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: German Marquez and Nick Mears
Who were your favorite players growing up?
German Marquez: “Omar Visqzuel.”
Nick Mears: “Pedro Martinez.”
When you think of the Rockies, who is the first player who comes to mind?
German Marquez: “Chuck. Vinny… yeah Vinny for sure.”
Nick Mears: “Charlie Blackmon.”
They say that the triple is the most exciting play in baseball. Do you agree and if not, what is?
German Marquez: “Hit for the cycle. Also, I love double plays.”
Nick Mears: “A squeeze with a play at the plate.”
Drew Creasman: “Trying to remember the last time I saw that.”
Mears: “There was one in the college world series. It was awesome.”
If you could have any job in the world other than your own, what would it be?
Nick Mears: “Pilot. I got my private pilot’s license. My step-dad is a pilot for United and he has a little single-prop airplane that we will take up every once in a while.”
German Marquez: “Maybe a pilot? Maybe… maybe.”
What is your favorite ballgame that you have played in?
German Marquez: “When I almost threw the no hitter.”
Drew Creasman: “Which one?”
Marquez: “Oh yeah the one here. San Francisco was good but the one here was more exciting.”
Nick Mears: “When I was with the Pirates, we were in Cincinnati and the previous time I faced them, I gave up like three or fours runs on like a walk, two broken-bat singles… so the next time I faced them it was toward the end of the season and they were trying to make a playoff push. It was the seventh or eighth inning and I was pitching, bases loaded no outs, in a close game and I ended up getting out of it. Struck out the last guy and…I was a little excited, had some choice words coming off the field.
Drew Creasman: “Same guys that got you before?”
“Yeah. Votto, Farmer, and Castellanos.”
NOTES:
We’ve got two more votes for Charlie Blackmon bringing his total up to six. Todd Helton remains comfortably in first place with 11 votes, while Larry Walker and Vinny Castilla are now tied with four votes apiece.
Pedro Martinez was mentioned for the second time with Mears joining Daniel Bard as a pair of pitchers who share a favorite all-time great. Marquez is the first player to mention Omar Vizquel.
Both Mears and Marquez answered “pilot” for an alternative job though clearly Mears has some experience and a bit of knowhow where Marquez gave the answer but also made it clear he’s happy to have the job he does. On the ground.
Mears is the first to choose the squeeze play for most exciting and it’s a phenomenal choice that we don’t see very often but it always a rush of adrenaline when it does. Like several other pitchers, Marquez started with an offensive accomplishment by mentioning hitting for the cycle but then remembered how much he loves inducing a twin killing.
On September 21, 2021, Nick Mears entered a 3-2 ballgame for the Pirates and loaded the bases with a pair of walks and a single before mowing down the heart of the Reds lineup and powering his team to victory. The Reds would go on to win 83 games, narrowly missing out on the postseason. Apparently, some people do enjoy being the spoiler.
On June 29, 2021, German Marquez threw the second one-hitter of his career and came just one single in the ninth inning away from throwing the second no-hitter in Coors Field history.
He winced a bit as he remembered his magnificent achievement, likely recalling a weak sinking line drive off the bat of Ka’ai Tom who broke it up.