Scottsdale – “Chuck tracking down a bullet in the gap off of Contreras… Story making that grab… the double play… going out each inning after Lester shut us down… the adrenaline… when I think about it, my heart starts pumping a little bit.”

For Kyle Freeland, the memories of the 2018 Wild Card game are more than a collection of mental images, they are visceral sensations that remind him what it’s all about.

“I remember, of all the plays that were made,” he says. “Those are the moments we play for, those high pressure, intense games that mean so much.”

The game was a fight as much as it was a game, an exhausting 13-inning affair that no Rockies or Cubs fan will ever forget.

“It was definitely punch for punch,” Freeland recalls. “We struck early. That was nice. It gave us a little breath of air. Lester was able to lock it down and shut us down the next six innings after that. There’s a lot of moments in that game collectively that helped us win and was a great battle between two great teams. Which one of us is going to drop first?”

Of course, it was the club from Chicago who dropped first and finally in the 13th round after the knockout blow was delivered by Tony Wolters.

It was simply one of the greatest moments in franchise history and in the lives of everyone who wore purple that night.

Freeland says he can remember the moment vividly and not just in his mind’s eye but rather as a full-body experience. It all comes rushing back, even the moments leading up to it.

“We were all trying to do something in the dugout where we weren’t up on the fence. We were changing our positions. We were all underneath the dugout, trying to get something going. Sure enough, Tony peppers one up the middle and it was an explosion in the dugout. Pure excitement. Everyone was all pumped up. Then, you’re like, ‘let’s go finish this one off now. You want more runs, but at that same time, it’s like, let’s go finish this. Let’s end this.”

Freeland looks back on how the matchup against the winningest pitcher in postseason history and a team with a recent World Series championship could have gone either way: “This is the game of baseball. We beat them that night. Who’s to say if we’re in a five-game series with them, they don’t come out the next three nights and give it to us? That’s the beauty of baseball. That was our night. We ended up fighting and holding on through 13 innings. That stage we were on, the setting, Wrigley Field, the Cubs, their lineup. It was really cool to see us match up against them and have success.”

And that success, he hopes, will propel him and the rest of the Rockies to even greater heights. They’ve had a taste from the keg of glory and they are hooked.

“Being able to have success in that moment helped out a lot from a team aspect,” he says. “It’s a do or die game and you’re going into it knowing either we’re moving on or they’re moving on. So, we’re doing everything we can to win this thing. It helps to prepare you and teaches you how to be comfortable in those moments of do or die or high-pressure situations.”

Where just a few years ago, you could easily be laughed out of the room for suggesting that the Colorado Rockies would soon make postseason baseball their norm, that is the reality they stand inside of now with no wavering, at least from Freeland, in terms of the confidence that October games are where they belong.

“We’ve been to two Wild Card games in the past two years. If we need to go into that situation again or if we’re ever in a situation like that, an elimination game, we’re going to feel comfortable in that. We’re going to know we’ve had success in the past. There’s no reason to panic or press. We just need to continue to do what we do because we know that at some point things are going to flip for us and go in our favor.”

It’s a whole new season in 2019 and the accomplishments of the past two years guarantee nothing. But Kyle Freeland is the perfect symbol for the whole squad as a fiery competitor who is still unlocking his potential but knows he can get it done on a grand stage against the very best in the world.