It takes a lot to overwhelm Charlie Blackmon. Blazing fastballs rarely did. Neither did the intense pressure of big-league baseball.
But Sunday afternoon’s festivities at Coors Field in front of a sellout crowd of 48,320 fans left the Rockies’ four-time All-Star outfielder gobsmacked.
“This exceeded my wildest expectations, and it’s just been incredible for me and my family,” the 38-year-old Blackmon said after playing the 1,624th and final game of his career in a 2-1 loss to the Dodgers.
Blackmon’s going-away party included words of adulation, video tributes (from former Rockies greats Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story, Todd Helton and Walt Weiss), multiple standing ovations and goosebumps aplenty.
The Rockies even gifted Blackmon a Toyota Tundra truck, adorned with the team logo on the side and his No. 19 on the hood. The white truck had previously been perched on a pedestal on the left-field concourse. Now, Blackmon will take it back to Georgia with him.
“I had no idea, I was shocked,” he said. “What an incredible gift. To have it be part of Coors Field — the truck that was up there — that’s pretty special.”
But two moments before the game caused “Chuck Nazty’s” heart to skip a beat and elicit a few tears.
His wife, Ashley, and their two young children, Josie and Wyatt, joined him on the field for a pregame ceremony, where he was presented with a plaque. His kids then threw out the game’s first pitch.
Next, Blackmon took the field, all alone, jogging to center to the sounds of John Fogerty’s song, “Centerfield.” He had not played the position since the 2018 playoffs between the Brewers and Rockies.
The fans serenaded him with cheers.
“Right before the game started and I ran out to center field was probably the greatest moment,” Blackmon said.
The Rockies had a solid Blackmon game plan going into Sunday.
“I go, ‘Chuck, you’re going to run out to center, but everybody’s not going to go out there with you,'” manager Bud Black said before the game, calling it a “tribute.”
“Charlie goes, ‘How long am I going to be out there by myself?’ I’m like, ’20, 30 seconds, maybe.’ He goes, ‘OK, but not any longer than that.’ ”
Blackmon, in his customary leadoff spot, hit 1 for 2 and left the game to a standing ovation in the third inning. He finished his career hitting .293 with 227 homers and 1,805 hits. He finished first in franchise history with 68 triples. He trails only Helton in games played, runs, hits, doubles, extra-base hits and total bases.
A second-round draft pick out of Georgia Tech in 2008, Blackmon overcame a slow, injury-filled start to his career to become one of just 50 players in major league history to generate more than 1,800 hits, 325 doubles, 225 home runs, 65 triples and 800 RBIs. He was the National League batting champion in 2017 when he hit .331 and drove in 104 runs.
Blackmon told Black before the game that he didn’t want to play the whole game but wanted at least two at-bats. The third-inning hit allowed Blackmon to soak up the fans’ adoration.
“I still want to win, so it was really cool to end on a hit,” he said. “So to get a hit one last time, and being able to savor the moment was really cool.”
Blackmon is one of the most popular players in Rockies history with his teammates and fans. He signed baseballs for his teammates in the clubhouse after the game.
“Literally, the best teammate I’ve ever had,” said all-star third baseman Ryan McMahon, one of Blackmon’s closest friends on the team. “He’s the most unselfish person I’ve been around. The total pro’s pro.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts paid Blackmon a huge compliment.
“For me, he’s everything I would want in a baseball player — outside of that big, old, ugly beard,” Roberts said. “You look at the last, call it 10 to 12 years, he’s one of probably my top five players I’ve enjoyed watching play.”
Before Sunday’s game, Black and Blackmon exchanged words and bro-hugs in Black’s office.
“It got a little emotional with Charlie,” Black said. “We pulled out of our hugs with a smile and I said, ‘Hey, this is not it, I’m going to see you again.’ ”
That’s true, but Black will never write Blackmon’s name at the top of a lineup card again.
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