After dropping two of three at home to the middling St. Louis Cardinals over the past weekend, the chances that the Colorado Rockies avoid losing 100 games for the fourth straight season are slip-sliding away.
The remaining schedule offers no gimmies. Three games in New York against the playoff bound Yankees. Three more in Detroit against an above-average Tigers outfit. Ten more home games against the playoff-bound Padres, the above-average Seattle Mariners and a Diamondbacks team fighting for a playoff spot. Then, a season-ending, three-game road trip to face a Chicago White Sox team that currently leads the American League Central – after having lost 121 games two seasons ago.
Manager Warren Schaeffer has publicly dismissed concerns about the ultimate loss total, correctly stating that the differences between 100 and 99 losses is pretty much meaningless in the big picture. That’s true, of course. But is it true, emotionally, for this young and rebuilding team? What could it mean for this group to end the skid that began in 2023 and turn an imaginary corner, at least on paper?
Think way back to Year One of the Rockies – 1993 – when we gathered in the locker room at Hi Corbett Field in Tucson, Arizona before the expansion franchise’s very first full-squad workout. We were a group of castoffs – has beens, never weres, and minor league free agents. We were players deemed expendable by their former teams.
First-year manager Don Baylor didn’t have postseason aspirations for us for that season, but he did have a plan.
Early on during that first team meeting, he told us in no uncertain terms that, “we will not lose 100 games.” And he meant it.
Baylor had been a standout player, a key part of three World Series teams, including the title-winning 1987 Minnesota Twins. He was a former All-Star and American League MVP. Known for his power hitting and ferocious baserunning, Don did not like to lose. And while he understood that his expansion team was not going to be in the playoff hunt, he also knew the importance of building the right mindset and culture. Starting off with 100 losses was not part of his building plan.
That first year was bumpy, as was expected. But the 1993 Rockies ended up with a final record of 67-95. Would Rockies fans take that this year? You bet.
Two seasons later, Baylor led Colorado to the team’s first playoff berth.
In fact, the franchise was one of the last in MLB history to lose 100 games in a single season. At the same time, they still have never won that many, either – an oddity that made them unique for many years. It wasn’t until 2023 – their 30th year – that the Rockies finally lost more than 100 times.
It’s just a number, of course. If you’ve watched this team, you’ve seen tangible signs of notable progress. They’re significantly better than a year ago – even if their pitching is still lagging well behind – regardless of the final record.
Still, is there momentum to be gained – at least between the ears – by somehow avoiding that unpleasant century mark for the fourth consecutive season? Or will the idea of a 15-18 game improvement from last year’s historic 119-loss campaign be enough to show that everything is moving in the right direction?
