Coors' lightest night

Sporting News, The, July 22, 2005 by Stan McNeal

In 10 1/2 years at Coors Field, the Rockies and their opponents piled up a combined 18,863 hits, 11,230 runs and 2,566 homers before there was one of these: a 1-0 game.

It finally happened last Saturday--in the 847th regular-season game at Coors--when Jason Jennings, Jay Witasick and Brian Fuentes shut out the Padres on seven hits.

Obviously, the history-making part of the contest--the next longest streak was 635 from 1882-1891 at the home grounds of the Philadelphia Athletics of the old American Association--was in doubt until the last out. But Fuentes, the Rockies' lone representative on the N.L. All-Star team, added to the excitement by walking the first two batters in the ninth.

He struck out the next two before Eric Young drilled a sharp grounder down the third base line that was certain to be a run-scoring hit--except it was foul by about 2 feet. Young reached base on an error that loaded the bases, but the lefthanded Fuentes struck out lefthanded-hitting Brian Giles, the Padres' No. 3 hitter.

The Padres also came close to scoring in the sixth when Giles was on second and Mark Sweeney singled sharply to right. Giles was charging toward home when he was held up by his third base coach, who didn't see Rockies right fielder Jorge Piedra fumble the ball until just after he threw up the stop sign. Giles retreated to third and the next batter, Ramon Hernandez, hit into an inning-ending double play.

"This really stinks," Padres starter Brian Lawrence told reporters after doing something no other pitcher had done--given up the only run in a game at Coors.--Stan McNeal