History of the Colorado Rockies

The Colorado Rockies, one of the newest teams in major league baseball, haven't had much success in their short history. They've gone to the postseason five times and they've won one National League pennant, but no World Series title. Their best season was in 2009, when they had 92 wins and 70 losses.

1993-1999

In 1991, Denver was selected, along with Miami, as the site for a new MLB franchise team. Two years later, both teams started playing in the National League, the Florida Marlins in the National League East division and the Colorado Rockies in the National League West division.

The Rockies started playing at Mile High Stadium in 1993, under the leadership of manager Don Baylor. They struggled in their first season, finishing with 67 wins and 95 losses. One bright spot that year was first baseman Andres Galaragga, who led the National League in batting average. He would continue to be an important part of the team through 1997.

In 1994, the Rockies were in last place in the National League West division with a 53-64 record when the season was halted by a strike. The following year, their home games were moved to Coors Field, and the move brought them success. The 1995 season was a turning point for the Rockies, with their first winning season and their first trip to the postseason. They finished the regular season with a 77-67 record and the NL Wild Card spot. They lost, however, the NL division series to the Atlanta Braves. Baylor, for his efforts, was named the NL Manager of the Year.

Injuries to the Rockies' pitching staff hurt the team in 1996. Even though they had strong hitting from Galarraga, the Rockies finished the season in third place in the NL West division with a record of 83-79. The 1997 season was a repeat of the previous season, with the same win-loss record and again a third place finish in the division.

Galarraga left the Rockies in 1998 but they found a worthy replacement in young Todd Helton, who first joined the team the previous year. The 1998 season turned out to be a losing one for the team and they finished at close to the bottom of the NL West division, with a record of 77-85. That poor showing meant the end of Don Baylor's time as the Rockies manager.

In 1999, under new manager Jim Leyland, the Rockies and their fans had high hopes for a winning season. However, the team had another losing season, this time finishing in last place in the NL West division with a 72-90 record. Leyland left the Rockies after the season. The team's general manager, Bob Gebhard, resigned earlier, leaving the Rockies in August, 1999. Dan O'Dowd became the new general manager and Buddy Bell was hired as field manager.

2000-2009

The Rockies had a winning season in 2000, their first since 1997, but they couldn't move up from fourth place in the NL West division. They had losing seasons from 2001 to 2005. They started the 2006 season with some strong hitters, including Helton, Matt Holliday, and Garrett Atkins. However, it wasn't enough to help them to a winning season and they finished the year with a 76-86 record. From 2000 to 2006, the Rockies finished in fourth place in the NL West division five times and in fifth place two times.

Buddy Bell was replaced as manager in 2002 by Clint Hurdle. It took until 2007 for Hurdle to lead the Rockies to a winning season. They finished the season with a 90-73 record, right behind the Arizona Diamondbacks, who won the division title. The Rockies earned the NL Wild Card spot and they went on to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL division series. They then won their first NL pennant by defeating the Diamondbacks in the NL Championship series. They went to their first World Series, but they lost the title to the Boston Red Sox.

In 2009, Hurdle was replaced by Jim Tracy, who led the Rockies to 92 wins and 70 losses. They again placed second in the NL West division, and they won a Wild Card spot. They lost the NLDS to the Phillies in four games. After the postseason ended, Tracy was named the NL Manager of the Year.

2010-2018

The Rockies had another winning season in 2010, finishing with 83 wins and 79 losses, but they still finished in third place in the NL West division. The next year, they fell back to fourth place with 73 wins and 89 losses. The 2012 season was even worse, with a 64-98 record and a fifth place finish in the division.

Walt Weiss took over as manager in 2013. That year, the Rockies had hopes for a brighter future with the addition of strong young players like D.J. LeMahieu and Nolan Arenado. The new manager and players didn't help and the Rockies finished the 2013 season in last place in the NL West division with 74 wins and 88 losses.

The Rockies and Weiss continued to struggle in 2014 and 2015, finishing in fourth place in the NL West division in 2014 and in fifth place in 2015. They had 66 wins and 96 losses in 2014, and a similar record in 2015, with 68 wins and 94 losses. They improved in 2016, finishing with 75 wins and 87 losses and a third place finish in the division.

Bud Black took over as manager in 2017, and in his first year, he led the Rockies to a winning season. Although their 87 wins and 75 losses kept them in third place in the NL West division, they won a Wild Card spot. They faced their West division rivals, the Diamondbacks, in the Wild Card game and they lost it in a tight game that ended with a score of 1-0.

The Rockies improved in 2018, finishing the season with 91 wins and 72 losses. They had to face the Dodgers in a tie-breaker extra game to see which team would win the NL West division title and they lost that game. They then played a Wild Card game against the Cubs and they won that one. They were then swept in three games in the ALDS by the Milwaukee Brewers.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Colorado Rockies
Baseball Reference - Colorado Rockies