992, Michael I. Monus and John Antonucci were forced to drop out of the Rockies' ownership group due to an accounting scandal, and Jerry McMorris stepped in to save the franchise.

1993: Inaugural Season Black Uniform

During their inaugural 1993 season, the Colorado Rockies wore an alternate black uniform for only a few games.

1993: Keli McGregor Joins the Rockies

In 1993, Keli McGregor began his career with the Colorado Rockies.

1993: Expansion Team Inaugural Season

In 1993, the Colorado Rockies began as an expansion team and played their home games at Mile High Stadium.

1993: Rockies Join NL West

In 1993, the Colorado Rockies joined the National League West division.

1993: National League West Debut and Attendance Record

In 1993, the Rockies began play in the National League West and set a Major League record for attendance, drawing 4,483,350 fans.

1995: Completion of Coors Field

Coors Field was completed in 1995 for the Major League Baseball season, marking a new era for the Colorado Rockies.

1995: Playoff Elimination

In 1995, the Rockies reached the Major League Baseball postseason as the National League wild card team but were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

1997: AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain Begins Televising Games

From 1997 to 2023, most Colorado Rockies regular season games were produced and televised by AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain.

1997: Jackie Robinson's Number Retired Throughout Baseball

In 1997, Jackie Robinson's No. 42 was retired throughout all of baseball.

1998: Diamondbacks Founded

In 1998, the Arizona Diamondbacks were founded, becoming the newest team in Major League Baseball and contributing to a rivalry with the Colorado Rockies.

2000: Numerals Added to Home Uniforms

In 2000, numerals were added to the chest of the Colorado Rockies' home uniforms.

2000: Road Uniform Changes

In 2000, the Rockies' road uniform underwent changes including replacing piping with pinstripes, adding "Colorado" to the front, placing chest numerals, and adding black trim to the letters.

2000: Introduction of Purple Alternate Uniform

In the 2000 season, the Colorado Rockies unveiled a purple alternate uniform featuring "Colorado" in silver with black and white trim, and letters and numerals in black with white trim.

2002: Alternate Pinstriped Uniforms Introduced

From 2002 to 2011, the Colorado Rockies wore alternate versions of their pinstriped white uniform, featuring the interlocking "CR" on the left chest and numerals on the right chest.

2002: Keli McGregor Appointed Rockies Team President

In 2002, Keli McGregor was promoted to team president of the Colorado Rockies.

2004: Vest Design for Alternate Uniforms

In 2004, the Rockies changed their alternate pinstriped uniform design to a vest design with black undershirts.

2005: Introduction of Black Sleeveless Uniforms

In the 2005 season, the Colorado Rockies started wearing black sleeveless alternate uniforms with silver letters and numerals, along with black undershirts (and purple undershirts for a few games).

June 1, 2006: Report on Christian Code of Conduct

On June 1, 2006, USA Today reported that the Rockies management, including manager Clint Hurdle, had instituted an explicitly Christian code of conduct for the team's players. This sparked controversy and was contested by some players.

October 17, 2007: Online Ticket Sales Announcement

On October 17, 2007, the Colorado Rockies announced that tickets for the 2007 World Series were to be available to the general public via online sales only.

2007: Rockies Sweep Diamondbacks in NLCS

In 2007, the Colorado Rockies, as a wild card team, swept the division champion Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Championship Series en route to their World Series appearance.

2007: World Series Appearance

In 2007, the Rockies advanced to the World Series after winning 14 of their final 15 regular season games, including a tie-breaking victory against the San Diego Padres. They were eventually swept by the Boston Red Sox.

2007: NL Pennant Win and World Series Appearance

In 2007, the Rockies won the NL pennant after a strong regular season finish, including a tiebreaker victory against the San Diego Padres known as "Game 163". They then swept the Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLDS and NLCS to advance to the World Series.

2009: Playoff Elimination

In 2009, the Rockies reached the Major League Baseball postseason as the National League wild card team but were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

April 20, 2010: Death of Rockies President Keli McGregor

On April 20, 2010, Keli McGregor, who had been with the Rockies since 1993 and served as team president since 2002, passed away. He is honored at Coors Field with his initials.

March 2011: Opening of Salt River Fields at Talking Stick

In March 2011, Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Arizona, opened as the Rockies' spring training home, shared with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

2011: End of Alternate Pinstriped Uniforms

From 2002 to 2011, the Colorado Rockies wore alternate versions of their pinstriped white uniform, featuring the interlocking "CR" on the left chest and numerals on the right chest.

