Welcome to 5 Quick Questions, a series here at Mile High Sports where we will ask as many Colorado Rockies ballplayers as we can, and maybe a few coaches, front office members and media too, the same set of questions.
We will be keeping track of trends and making note of particularly fun or interesting answers while also adding a bit of context wherever it may be needed.
Next Up: Elias Diaz (All-Star) and Pierce Johnson.
Who were your favorite players growing up?
Elias Diaz: “Ivan Rodriguez. Pudge.”
Pierce Johnson: “Tony Gwynn. That was my favorite position player and Roy Halladay was my favorite pitcher.”
Drew Creasman: “Colorado guy.”
Pierce Johnson: “Colorado guy, yeah, and also, I lived in San Diego for a while so yeah.
When you think of the Rockies, who is the first player who comes to mind?
Elias Diaz: “Carlos Gonzalez and Charlie Blackmon.”
Pierce Johsnon: “Todd Helton. I know it’s a pretty typical answer. I could say Tulo but I’m pretty sure that’s a popular answer too. I was a huge Tulo fan. And I even remember Clint Barmes when he first came up he was great.”
They say that the triple is the most exciting play in baseball. Do you agree and if not, what is?
Elias Diaz: “The walk-off home run… I got two of ‘em,” he laughs.
Pierce Johnson: “I would say triple play. Because you never really see it. I was here when I saw Tulo do the unassisted triple play, that was sick.”
Drew Creasman: “Have you ever had one turned behind you?”
Pierce Johsnon: ‘I haven’t. I’ve only seen one in person, well, while I was playing. It was in the minor leagues. It’s so rare. They were playing the lines and the third baseman stepped on the bag, fired to second, and they got a slow runner but hey, it was awesome. Would you consider the immaculate inning a play?”
Drew Creasman: “Yeah both Bard and Lawrence chose it.”
Pierce Johnson: “I’ll stick with the triple play then.”
If you could have any job in the world other than your own, what would it be?
Elias Diaz: “I don’t know maybe… pilot?”
Pierce Johnson: “You know what I think would be really cool? And I’m not even good at photography but being a National Geographic photographer. Travel the world. Take photos of amazing things that most people don’t get to see. I have a Canon I dabble with for fun. It’s relaxing. I love being outside. I think that would be pretty cool.”
What is your favorite ballgame that you have played in?
Elias Diaz: “There’s been a lot. Some good ones. Really hard to answer…maybe one of those walk-offs.”
Pierce Johnson: “I’ve got a lot of great memories playing baseball. This has been my life for so long. This is a really good question…pitching in the playoffs was pretty cool in 2020 when there were no fans. Japan was a great experience through and through. Pitching here at home in front of my family every day is…man I don’t even know if I have a solid answer for this… I’ll go with my first save.”
NOTES:
One of my personal favorites from childhood, Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez gets on the board thanks to Diaz while Johnson adds all-time contact hitter Tony Gwynn and Colorado’s own Roy Halladay to the mix.
Todd Helton keeps increasing his lead in “most Rockie” but Chuck gets his seventh vote and CarGo his second. Johnson gives Troy Tulowitzki his first vote. And well deserved.
Johnson was the first person to mention the triple play for most exciting while becoming the third relief pitcher to include the immaculate inning after Daniel Bard and Justin Lawrence. Diaz becomes the fourth to specify a walk-off home run.
Diaz is also the third, and third of the last four, to choose pilot as an alternative job. Something interesting going on there but not sure what just yet. And Johnson is our first would-be photographer.
On March 31, 2023, Colorado native Pierce Johnson made his Rockies debut in San Diego, another city he has called home, and secured the first save of his career.
On July 1, 2021, Elias Diaz, who this week became the first Colorado Rockies catcher ever selected to the All-Star Game, hit the first walk-off home run of his career. It was in the bottom of the ninth of a 2-2 game against the Cardinals, a three-run shot on an 0-2 count.
His second came just a few weeks later on August 21, 2021, when once again he hit a three-run blast in a 2-2 game in the bottom of the ninth to send the fans home happy.