Austin Gomber shines in long-awaited 2025 debut

ATLANTA — Austin Gomber waited 71 games for the moment that was supposed to come before the end of March.

And while one would be foolish to say that it was worth the frustration of seeing his team slide to new depths and being unable to do anything about it, Gomber’s performance in Sunday’s 10-1 win over Atlanta validated why the left-hander was such a crucial component of the Colorado Rockies’ rotation all along.

Adding a new off-speed pitch to his repertoire, Gomber silenced a Braves lineup that had amassed 20 runs in its previous three games, including a 12-run outburst in the series-opening game Friday night at Truist Park.

“It’s just kind of been something that I played with and then it threw a little bit in rehab, and I thought it would be good for me,” he explained. “So, I went with it today and then I got good results.

“… I’m just throwing two changeups — two different grip changeups. I’m still throwing the same change up I always throw and then added a new one.

That helped Gomber keep the Braves off-balance, allowing him to match Atlanta starter Grant Holmes, who struck out 15 Rockies in 6 1/3 innings and carried a no-hitter of his own into the sixth inning before catcher Braxton Fulford finally broke through with a single to center field.

Heck of a season debut for @AustinGomber 💪 pic.twitter.com/6n0nDXyT7i

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) June 15, 2025

GOMBER WAS KEYED UP BEFORE THE FIRST PITCH

The energy flowed for Gomber before he stepped onto the mound Sunday.

“I missed it,” he said. ” … I felt even early in the bullpen, even warming up that I was just a little bit more locked in.

“And I was able to go out there and execute the game plan, make pitches, get quick outs, just try to keep us in the game. And then obviously the offense broke through late.”

The result was Gomber’s first start without allowing a run in his last 23 trips to the mound, going back to May 15, 2024 against San Diego.

Relieved after five innings and 76 pitches, Gomber expects he will go deeper in his next start. But he understood the limit Sunday; his highest pitch count in his two minor-league rehab starts was 69 pitches.

“Just try to get us through five [innings], and maybe next time try to take another step forward,” he said.

But Sunday represented quite a leap nonetheless.

Related

Rockies’ freefall threatens to land them among baseball’s all-time worstRockies done in by disastrous inning as they drop seventh straightRockies to call up pitching prospect Mason Adams just weeks after deadline dealRockies lose ninth-straight at home, conclude 0-6 homestandLarry Walker statue unveiled at Coors FieldRockies fall to 0-5 in homestand, drop eighth-straight at Coors Field