2012: "Purple Mondays" Debut

At the start of the 2012 season, the Colorado Rockies introduced "Purple Mondays," where the team wears its purple uniform every Monday game day, but they continued to wear them on other days of the week as well.

2012: Purple Piping Returns to Road Uniforms

Prior to the 2012 season, the Rockies brought back the purple piping on their road uniforms, while keeping the other elements of their 2000 uniform change.

2013: Spanish Language Radio Broadcasts on KNRV 1150 AM

As of 2013, Spanish language radio broadcasts of the Colorado Rockies are heard on KNRV 1150 AM.

August 17, 2014: Todd Helton's Number Retired

On August 17, 2014, Todd Helton became the first Colorado Rockies player to have his number (17) retired by the team.

2017: Establishment of Official Purple Shade

In 2017, PMS 2685 was established as the official purple shade for the Colorado Rockies, ensuring uniformity in the team's colors.

2017: Diamondbacks Defeat Rockies in Wild Card Game

In 2017, the Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Colorado Rockies in the National League Wild Card Game.

2017: Postseason Berth

In 2017, the Colorado Rockies made a postseason berth.

2018: Postseason Berth and Unique Schedule

In 2018, the Rockies made another postseason berth and became the first team since the 1922 Philadelphia Phillies to play in four cities against four teams in five days, before losing to the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS.

2018: 25th Anniversary Caps

In the 2018 season, the Colorado Rockies wore caps with the "CR" in silver to commemorate the team's 25th anniversary.

2018: Carlos Gonzalez's Number Not Re-issued

Since Carlos Gonzalez left the Colorado Rockies after 2018, his number 5 has not been re-issued by the team.

2019: Addition of Alternate White Pants

Prior to 2019, the Colorado Rockies always wore their white pinstriped pants for home games. Since 2019, they added alternate white non-pinstriped pants to pair with their black or purple alternate uniforms at home.

January 2020: Jerry Schemmel Let Go From KOA

In January 2020, long-time KOA radio announcer Jerry Schemmel was let go from his role for budgetary reasons from KOA's parent company.

2020: Baseball Operations Personnel Conditions

During the 2020 season, Rockies baseball operations personnel were made to work as clubhouse attendants, leading to long work days and an atmosphere of dysfunction, as reported in The Athletic in March 2021.

March 2021: Report on Baseball Operations Personnel Conditions

In March 2021, The Athletic reported that during the 2020 season, Rockies baseball operations personnel were made to work as clubhouse attendants, leading to long work days and an atmosphere of dysfunction. Following this, General Manager Jeff Bridich resigned the following month.

2021: Larry Walker's Number Retired

In 2021, Larry Walker, the first member of the Baseball Hall of Fame wearing a Colorado Rockies hat, had his number (33) retired by the team, becoming the second Rockies player to receive this honor.

2022: Jerry Schemmel Returns to KOA

In 2022, Jerry Schemmel returned to KOA, replacing Mike Rice, who reportedly refused the COVID-19 vaccine.

2022: Retirement of Black Sleeveless Uniform

In 2022, the Colorado Rockies retired the black sleeveless uniform, replacing it with the "City Connect" uniform.

2022: Rockies Don "City Connect" Uniforms

In 2022, the Colorado Rockies were one of seven teams to introduce Nike's "City Connect" uniforms, featuring a green and white design with mountain range motifs, lettering from Colorado license plates, and patches representing Denver's altitude and skiing. Caps were green with a white panel, incorporating Colorado-inspired symbols.

2023: Only Denver Team Without Championship

After the Denver Nuggets won the 2023 NBA Finals, the Rockies became the only one of Denver's major professional sports franchises yet to win a championship.

2023: AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain Televising Games Ends

From 1997 to 2023, most Colorado Rockies regular season games were produced and televised by AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain.

2023: "City Connect" Uniform Tweaked

In 2023, the Rockies modified their "City Connect" uniform by pairing it with white pants for day games and green pants for night games.

April 10, 2024: FAA Investigation into Coach's Flight Video

On April 10, 2024, coach Hensley Meulens posted a video of himself seated in the captain's seat mid-flight on a United Airlines Boeing 757, leading to an investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

2024: All-time Record

As of the end of 2024, the Rockies had an all-time record of 2,321–2,699, resulting in one of the worst winning percentages among active MLB franchises.