When the Marshall Fire damaged and destroyed thousands of homes in Boulder County this past December, two Colorado natives from the National League West took notice.
“We have four generations of firefighters in our family before us, and they’re all Denver firemen,” Tyler Rogers of the San Francisco Giants shared. “So that’s kind of where (our charity) started.”
Twin brothers Tyler and Taylor Rogers of Centennial, CO are part of the Rogers Family Foundation which aims at supporting the mental wellness of firefighters.
Co-founded with Taylor when he was with the Minnesota Twins, the foundation works with both Minneapolis/Saint Paul Fire Fighters and Colorado Professional Fire Fighters.
Had either Rogers brother chose a path outside of baseball, they would have undoubtedly become the first fifth-generation firefighter in the history of Colorado.
May 16, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Tyler Rogers (71) pitches in the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
The two will now appear at Coors Field a combined 20 times this season thanks to a rare Opening Day trade of Taylor to the divisional rival San Diego Padres.
And that’s alright by the patriarch of the family.
“My grandpa can’t travel anymore, so it’s cool that he can go to Coors Field and watch us play,” Tyler Rogers shared. “I know he’s excited to watch Taylor play when he goes there. It’s been a while since he’s seen that.”
Considering it hasn’t been since July of 2014 that anyone has seen the Twins in Denver, it’s great news for his family that the literal twins will be in town a lot more frequently.
Before Tuesday’s one-inning of work during the Giants’ 10-7 victory, Rogers most recent memory of the ballpark on Blake Street was last September’s number retirement for Larry Walker.
“Kevin Gausman and myself went out to watch it. That was cool to be there,” he said of the Sept 25 ceremony.
What about the golden ring around the No. 33?
“I liked it. It looks good. Hopefully, Todd Helton can get one added,” he quipped.
While Mr. Rockie was the household favorite in the family, the first name mentioned by Rogers when recalling the greatest moments from the Rocktober that led to the team’s first and only World Series was somewhat surprising.
“Josh Fogg comes to mind when I think of 2007,” he said before punctuating his statement. “The Dragon Slayer.”
Much like several Rockies players with their affinity for playing at Oracle Park based on childhood memories of their local big league stadium, Rogers feels the same connection with Coors Field.
“Warming up in that bullpen is pretty surreal, just with all the trees in the background there,” he said of the scene in the batter’s eye. “That’s something that always stuck out to me was the waterfall and the trees back there. That makes it come full circle.”
As only the tenth pair of identical twins to appear in MLB, Tyler and Taylor are not hard to identify once in action on the mound. Taylor is a left-hander while Tyler throws right-handed, but not quite how you’re picturing.
The Giants’ fireman – to use a term less frequently utilized to describe relief pitchers – throws from a release point just 14 inches off the ground. In other words, he is a submariner.
Tyler Rogers, Mechanics. pic.twitter.com/RgyevG8sSJ
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) October 12, 2021
While young players are encouraged to throw overhand with good mechanics on the mound, watching Rogers throw a baseball with movement akin to a Wiffle Ball by contorting his body looks downright taboo.
Yet, one question remains: How does someone evolve or devolve to pitch like that?
“I went to a Garden City (KS) Community College and the coach there, Chris Finnegan, told me to try sidearm,” Rogers recounted. “And honestly, I just kept getting lower and lower as I kept throwing.
“I was in High-A in 2014 and I saw a picture of me releasing the ball and I had no idea it was that low. I felt like I was up here,” he gestured at a sidearm angle that was just below three-quarters. “‘I’m that low?’ And they’re like, ‘Yeah, you kept getting lower. We didn’t want to say anything.’ So, to answer the question, I don’t know how I got that low.”
What the Giants know is that they have important piece to the success of their bullpen. After leading the NL in games pitched for the last two season, Rogers is once again the most frequented reliever entrusted by his manager.
After the two games in Colorado, he’s been there both times with the Rocky Mountain landscape behind him in center field, putting out fires on the base paths late in the ballgame to save his team.
In other words, you would expect nothing less of someone with four generations of firefighters in his family.
