Coors Field has been an electric atmosphere these past two nights (and not just because of the wild thunderstorm that delayed Tuesday’s game by nearly three hours), but the Rockies players aren’t getting caught up in the Troy Tulowitzki love-fest.
“It was a crazy atmosphere,” Rockies pitcher Jon Gray said, describing Monday night’s game, which saw the return of the Rockies’ longtime shortstop.
Gray joined Afternoon Drive with Eric Goodman and Les Shapiro on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 on Tuesday just before the scheduled start of Game 2 of the three-game series.
“It was different; it was a lot different,” he said about the fan reaction to Tulowitzki’s return. “It was weird with [Tulo] being on the other side, but the environment was electric and it was one of those big-time games. It was pretty fun.”
Still, Tulowitzki is now part of the Rockies’ past and Gray is very much a part of the team’s future. That may be part of the reason his teammate, Carlos Gonzalez, said after Monday’s game that he took it personally that Rockies fans cheered so loudly when Tulowitzki was introduced.
“I want to make sure that the fans are on my side not the other side,” Gonzalez told reporters. He hit a three-run home run in the game to help persuade them.
Gray did his part to get the fans back on their side straightaway, striking out Tulowitzki in his first at-bat and helping to hold him 0-for-4 in the opener. The young right-hander shared Gonzalez’s sentiment.
“I felt the same way [as Gonzalez],” he told Goodman and Shapiro. “I know there’s a lot of respect the fans have for him but then again he’s on a different team now and it’s a different year. I just know that he’s an opposing player now and I wanted to bury him.”
Fans ought to be excited about that kind of no-mercy attitude from their emerging ace. They can also be excited that Gray has seen first-hand that there is similar talent coming through the ranks of the Rockies organization.
“I can name guys at every level … You look at guys like [current Rockies closer Carlos] Estevez, I pitched with him in Grand Junction and he’s already up here. He’s doing great. There’s a bunch of young talent. It’s just the guys who trust the system … they’re going to make it here and be successful.”
Gray and the Rockies hope to have a successful end to the three-game series on Wednesday. After dropping the second game, they’ll turn to another highly regarded pitching prospect, Tyler Anderson, to earn the series win.
Listen to the full interview with Gray, including a lengthy discussion about how he’s maturing as a pitcher, in the podcast below.
Catch Afternoon Drive with Eric Goodman and Les Shapiro every weekday from 4p-6p on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 or stream live any time for the best local coverage of Colorado sports from Denver’s biggest sports talk lineup.
