The good news is the Rockies game will be free to watch today for people living in the Denver metro and surrounding areas of Colorado.
The bad news is the Rockies are 8-42 and are playing the New York Yankees, who are 30-19.
Friday’s game marks the first of 10 in a new partnership between the Rockies and TEGNA, the parent company of 9News. TEGNA did the same thing with select Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche games this season. The entire 10-game slate consists of Friday night games:
May 23, 6:40 p.m. MT: New York Yankees, 9NEWS & KTVD Channel 20
June 6, 5:10 p.m. MT: New York Mets: 9NEWS & KTVD Channel 20
June 20, 6:40 p.m. MT: Arizona Diamondbacks: 9NEWS & KTVD Channel 20
July 4: 6:10 p.m. MT: Chicago White Sox, KTVD Channel 20
July 18, 6:40 p.m. MT: Minnesota Twins, KTVD Channel 20
Aug. 1, 6:10 p.m. MT: Pittsburgh Pirates, KTVD Channel 20
Aug. 15, 6:40 p.m. MT: Arizona Diamondbacks, KTVD Channel 20
Aug. 29, 6:40 p.m. MT: Chicago Cubs, 9NEWS & KTVD Channel 20
Sept. 5, 6:40 p.m. MT: San Diego Padres, 9NEWS & KTVD Channel 20
Sept. 19, 6:10 p.m. MT: Los Angeles Angels, KTVD Channel 20
When the deal was announced just before the season started in March, Colorado Rockies president and chief operating officer, Greg Feasel said, “We’re thrilled to expand our partnership with 9NEWS and bring Rockies baseball into more homes across Colorado. Whether it’s streaming, cable, or over-the-air, fans now have more ways than ever to watch Rockies baseball.”
In theory, making the Rockies easier to watch to try to bring in more fans is a great thing. However, the timing is just off. As Colorado is swinging like a wrecking ball toward all of the “worst of the modern era” baseball records, including the latest worst 50-game start at 8-42 since 1895, watching this Rockies team is more likely to generate fans of the opposing teams than the home one. Or, perhaps more people will tune in because people can’t avoid looking at a car wreck, which is exactly what the 2025 Colorado season is.
The Fall of Rockies on TV
The Rockies relationship with TV has been a fraught one in recent years. AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain was shut down after the 2023 season, leaving operations to be taken over by MLB and streamed only through Rockies.TV, which can also be seen through subscriptions on platforms like DIRECTV and Xfinity. It’s no coincidence that the Rockies first 100-loss season, which was also their fifth-straight losing season, in 2023 didn’t result in a Rockies TV deal being a hot commodity in media markets.
Mass media is constantly evolving, and it’s no different for baseball. Throughout the 1900s, countless fans tuned their dials to listen to radio games, passing their love of the game onto their kids and grandkids. As TVs became standard in American living rooms, baseball had an additional way to find fans. When local games, the Atlanta Braves on TBS and the Chicago Cubs on WGN were on air in all households with cable, baseball was easy to find and required no extra subscription. Kids could watch game and grow into ticket-buying fans. As media conglomerates started to buy each other up and merge, and other entertainment options like video games and streaming started vying for eyeballs, the value of regional sports networks tanked. Making a local baseball team easy to watch in a region shifted from a community value to a commodity for shareholders who don’t live in the region and only care about the profit margin.
Make no mistake though, if the Rockies were a winning baseball franchise, the chances of losing AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain would have drastically decreased. The Rockies weren’t good, so ratings fell. Lower ratings led to a slashed payroll as losing the guaranteed cable dollars led to a payroll cut as the Rockies fell from No. 18 in 2023 at $171 million to No. 24 at almost $124 million. Fewer dollars has resulted in fewer wins, which isn’t going to get more viewers. Will these 10 easier-access games be any different?
