Rockies Review: April 25, 2007 - Torrealba ties franchise mark for catching excellence

Rockies fans fondly remember Yorvit Torrealba as the catcher who helped lead Colorado throughout the 2007 season and hit .500 in the playoffs on the way to the club’s first and only World Series.

As a 13-year veteran in major league baseball, the Venezuelan-born backstop has been a valuable member to several contending organizations during his time, including five postseason teams and two appearances in the Fall Classic.

So respected within the baseball community, his son, outfielder Yorvis Torrealba, would be a 20th Rd selection by the Rockies in the 2019 MLB Draft.

On this day in 2008, Torrealba helped tie a franchise record for the most runners thrown out (3) in a game during a 13-inning affair against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

First it was 22-year-old Matt Kemp, who had yet to become a thorn in Colorado’s side. Next was speedster and one of the best base-stealers of his generation, Rafael Furcal. Finally, it was the sneaky-quick catcher Russell Martin, one of only eleven catchers in history with over 100 stolen bases.

Unfortunately, Torrealba’s outstanding day defensively was not enough for Colorado, who lost on Martin’s sacrifice fly against Taylor Buchholz to score Kemp, sealing Los Angeles’ 8-7 victory.

Papers

In 2018, Tony Wolters sets the franchise mark for most total chances in a game for a catcher with 19.

Thanks to four pitchers – Jon Gray (11), Bryan Shaw (1), Adam Ottavino (2), and Wade Davis (2) – the Rockies combined to strike out 16 batters against San Diego during a 5-2 victory at Coors Field.

Manual Margot and José Pirela were also caught stealing against Wolters during Colorado’s 5-2 at home.

Nazty Streak

Charlie Blackmon made it five consecutive games with multiple RBI thanks to three ribbies during a 15-12 loss to the Washington Nationals.

Blackmon recorded 12 runs batted in through his impressive streak with a 9-for-21 start in Colorado’s homestand against the Giants and Nationals that included four home runs, two triples and one double.

While the final score might suggest a closer game, Washington held a 15-7 lead after the seventh inning before the second team came on to finish up the final two frames for the Purples.

For the first time in his career, Wolters played third base, a position in which he’s appeared at least once in the past three seasons. Pat Valaika made his debut in the outfield, occupying left field during the ninth inning.

DJ LeMahieu added three hits and Wolters also had a multi-hit game in the Tuesday night affair that also featured Trea Turner completing the third cycle in Nationals history and the ninth cycle ever surrendered by the Rockies.

Fun Fact

Todd Helton recorded the 17th multi-homer game of his career in 2001 in a 6-5 win against the Chicago Cubs. Colorado waved the purple W thanks to a walk-off sacrifice fly by Jeff Cirillo that scored Terry Shumpert.

On This Day In Baseball History

Two weeks after the Boston Celtics won the NBA Championship, their 6’8″ reserve center, Gene Conley, earned his first American League victory in a 6 – 1 win over the visiting Washington Senators in 1961. The Boston Red Sox pitcher played in parts of 12 major league seasons and was selected to four All-Star Games.