From Expansion Team to the 2007 World Series
The Colorado Rockies are one of Major League Baseball’s youngest franchises. The National League awarded Denver an expansion franchise in 1991, and the Rockies played their first game in 1993.
Although Colorado has never won a World Series, the franchise has produced some extraordinary players, including Hall of Famers Larry Walker and Todd Helton, National League MVP Larry Walker, Rookie of the Year Jason Jennings, batting champions, Gold Glove winners and one of baseball’s most explosive offenses.
The Rockies have also become closely associated with one of baseball’s most unique environments: Coors Field, where Denver’s altitude has dramatically influenced the way baseball is played.
The Birth of the Colorado Rockies Denver as one of its two expansion franchises on July 5, 1991.
The original ownership group experienced major problems before the Rockies ever played a game. John Antonucci and Michael I. Monus were initially major figures in the ownership effort, but Monus became embroiled in the Phar-Mor accounting scandal.
The ownership group was reorganized before the franchise took the field.
Jerry McMorris became the principal public face of the organization, and Charlie Monfort and Oren Benton joined the ownership group. The reorganized group completed the acquisition of the franchise by paying the $95 million expansion fee.
That group ultimately gave Denver a Major League Baseball team.
Colorado Rockies Ownership History
Because the Rockies began with a large partnership rather than a single individual owner, their ownership history is somewhat complicated.
Original ownership group — 1991-1992
Important figures in the original effort included:
- John Antonucci, Michael I. Monus, Peter Coors, Linda Alvarado, Other Colorado investors and business interests
The original ownership arrangement changed dramatically following the Monus scandal.
Jerry McMorris era — 1992-2005
Jerry McMorris became the principal owner and leading executive of the reorganized Rockies ownership group.
Charlie Monfort became part of the controlling group in 1992, along with McMorris and Oren Benton. Dick Monfort later joined his brother in the ownership group.
McMorris eventually sold his remaining interest to the Monfort brothers.
Monfort family — 2005-present
In 2005, Dick and Charlie Monfort completed the purchase of McMorris’ remaining interest and became the controlling owners of the Rockies.
Dick Monfort eventually became chairman and CEO, while Charlie Monfort remained an owner and general partner.
The Rockies’ official front office currently lists:
- Dick Monfort — Owner, Chairman & CEO
- Charlie Monfort — Owner/General Partner
- Walker Monfort — President
Penner Sports Group — 2026
Penner Sports Group, representing Denver Broncos owners Greg Penner and Carrie Walton Penner, purchased approximately a 40% minority stake in the Rockies. MLB approved the transaction.
The Monfort family remains the controlling ownership group, while Penner Sports Group became the largest minority partner. The investment was also used to retire the franchise’s outstanding debt and provide additional capital.
As of September 2026, the Rockies therefore remain controlled by the Monfort family, with the Penner group holding a substantial minority interest.
The First Rockies Season — 1993
The Rockies played their first regular-season game on April 5, 1993, against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium.
Colorado lost that game 3-0, with David Nied serving as the first starting pitcher in franchise history.
The first home game came April 9, 1993, at Mile High Stadium.
The Rockies defeated the Montreal Expos 11-4 in front of a massive crowd.
Colorado immediately became one of baseball’s biggest attendance attractions.
The inaugural season drew 4,483,350 fans, an MLB attendance record at the time.
Rockies Home Ballparks
1. Mile High Stadium — 1993-1994
The Rockies played their first two seasons at Mile High Stadium.
The stadium had originally been built primarily for football, but baseball fans quickly made it one of the loudest venues in the National League.
During their two seasons there, the Rockies drew more than 7.7 million fans.
In 1993 alone, 4,483,350 fans attended Rockies games.
The baseball configuration could accommodate enormous crowds, helping establish the Rockies’ reputation as one of baseball’s best-supported expansion teams.
The Early Rockies
The early Rockies became known as the Blake Street Bombers, a nickname inspired by the team’s powerful lineup and the location of Coors Field.
Among the early stars were:
- Andrés Galarraga, Dante Bichette, Larry Walker, Vinny Castilla, Ellis Burks, Eric Young,
- Walt Weiss
The Rockies became one of the National League’s most entertaining offensive clubs.
In 1995, Colorado reached the postseason for the first time.
The Rockies won the National League Wild Card and faced the Atlanta Braves in the Division Series.
Atlanta defeated Colorado three games to one.
Larry Walker Arrives
One of the most important moments in Rockies history came when Colorado signed Larry Walker before the 1995 season.
