Red Sox at Coors Field

The Red Sox have played just one series at Coors Field, June 15-17, 2004, losing two of three to the Rockies.

June 15, 2004: Rockies 6, Red Sox 3

With the score tied, 3-3, in the third inning, right fielder Gabe Kapler's throwing error to second base on Jeromy Burnitz's single allowed Vinny Castilla to score the decisive run. Colorado added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth when Todd Helton, who came in batting .429 for the month, turned around a 93-mile-per-hour fastball from Sox reliever Alan Embree for a two-run homer. The result snapped an eight-game losing streak for the Rockies, who were playing before the largest Coors crowd (40,489) since Opening Day. In the park that had been yielding an average of 14.5 runs per game, the Sox stranded 12 runners. "No way did we think we were going to score only three runs," Johnny Damon said. "It's a funny game. You scratch your head every time you try to think what will happen." Sox starter Bronson Arroyo surrendered four runs (three earned) on seven hits and a walk over six innings. Castilla, who entered the game hitting .152 in June, feasted on Arroyo for a solo homer and singled home a run as he improved to .500 (4 for 8) against the righthander, with three homers and six RBIs. "It's not a fun place to pitch," said Curt Schilling, who had made 12 career starts at Coors. "It's a matter of really changing your expectations sometimes and having your goal be giving up one less run than the other guy."

June 16, 2004: Rockies 7, Red Sox 6

Schilling, using the anesthetic Marcaine to help with the discomfort from a bruised bone in his ankle (yes, that ankle), struggled mightily, suffering his sixth straight defeat since May 13. The Rockies twice overcame deficits as the Sox dropped a season-high 5 1/2 games behind the first-place Yankees in the American League East. Schilling surrendered seven runs (five earned) on nine hits, four walks, and a hit batsman, but he would not use the ankle as an excuse, attributing his struggles to shoddy command. "It feels better and it feels stronger," he said. "That's why tonight is as disappointing as it is. As good as I felt, I just had too much trouble executing." Trailing, 7-4, in the ninth inning, the Sox got to Rockies closer Shawn Chacon for two runs on singles by Manny Ramírez, Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Varitek, and Kevin Youkilis. But with two outs and the tying run at third, Chacon escaped by getting pinch hitter David McCarty to fly to right on a 3-and-2 pitch. The Sox twice went hitless with the bases loaded, lowering their American League-worst average with the sacks full to .188. They also committed two errors (by Damon and Garciaparra) as their league-leading total of unearned runs rose to 44. The Rockies won a second straight game at Coors for the first time in a month.

June 17, 2004: Red Sox 11, Rockies 0

The Sox won a laugher, in more ways than one. The rout included Kevin Millar tripping over third base in the eighth inning and belly-flopping onto the rain-soaked turf. "Hey, Millar, let me show you how to run the bases!" Pedro Martínez shouted across the clubhouse after the game as he emerged from the shower. Manny Ramírez, clad only in a towel, joined in the fun by tossing a copy of Sports Illustrated's baseball preview across the carpet to serve as a base. At that, Martínez, still naked, demonstrated the art of rounding a base without losing one's balance, drawing chuckles from all corners of the room. David Ortiz singled home Damon in the fifth, cracked his 14th homer in the seventh, and added a two-run double in the eighth. The victory marked only the second time in 400 games over five years that the Rockies were blanked at hitter-happy Coors. Derek Lowe, who started for the Sox, improved to 6-5 and lowered his ERA to 5.25, scattering four singles and four walks over seven innings. The sinkerballer recorded 17 of his 21 outs on grounders. "This is not an easy ballpark to do what he did," said manager Terry Francona. "He did what he has to do to be very effective." Even though pitchers are "supposed to fail" at Coors, according to Lowe, he entered the game with a positive outlook and maintained it. "When you have that frame of mind, it gives you a better chance," he said. "To know you need to pitch a good game and actually do it is very gratifying."

Note: The Red Sox and Rockies were scheduled to play a pair of exhibition games in Denver April 2-3, 1999, but the first was canceled because of snow. The Sox won the second, 10-6, at a still-chilly Coors.