Charlie Blackmon’s iconic Rockies career is coming to an end.
The Rockies announced Monday that the final game of Blackmon’s 14-year career will be Sunday when the club hosts the Dodgers at Coors Field in the 2024 season finale.
The 38-year-old outfielder’s hard-charging play, gnarly mountain-man beard and infectious walk-up song made him a fan favorite. His work ethic, professionalism and wicked humor made him a team leader.
Todd Helton, who was inducted into the National Baseball of Fame this summer, said that Blackmon deserves to have his No. 19 retired and displayed on the facade of the upper deck in right-center field. Helton’s No. 17 and fellow Hall of Famer Larry Walker’s No. 33 are the only Rockies players to have their numbers retired.
“How can you not put him up there?” Helton said this summer when he marveled about the statistics Blackmond accumulated during his career. “And if you throw on top of that the type of guy he was, or is, and what he has meant to his teammates, he deserves to be up there.”
Blackmon, a four-time All-Star and the 2017 National League batting champion, ranks second behind Helton in nearly every major offensive category in Rockies history.
“Charlie sets the tone for this team,” All-Star third baseman Ryan McMahon said. “His diligence and commitment to his profession, every single day, rubs off on everybody. I know it did on me. I learned by watching ‘Chuck’ go about his business.”
Rookie catcher Drew Romo echoed McMahon’s opinion.
“He’s amazing to watch,” Romo said. “My first time being around him was in spring training a couple of years ago, and it kind of blew me away. He was so diligent about his routine. He would do the same thing every day. No matter how he felt, he was getting his work in.
“After games as well, he would do a bunch of recovery work to take care of his body. He was probably the hardest worker in the training room. And he was always available to young players like me.”
Charlie Blackmon (19) of the Colorado Rockies stands in the dugout during the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field in Denver on Tuesday, June 18, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
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While Blackmon carried a stoic presence onto the field, he began many of the Rockies’ traditions, such as presenting a gold player-of-the-game chain after each Rockies victory. On the team bus, Blackmon took over, using the microphone to tell jokes or send a message.
“‘Chuck’ is extremely intelligent and extremely funny,” McMahon said. “But with his jokes, you have to be paying attention to them to pick them up.”
Last fall, Blackmon signed a one-year, $13 million contract and there was speculation that this would be his final season. As the Rockies began playing younger outfielders, Blackmon’s time on the field was reduced and he was often used as a designated hitter. Still, he’s played 109 games, slashing .249/.320/.398 with 11 home runs and 48 RBIs.
Blackmon began growing his famous beard, perhaps not coincidently, before the 2014 season when he made the All-Star team for the first time.
His walk-up song, “Your Love,” by The Outfield, has been part of the Coors Field soundtrack for his entire career. When Blackmon comes to the plate, fans chime in, singing, “Toooooniiiiigggghhttt!”
Blackmon enters his final week of play with a .292 career batting average, 226 home runs, and a club-record 67 triples. He hit the 42nd leadoff home run of his career on Aug. 27 vs. Miami, the 11th-most leadoff homers in major league history and the third-most in National League history.
His 226 career home runs leave him one shy of tying Carlos Gonzalez for fifth in franchise history.
Blackmon also ranks among franchise leaders in games played (1,618, second), hits (1,797, second), runs (991, second), total bases (2,942, second), doubles (333, second), extra-base hits (626, second), walks (482, third) and RBIs (797, fourth).
A second-round draft choice out of Georgia Tech in 2008, Blackmon made his major league debut June 7, 2011, vs. San Diego at Coors Field. Injuries marred Blackmon’s early career, but he broke out in a big way in 2014.
On April 4 — opening day in LoDo — 49,130 packed Coors Field to witness the greatest game of his career.
Sporting the beginnings of his famed beard, Blackmon hit 6-for-6 with one home run, three doubles, two singles and five RBIs in Colorado’s 12-2 win over Arizona.
It’s a memory Blackmon cherishes.
“Because opening day is such a big deal for the city of Denver, right?” Blackmon said this spring. “It seems like everybody’s at the ballpark or is downtown watching the game at a local establishment. It seems like the whole city is plugged into that home opener. So that was the right time to have a game like that. It was special.”
Blackmon’s best season was in 2017, when he helped lead the Rockies back to the playoffs for the first time since 2009. He set career highs in batting average (.331), games played (159), triples (14) and home runs (37). He set what was then a major league record with 103 RBIs from the leadoff position. His 86 extra-base hits were the third most by a leadoff hitter in MLB history.
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