Inside The Orioles

Watch Baltimore Orioles Star Rookie Catch Father’s First Pitch in Colorado

Jackson Holliday and his father, Matt Holliday, teamed up for a father-son first pitch in Colorado on Saturday.

Matthew Postins

Aug 31, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Baltimore Orioles second base Jackson Holliday (7) and his father retired American baseball player Matt Holliday before the game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.
Aug 31, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Baltimore Orioles second base Jackson Holliday (7) and his father retired American baseball player Matt Holliday before the game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
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The Baltimore Orioles’ road trip to face the Colorado Rockies gave Jackson Holliday an opportunity to play at Coors Field for the first time as a Major Leaguer.

But it was far from the first time that Holliday has been to Denver.

Holliday’s father, Matt Holliday, started his Major League career with the Rockies. He broke in during the 2004 season and played four more years in Colorado, where he was named an All-Star his final three seasons.

He was part of the Rockies’ first World Series team in 2007, during which he was named the MVP of the National League Championship Series. He won three Silver Slugger awards, along with the National League batting championship in 2007.

Colorado traded Holliday to Oakland after the 2008 season, and he went on to spend the bulk of his remaining career with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he won a World Series ring in 2011 and was eventually named to the Cardinals Hall of Fame.

But he returned to Colorado in 2018 to end his career where it began.

Jackson Holliday was born in 2003, so he spent a good portion of his early formative years around the Rockies organization and spent summer days playing on the field. So returning to Denver was a big deal for the entire Holliday family.

On Saturday, the Rockies made it an even bigger deal. The organization made the ceremonial first pitch a family affair, as Matt Holliday wore his old Rockies jersey and threw the first pitch to his son, now 20 years old, standing behind home plate.

The Orioles provided video of the moment from Jackson’s perspective behind the plate.

The Rockies did the same from Matt’s perspective on the mound.

Then, Colorado got the family portrait.

Jackson Holliday broke into the Majors earlier this year, playing a short stint with the Orioles in April. He was sent back to Triple-A Norfolk to work on improving his at-bats against left-handed pitching.

He returned to the majors in late July and it appears as if the No. 1 overall pick of the 2022 MLB Draft is here to stay. Holiday recently played enough Major League games to graduate from prospect rankings, meaning his two-year reign as the top prospect in baseball came to an end.

Since his return, he’s become the third-youngest player in baseball history to have three RBI on a pinch-hit and the youngest player in American League history to homer in three straight games.

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Matthew Postins

MATTHEW POSTINS

Matthew Postins covers baseball for several SI/Fan Nation sites, including Inside the Orioles. He also covers the Big 12 for HeartlandCollegeSports.com and Rodeo for Rodeodaily.com.

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