Even if more households have cut the cord, these 10 Rockies games will give more people a chance to watch through a digital antenna, through basic cable packages on Xfinity, DirecTV and Dish Network, and streaming packages like YouTube TV and Hulu Live TV, but will they?
Attendance and the Future of Rockies Fandome
While fans seem to continue to buy tickets and pack the stands to see opposing teams, take in the sights at Coors Field, enjoy the City Connect-inspired sunsets, or have a beverage or two on the Rooftop, the attendance numbers don’t translate to viewership. Outside of the diehard fans, the casual observer or the could-be fan who doesn’t know they love baseball yet, just aren’t seeing games.
Colorado’s attendance numbers have gone from averaging 32,196 in 2023 to No. 19 at 25,812 this season, but many games have been cold and sellout crowds, or at least near-sellouts, could be coming for the Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs, fireworks games and all weekend games as the summer goes on. Perhaps if this ever changes, the Rockies front office will be forced to make changes. Or will they just cut payroll again like they did after losing TV dollars?
While the Rockies may be the golden goose of ticket sales, they are fading for casual and at-home fans. The famous “Field of Dreams” quote has been nothing but true for the Colorado Rockies front office: “If you build it, [they] will come.” They built Coors Field, and the fans still come in masses 30 years later.
The maxim doesn’t cross over to screen viewership, however, as that requires the next step the Rockies seem incapable of taking. Even after the downfall of regional sports networks and the rise of other forms of entertainment as competition, you can almost still hear the cornfield whisper say, “If you win, they will watch.”
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On the farm
Triple-A: Reno Aces 8, Albuquerque Isotopes 4
Ryan Ritter hit a solo homer, his ninth of the season, Braxton Fullford hit an RBI triple and scored a run and Sterlin Thompson hit an RBI single, but it wasn’t enough for the Isotopes on Thursday night. Sean Bouchard went 1-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts, Zac Veen went 0-for-4 with a sac grounder and three strikeouts and Bradley Blalock took the loss, giving up six runs on seven hits, including a homer, with four walks and four strikeouts in 5 1⁄3 innings.
Double-A: Erie SeaWolves 11, Hartford Yard Goats 2
Victor Vodnik made his first appearance in a rehab stint since being placed on the 15-day IL on April 17 due to right shoulder stiffness. It started out well when Vodnik entered the game in the fifth and struck out the first batter he faced. A walk, single, passed ball and sac fly later, Vodnik gave up two runs in 2⁄3 of an inning and was pulled before he could finish it.
Benny Montgomery hit a two-run single, but that’s all the Yard Goats could muster on a four-hit night in Erie. Cole Carrigg doubled and scored a run, Nic Kent and Jose Torres each added a single and Jose Cordova walked and scored a run. Mason Green took the loss after giving up five runs on four hits with two walks and two strikeouts in 2 2⁄3 innings.
High-A: Spokane Indians 7, Tri-City Dust Devils 3
Aidan Longwell hit a two-run homer, Charlie Condon went 2-for-4 with a two-run double and scored two runs and Cole Messina and Andy Perez hit a run-scoring single to carry the Indians to a win on Thursday. Konner Eaton improved to 2-3 after throwing seven solid innings, giving up only one run on five hits with six strikeouts and two walks.
Single-A: San Jose Giants 16, Fresno Grizzlies 2
The Grizzlies gave up 18 hits and committed four errors on the wrong side of a blowout on Thursday. Bryan Mena was hit hard in his start when he gave up seven runs and didn’t make it out of the first inning. Robert Calaz doubled, walked and scored a run and Kevin Fitzer had two hits and drew a walk to lead Fresno’s offense.
★ ★ ★
Rockies place RHP Chase Dollander on 15-day injured list | Purple Row
No one wants to hear the words right arm tightness. That’s what Chase Dollander is dealing with and the Rockies are hoping that a short-term stint on the IL will help. It’s just the latest blow to a rotation that is already down two starters.
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★ ★ ★
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