Fastball

Colorado Rockies Win First Game By Walk-Off Pitch Clock Violation in Baseball History

The Colorado Rockies beat the Washington Nationals on Saturday night thanks to the first walk-off pitch clock violation in league history.

Brady Farkas

Colorado Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon (24) hits a single against the Washington Nationals in the third inning at Coors Field on June 22.
Colorado Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon (24) hits a single against the Washington Nationals in the third inning at Coors Field on June 22. / John Leyba-USA TODAY Sports

The Colorado Rockies beat the Washington Nationals on Saturday night in one of the most unique ways in baseball history: The Rockies won by a walk-off pitch clock violation, which is the first time that's ever happened.

Now, the pitch clock has only been around for a year so that's a small total sample size, but still, it's something we haven't seen. Pitchers and hitters alike have tended to get a hold of the pitch clock and the timing associated with it but Nationals' closer Kyle Finnegan couldn't handle it on Saturday.

Finnegan was pitching against Rockies' star Ryan McMahon, who was 3-for-4 with two RBI, so he likely wanted as much time to think about his impending 3-2 pitch, but he went too far with it.

It was a tough night all around for Finnegan, who took the loss after not getting an out in the ninth inning. He surrendered two runs on four hits and the walk, raising his ERA to 2.30 in the process. Despite that, he'll still have a case for being an All-Star in the National League.

As for the Rockies, it was a much-needed win and marked another walk-off win for them this week. They also beat the Dodgers by walk-off on Wednesday. Colorado is now 27-50, which is the second-worst record in the National League. They are 0.5 games ahead of the Miami Marlins.

The Rockies will play the Nationals again on Sunday with first pitch coming at 3:10 p.m. ET. Jake Irvin (WASH) will pitch against Kyle Freeland (COL).

Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

Published
Brady Farkas

BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

Home/History