The first hint that it would be an extraordinary night for Jon Gray came in the first inning. Colorado’s big right-hander struck out San Diego Padres shortstop Luis Sardinas, who swung harmlessly at Gray’s 89 mph slider.
By the end of the Rockies’ 8-0 victory, Gray had pitched one of the most dominant games in team history and rewritten the franchise record book. He struck out a club-record 16 batters, which also is the most in Coors Field history. Who did he bypass? None other than Hall of Fame left-hander Randy Johnson, the former Arizona pitcher who whiffed 14 Rockies at Coors Field on May 13, 2001.
“Jon was unbelievable,” said third baseman Nolan Arenado. “That’s probably the best pitching performance I’ve ever played behind. I didn’t even have to make any plays because he struck out everyone. But his intensity out there tonight was amazing. He was locked in from the first inning on. He just competed his butt off. We don’t see a lot of games like that here.”
Oh yes, Gray also threw a complete-game four-hitter. He walked none and not a single Padres batter got beyond first base. When his night was over, Gray pumped his fist and let loose a howl.
“I didn’t even know about the (strikeout) record,” Gray said. “I just knew I had thrown a complete game and I was really pumped about it.”
He entered the ninth inning with 14 strikeouts, tied with the late Darryl Kile for the Rockies’ franchise record. Victim No. 15 was pinch-hitter Adam Rosales, who watched as a 96 mph fastball whizzed by. Victim No. 16 was Ryan Schimpf, who whiffed on a 96 mph slider. It was Schimpf’s fourth strikeout of the game.
Gray’s 16 strikeouts tied for the second-most in the majors this season.
It helped Gray that the Rockies’ offense offense rolled through Padres pitching with 12 hits, including three home runs, two by rookie catcher Tom Murphy.
“When you have three pitches like Jonny does, and when he attacks like he did tonight, it makes hitters very uncomfortable,” Murphy said.
Asked what mean more to him, catching Gray’s masterpiece or hitting two homers, Murphy said it was an easy choice.
“Without a doubt, the whole history thing and being part of what Jon did tonight is unforgettable,” Murphy said. “That last strikeout there, and watching Jon get fired up, gave me chills.”
The slider has been both a blessing and a curse for Gray this season. When he commands it, he can make hitters look helpless. When he misses with it, he is deprived of his best weapon and he often struggles. Saturday night, his slider cut like a knife. Of his 16 strikeout pitches, 12 were sliders, three were fastballs and one was a curveball.
“It was pretty special and you could see he had his good slider from the get-go,” manager Walt Weiss said. “At times over the last few starts, the pitch has been a bit flat. But when he’s getting depth with it, it’s pretty much lights out.”
Added San Diego first baseman Wil Myers, who whiffed twice. “He was really good. Great slider. I think his fastball made the slider better tonight with how well he commanded both sides of the plate. It’s the best I’ve seen him throw. I obviously I know he’s got a lot of upside, and tonight it showed.”
Last season at this time, Gray was closing out his first summer in the majors. In his last start against the Pirates, he was blasted for five runs on nine hits (including two homers) in just 4 ⅔ innings. Afterward, he wondered why his pitches weren’t working at Coors Field.
Saturday night, he owned the ballpark.
“It’s night and day difference,” he said. “I feel like I belong out here this year. I told myself, ‘I’m here for a reason, so when not show it off?’ That has been my thought process this year: ‘Go show it off.’
There were some footnotes to Gray’s historic night: In the second inning, he became just the second Rockies pitcher to strikeout four batters in one inning — thanks to a passed ball by Murphy. The other Colorado pitcher to whiff four batters in one inning was Bruce Ruffin, on July 25, 1996 vs. the Chicago Cubs.
And Gray struck out a franchise-record six consecutive batters between the second and third innings.
While Gray dominated, the Rockies clobbered San Diego starter Edwin Jackson early and just kept coming.
Arenado launched a two-run homer in the first inning that traveled 444 feet, sending fans scrambling on the left-field concourse. It was home run No. 38, leaving him four shy of the 42 homers he mashed last season. Rookie David Dahl followed up with a double and got to jog home when Murphy lined a Jackson fastball over the left-field fence for another two-run homer and a 4-0 Colorado lead.
Charlie Blackmon increased the lead to 5-0 in the fourth with an RBI triple to left-center. He scored Daniel Descalso, who reached on a single. The lead ballooned to 8-0 in the fifth when Arenado and Dahl singled and Murphy launched a three-run homer to right-center. It was Murphy’s fourth homer of the season and the first multihomer game of his career.
The night was over for Jackson, who fell to 0-3 at Coors Field with a 12.71 ERA.
POSTGAME NOTES OF NOTE
- The Rockies recorded their third shutout at Coors Field this season, their second complete-game shutout
by a starting pitcher this month. The other came from right-hander Chad Bettis on Sept. 5 vs. San Francisco. - It marked the third time in franchise history the Rockies have had two complete-game shutouts at Coors Field in one season. The last times was by Jeff Francis and Jason Jennings in 2006.
- By taking the first two games against San Diego, the Rockies clinched the three-game series, marking their first series win over a sub-.500 team since they swept the Atlanta Braves July 21-24.
- Gray’s gem was the 30th complete-game shutout in Rockies history, the 15th complete-game shutout in Coors Field history.
- It was Gray’s fifth double-digit strikeout game of the season and his third against the Padres.
- Gray’s five 10-plus strikeout games are tied for the second-most in a single season in franchise history, behind Pedro Astacio, who had seven in 2000 and five in 1999).
- Gray recorded his 200th career strikeout for the second out in the second inning, reaching the milestone in his 192nd career innings. The only other Rockies pitcher to reach 200 career strikeouts in fewer than
200 career innings pitched was reliever Rex Brothers (163 ⅓ innings). - Nolan Arenado hit his 38th home run of the season, breaking a tie with Kris Bryant for the most home runs in the National League.
- DJ Lemahieu extended his career-high on-base streak to 33 games, the longest on-base streak for the Rockies this season.
- The Padres were shut out for the 15th time this season, the most in the majors.
- It was the 10th time in franchise history the Padres were shut out at Coors Field, and four of
the Rockies’ last six complete-game shutouts at Coors Field have been against the Padres.
