Fastball

Charlie Blackmon Has Heartwarming Moment Before Final Game with Rockies

The final game for the Rockies star is sure to be an emotional one.

Brady Farkas

Colorado Rockies fan holds a sign in reference to outfielder Charlie Blackmon (not pictured) in the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field on Sept 28.
Colorado Rockies fan holds a sign in reference to outfielder Charlie Blackmon (not pictured) in the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field on Sept 28. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
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An emotional scene took place on Sunday afternoon at Coors Field as longtime Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon ran out to his outfield position by himself, allowing himself to hear the roar of the raucous crowd.

The Rockies are ending the season against the Los Angeles Dodgers and it will be the final game of Blackmon's illustrious career. He announced that he was retiring at the end of the year.

The 38-year-old Blackmon has spent each of his 14 seasons with the Rockies, amassing 1,804 career hits (entering play on Sunday). A four-time All-Star, Blackmon also won the National League batting title in 2017 when he hit .331.

Remarkably durable throughout his career, Blackmon played 140 games or more each year from 2014-2021. That doesn't include the pandemic shortened 2020 season, when he also played 59 out of a possible 60 games.

His production has dropped off in the last few years as he's aged. He hit .270 in 2021, .264 in 2022, .279 in an injury-plagued 2023 and .255 this year.

The Rockies are mired in another terrible season, missing the playoffs and amassing 100 losses. Without Blackmon, not only will they have a hole in the outfield, they'll also have a hole in their clubhouse.

That's not the only question in the organization moving forward, either. Longtime manager Bud Black is a free agent at the end of the year and there are questions about if he'll come back as well.

It's just the start of a long offseason in Denver.

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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. 

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