Welcome to 5 Quick Questions, a new 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: Charlie Blackmon and Justin Lawrence
Who were your favorite players growing up?
Charlie Blackmon: “I didn’t like individual players as much as I liked watching the Braves and baseball in general.”
Justin Lawrence: “Mariano Rivera.”
When you think of the Rockies, who is the first player who comes to mind?
Charlie Blackmon: “Todd Helton”
Justin Lawrence: “Honestly, Charlie Blackmon.”
They say that the triple is the most exciting play in baseball. Do you agree and if not, what is?
Charlie Blackmon: “It’s gotta be a homer. Or a robbed home run. Anything where a point is in play.”
Justin Lawrence: “Immaculate inning. You’ll get a triple every once in a while, an immaculate inning rarely happens…”
If you could have any job in the world other than your own, what would it be?
Charlie Blackmon: “I would just be retired all day.” (I asked about fishing.) “I wouldn’t want fishing to be a job. I would just want to have a lot of hobbies. I don’t want to do that for other people and that’s what “job” implies.”
Justin Lawrence: “A chef of some sort. Maybe a personal chef for a high end restaurant. An elite chef.”
What is your favorite ballgame that you have played in?
Charlie Blackmon: “I guess you gotta go with the playoff games. The Wild Card Game because we won.”
Justin Lawrence: “My first save. That definitely holds a special place. Hoping it was the first of many to come.”
Notes:
On October 2, 2018, the Rockies won their first postseason game in nearly a decade, defeating the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in the National League Wild Card Game.
Blackmon led the game off with a walk, moved to third on a DJ LeMahieu double, and scored on a sac fly off the bat of Nolan Arenado. That was the lone run of the game until the Cubs tied it at 1-1 in the bottom of the eighth.
On October 3, 2022, the Rockies beat the Dodgers 2-1 and Justin Lawrence recorded his first career save. He allowed a leadoff single to Trea Turner but then got outs in the air from Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, and Max Muncy to enter the history books.
We’ve already had two votes for Chipper Jones and Blackmon makes it an unofficial third by taking the entire Atlanta team from that era.
As a relief pitcher, it’s hard to have a better career to aspire to than Mariano Rivera’s and it certainly doesn’t hurt that Lawrence and Rivera both hail from Panama.
Blackmon wasn’t going to vote for himself so took Todd Helton for all-time Rockie but Lawrence, the youngest player to take this survey so far, comes in with our first unequivocal vote for Blackmon.
More bold and creative interpretations of the word “play” as Chuck Nazty goes with an either/or scenario at the outfield fence and Lawrence goes with an entire inning.
His choice actually prompted a brief conversation with fellow reliever Daniel Bard who was standing nearby and notes that the immaculate inning (striking out three consecutive batters on nine pitches) is one of the rarest accomplishments in baseball.
He’s right. There have been fewer immaculate innings (110) than no-hitters (318).
In my 11 years covering the Rockies, I have witnessed precisely one. German Marquez did it against Corey Dickerson, Starling Marte, and Gregory Polanco of the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 8, 2018. The only other one in franchise history belongs to lefty Rex Brothers who got his against the Giants on June 14, 2014.