Walker had already established himself as an excellent player with the Montreal Expos, but Denver transformed his career into something historic.
Walker spent 1995 through 2004 with Colorado.
During his Rockies career he hit:
- .334
- 258 home runs
- 848 RBI
- 1,361 hits
- 297 doubles
- 44 triples
- 126 stolen bases
Walker remains the only player in Rockies history to win the National League MVP Award.
Larry Walker Wins the 1997 MVP
The greatest individual season in early Rockies history came in 1997.
Walker hit:
.366 — 49 HR — 143 RBI
He led the majors in slugging percentage, OPS and total bases and became the first—and still only—Rockies player to win the National League MVP Award.
Walker was also a five-tool player, combining power, hitting, speed and outstanding defense.
His 1997 season remains one of the greatest seasons in franchise history.
Todd Helton Becomes the Face of the Franchise
Todd Helton arrived in the late 1990s and eventually became the defining player of the franchise.
Colorado selected Helton with the eighth overall pick in the 1995 MLB Draft.
He made his Major League debut in 1997.
Helton spent his entire 17-year MLB career with the Rockies from 1997 through 2013.
He finished his career with:
- .316 batting average
- 2,519 hits
- 369 home runs
- 592 doubles
- 1,406 RBI
- 1,401 runs
- .414 on-base percentage
- .539 slugging percentage
Helton was born in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Todd Helton Goes to Cooperstown
Helton was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2024.
He became only the second Rockies player elected to the Hall of Fame, following Larry Walker.
Helton received 79.7% of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America vote.
His entire 17-year career was played in Colorado, making him one of the rare modern Hall of Famers who spent an entire career with one franchise.
Retired Rockies Numbers
The Rockies have retired numbers honoring some of their greatest players and baseball figures.
No. 17 — Todd Helton
Retired August 17, 2014.
No. 33 — Larry Walker
Retired September 25, 2021.
No. 42 — Jackie Robinson
Like every MLB club, Colorado retired No. 42 throughout baseball in honor of Jackie Robinson.
Rockies MVP Winners
The Rockies have had only one official National League MVP winner.
| Player | Award | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Larry Walker | NL MVP | 1997 |
Walker remains the only player in franchise history to win the MVP Award.
Several Rockies have finished highly in MVP voting, including:
- Dante Bichette, Todd Helton, Matt Holliday, Carlos González, Nolan Arenado,
- Charlie Blackmon
Matt Holliday finished second in the 2007 NL MVP voting.
Rockies Rookie of the Year Winners
The Rockies have had one National League Rookie of the Year winner.
Jason Jennings — 2002
Jason Jennings won the 2002 National League Rookie of the Year Award.
He was the first and, through the 2026 season, only Rockies player to win the award.
Jennings had one of the most unusual debuts in baseball history.
In his first Major League start in 2001, he threw a complete-game shutout and hit a home run.
The following year he became the first Rockies player to win Rookie of the Year.
The 2007 Rockies
The greatest team in Rockies history came together in 2007.
Colorado entered September as a playoff contender.
Then something extraordinary happened.
The Rockies won 14 of their final 15 regular-season games.
They defeated the San Diego Padres in a dramatic one-game tiebreaker and then swept the Philadelphia Phillies in the Division Series.
Colorado swept the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Championship Series.
The Rockies were going to the World Series for the first time.
The 2007 World Series
Colorado faced the Boston Red Sox.
The Rockies entered the World Series after sweeping both Philadelphia and Arizona.
But Boston defeated Colorado in four straight games.
2007 World Series
Boston Red Sox defeated Colorado Rockies, 4-0
The games were:
- Game 1: Boston 13, Colorado 1
- Game 2: Boston 2, Colorado 1
- Game 3: Boston 10, Colorado 5
- Game 4: Boston 4, Colorado 3
Boston outscored Colorado 29-10 in the four games.
The Rockies had reached their first World Series but fell one step short of their first championship. The Rockies have never won a World Series.
Their 2007 National League pennant remains the franchise’s greatest postseason accomplishment.
The 2007 Heroes
The 2007 club featured:
- Todd Helton, Matt Holliday ,Troy Tulowitzki, Garrett Atkins, Brad Hawpe, Matt Herges
- Brian Fuentes, Ubaldo Jiménez, Jeff Francis, Aaron Cook, Manny Corpa
- Matt Holliday was particularly important.
He hit .340 with 36 home runs and 137 RBI during the regular season and was named National League Championship Series MVP.
Holliday finished second in NL MVP voting behind Jimmy Rollins.
