The Los Angeles Angels set a franchise record for runs Saturday night in a 25-1 demolition of the Colorado Rockies.
Coors Field has always been hitter-friendly and the Angels’ batters had a field day in Denver, pummeling Rockies pitchers for a team-record 28 hits in 52 at-bats. Every single starter had a least one hit and the team added six walks while striking out only three times.
The wheels completely came off for Colorado in the third inning as the Angels scored a franchise record-tying 13 runs. Leading 2-0, the Angels began the frame with back-to-back-to-back home runs off Rockies starter Chase Anderson from Mike Trout, Brandon Drury and Matt Thaiss — on three consecutive pitches. Incredibly, per ESPN Stats & Info, Anderson was also the last pitcher to yield home runs on three consecutive pitches when he did it in a 2020 game against the Yankees.
Anderson was pulled with two outs in the third trailing 7-0. He yielded to Matt Carasiti, who could not stop the tidal wave. By the time Carasiti finally got out of the inning it was 15-0.
Noah Davis came in for the fourth and he fared no better. He gave up an additional eight runs in the frame as the Angels took a 23-0 lead after just four innings. Mike Trout hit the bench for the night as he was pinch hit for in the top of the fifth. He went 3-for-3 with a walk, and the Angels elected to sit a couple of other starters, as well.
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The Angels scored just two more times, in the sixth and eighth innings, but it was still a history-making night for the team as it joined the short list of squads to score at least 25 runs in a game. The Angels’ 25 runs surpassed the 24 they scored in a 1979 game against the Toronto Blue Jays and their 28 hits were two more than they had in a 1980 game against the Boston Red Sox and that 1979 game against Toronto.
Hunter Renfroe and Mickey Moniak both finished the game 5-for-5. No. 9 hitter David Fletcher led the team with five RBI. Perhaps ironically, superstar Shohei Ohtani had the toughest night of any Angels starter; he went 1-for-7 with two strikeouts.
Colorado rookie Brenton Doyle spoiled the shutout with a home run to lead off the eighth inning.
