Thanks to a pair of international series and Major League Baseball’s balanced schedule which ensures every club plays each other, the Colorado Rockies schedule for 2024 has a lot of interesting matchups.
As part of the MLB World Tour, an initiative to grow the game with series outside of the United States and Canada, Colorado will face the Houston Astros for two games in Mexico City on April 27-28 next season.
“I’m excited,” Alan Trejo said of the Mexico City Series. “The Mexican fans, hopefully they’re gonna welcome us with open arms. It should be a good time. It looked like they had a blast down there (this year).”
Apr 30, 2023; Mexico City, Mexico; A general overall view of the playing of the Mexican national anthem during a MLB World Tour game between the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Opening Day across MLB takes place on Thursday, March 28 with the Rockies at Chase Field to face the Arizona Diamondbacks for a four-game series. From there, they travel to the much less warmer confines of Wrigley Field for three against the Chicago Cubs on April 1-3.
After closing out the 2023 slate with a series at home against the Minnesota Twins, the Rockies will celebrate the first game of 2024 at Coors Field against the Tampa Bay Rays on April 5 marking the club’s first homer opener against an American League opponent in franchise history.
Also in April, Colorado travels north of the border to play the Toronto Blue Jays on April 12-14 for only the fourth time ever and first time since 2013. The Rogers Centre remains the only active stadium the franchise has never won a game, going 0-9 in Toronto.
In addition to 13 games with the rest of the National League West, the top four vote-getters in the 2022 AL Rookie of the Year Award will all make an appearance in Denver next season: Julio Rodríguez and the Seattle Mariners (April 19-21), Steven Kwan and the Cleveland Guardians (May 27-29), Bobby Witt Jr. and the Kansas City Royals (July 5-7), and Adley Rutschman and the Baltimore Orioles (Aug 31 – Sep 2).
Reunions with former Rockies are also a common theme for next season. Besides the annual Nolan Arenado appearance, this time during the final week of the season on September 24-26, Jon Gray returns on May 10-12 for the second time since signing with the Texas Rangers. If healthy, the odds are in his favor to make his first start at Coors Field since leaving the organization he spent the first nine years of his professional career.
Having been injured earlier this season when Colorado traveled to Fenway Park, Trevor Story is set to play against his former club for the first time on July 22-24 as the Boston Red Sox play at 20th and Blake for only their fifth regular season series. They’ll aim to win their first game in Denver since 2013 after going 0-2 during their last visit in 2019.
This is the most painful thing to see for too many reasons to count
📸: @bradfo pic.twitter.com/WJhSIXIocd
— DNVR Rockies (@DNVR_Rockies) June 12, 2023
The Rockies travel to the Oakland Coliseum on May 21-23 to take on the Athletics for what could be the final time in the Bay Area. Having been unable to agree on a new stadium, owner John Fisher continues to explore the possibility of moving his franchise to Las Vegas beginning in 2025.
After losing both contests at Minute Maid Park just before the All-Star break, Colorado opened the second half by splitting a pair of games against the Astros at Coors Field this week to cap a 3-2 homestand. Next season’s matchup against the winners of the 2022 World Series will take place over a weekend at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú.
This will be the second time the team plays a regular season game in Mexico. The Rockies played the San Diego Padres in the first ever Opening Day held outside the U.S. or Canada back in 1999. In that game, Vinny Castilla went 4-for-5 during an 8-2 victory at Estadio de Béisbol Monterrey.
Castilla, whose 320 career home runs is most all-time for a Mexican player, is expected to be in attendance during the 2023 Mexico City Series as he remains an Assistant to the General Manager. The 56-year-old member of the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame served as the bench coach for Team Mexico in the most recent World Baseball Classic earlier this year where his country reached the semifinals for the first time in tournament history. Trejo, his shortstop, played in all six games and relished the opportunity to represent Mexico.
Mar 14, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Mexico base runner Alan Trejo celebrates after scoring in the seventh inning against Great Britain during the World Baseball Classic at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
“Mexico didn’t really claim me as a Mexican player up until the World Baseball Classic, so it’s been kind of nice getting the recognition that I’ve always kind of wanted from Mexico because I’ve always played with my heritage,” Trejo said of the opportunity presented by the Mexico City Series.
His family in Mexico wants to attend, especially since they’ve never seen the Los Angeles born play in person. “I would love for them to come watch me play and cheer me,” he shared. “Hopefully my parents are gonna get down there too and enjoy a couple of games in Mexico City.”
