Colorado Rockies Baseball
The Colorado Rockies joined the National League as an expansion franchise in 1993. The team was founded in the year 1991 but began playing as a part of National League in 1993. The Rockies won 65 games in their first season; this is more than any other NL expansion team.
In 1995, they made their first and, to date, only post-season appearance as the National League Wild Card team where they lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Atlanta Braves. They ended the season with a 77-67 record. The team led the National League in attendance every year from 1993 to 1999.
The Colorado Rockies have always tended to have a strong hitting squad and home record. On the flip side, they have also always seemed to have a weak bullpen and road record. Larry Walker achieved the NL MVP award in the 1997 session; he became the first Canadian player to win the award.
Coors Field
Coors Field attempts to combine the comforts of a modern stadium with the atmosphere of the old-time ballparks. Fans sitting in the first base and right field areas are treated to a spectacular view of the Rocky Mountains. The ballpark is constructed with hand-laid brick and has an old-fashioned clock tower atop its main entrance.
There is a row of purple seats that ring the park to mark a spot that it is exactly 5,280 feet above sea level. The ball travels 9 percent farther at 5,280 feet than at sea level. It is estimated that a home run hit 400 feet in sea level Yankee Stadium would travel about 408 feet in Atlanta and as far as 440 feet in the Mile High City.