Denver native Kyle Freeland started the show and Mile High City product Pierce Johnson closed it out.
From start to finish, the pitchers who grew up going to games at Coors Field shone.
Freeland pitched 4 2/3 innings and allowed 4 hits.,Johnson pitched a perfect ninth inning and the Colorado Rockies won their home opener over the Washington Nationals 1-0 on Thursday.
“That was great,” said Johnson, who earned his second save. “To be able to do it in a place where I used to go to watch games growing up, and all my family and friends were here, I can’t even put it into words.”
Kris Bryant drove in the only run with a single in the fifth. It was the 12th 1-0 game in Denver, the 11th at Coors Field, and the first since July 4, 2018, when Colorado beat San Francisco.
This was also a quick game at Coors Field, lasting 2 hours and 18 minutes. The home opener last season lasted 3:09.
Freeland (2-0) struck out five and walked two before turning the bullpen around. He tipped his cap to the capacity crowd on the way off the field.
“I wanted the state of Colorado to know that I love them,” Freeland said. “It’s great to see everyone out there and supporting us, behind us with everything.”
The game was moving at such a fast pace that Johnson had to rush to make sure he warmed up. He is filling in for Daniel Bard, who went on the disabled list with anxiety issues.
“Freeland really did an amazing job today,” Johnson said. “He kept them on their toes and got a lot of quick outs.”
Jurickson Profar put on a fielding display in left field, starting with his first-inning jump grab at the wall. Adding to the difficulty was fending off the gauntlet of an amateur trying to reach a souvenir.
It was far from over. She made a diving catch in the second and a long running catch in the fifth.
His favorite?
"All of them"joked Profar."Being able to help Kyle and the team get the ‘W’ on defense feels good.".
Profar is still getting to know his surroundings after signing with Colorado on March 21. He’s so new to Coors Field that he asked a clubhouse attendant before the game to direct him to the batting cages.
It was an efficient rebounding performance from Nationals starter Josiah Gray (0-2), who allowed one run in six innings against Colorado. In his first start, Gray gave up five runs in five innings in a loss to Atlanta.