Players Colorado Traded Before They Became Stars
Several young players were traded before reaching their greatest success elsewhere.
Chone Figgins
Figgins was a young minor-league player in the Rockies organization before being traded to the Seattle Mariners.
He eventually became a major-league regular and an All-Star with Seattle.
Juan Pierre
Pierre was another young player who passed through the Rockies organization before establishing himself elsewhere.
He eventually became an important leadoff hitter and base stealer, including helping the Florida Marlins win the 2003 World Series.
He later became an All-Star and a respected defensive catcher.
These examples are reminders of how difficult it is for a young expansion franchise to predict which prospects will eventually become stars. Contemporary Rockies retrospectives have identified Figgins, Pierre and Ausmus among the organization’s notable “what if” departures.
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Important Rockies Stars
Over the years, Colorado has produced and developed an impressive collection of players. some of the most important include:
Hitters
- Larry Walker
- Todd Helton
- Dante Bichette
- Andrés Galarraga
- Vinny Castilla
- Ellis Burks
- Matt Holliday
- Carlos González
- Troy Tulowitzki
- Nolan Arenado
- Charlie Blackmon
- Trevor Story
- Carlos Delgado
- Nolan Jones
- Ryan McMahon
Pitchers
- Pedro Astacio
- Jason Jennings
- Ubaldo Jiménez
- Jeff Francis
- Jorge De La Rosa
- Germán Márquez
- Kyle Freeland
- Aaron Cook
- Brian Fuentes
The Rockies’ Unique Challenge: Coors Field
No discussion of Colorado baseball is complete without discussing altitude.
Coors Field sits more than 5,000 feet above sea level.
The thin, dry Denver air historically allowed baseballs to travel farther.
That created enormous offensive statistics but made pitching extremely difficult.
The Rockies have spent decades trying to solve what has become known as the “Coors Field problem.”
Pitchers must learn to pitch at altitude and then adjust when playing at sea level.
The introduction of the humidor at Coors Field was one of the measures used to reduce some of the extreme offensive effects of the environment.
Rockies Milestones
1991
Denver awarded an expansion franchise.
1992
Ownership reorganized and the Rockies’ franchise acquisition was completed.
1993
Colorado plays its first MLB season.
1995
Coors Field opens.
1995
Rockies reach the postseason for the first time.
1997
Larry Walker wins NL MVP.
1998
Coors Field hosts the All-Star Game.
2002
Jason Jennings wins NL Rookie of the Year.
2004
Larry Walker is traded to St. Louis.
2005
Monfort family becomes controlling owner.
2007
Rockies win the National League pennant and reach the World Series.
2010
Ubaldo Jiménez throws the first no-hitter in Rockies history.
2015
Troy Tulowitzki is traded to Toronto.
2016
Trevor Story establishes a rookie shortstop home-run record with 27 homers.
2017
Colorado returns to the postseason.
2020
Larry Walker becomes the first Rockies player elected to Cooperstown.
2021
Walker is formally inducted into the Hall of Fame.
2021
Nolan Arenado is traded to St. Louis.
2024
Todd Helton becomes the second Rockies player elected to the Hall of Fame.
2025
Ryan McMahon is traded to the New York Yankees.
2026
Penner Sports Group acquires approximately 40% of the franchise while the Monfort family retains control.
Cooperstown Hall of Fame Players
Larry Walker — Class of 2020
Todd Helton — Class of 2024
The Legacy of the Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies have had a history unlike almost any other Major League franchise.
They were born in 1991.
They played their first game in 1993.
They immediately became one of baseball’s attendance leaders.
They moved from Mile High Stadium to Coors Field in 1995.
They developed the Blake Street Bombers.
They produced Larry Walker’s historic 1997 MVP season.
They watched Todd Helton become one of the greatest first basemen of his generation.
They reached the World Series in 2007.
They developed stars such as Troy Tulowitzki, Nolan Arenado, Carlos González and Charlie Blackmon.
And they finally placed their first player, Larry Walker, in Cooperstown in 2021, followed by Todd Helton in 2024.
The Rockies have never won the World Series, but their 2007 team came within four victories of doing so.
The franchise now enters another chapter.
With the Monfort family retaining control and the Penner Sports Group becoming a major minority investor in 2026, the Rockies have a new source of ownership capital and a new opportunity to rebuild the franchise.
For a team that began as an expansion experiment, Colorado has already produced a remarkable baseball legacy.
The next goal is obvious:
Bring the first World Series championship to Denver.
Artie Fischal
