Aaron Judge to make first appearance at Coors Field against Rockies this weekend

Rockies fans will finally get some entertainment to watch at Coors Field this weekend as Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees come to the Mile High City to take on the Rockies. This will be just the third trip to Denver for the Yankees in the last ten years, and the first time that Judge will be in action at Coors in a Yankees uniform.

Judge was in action at Coors Field back in 2021 when the Rockies hosted the MLB All-Star Game, but that’s not the same as a regular game. He had a walk and a run in two plate appearances before checking out.

While Judge has hit 16 home runs so far this season as a follow-up to his phenomenal 2024 campaign in which he sent 61 baseballs out of the yard in the regular season, 15 of the 16 homers would’ve had the same result in Coors Field, according to Statcast data. Yankee Stadium out in the Bronx is known as the “Short Porch” for its low walls and numbers, but Judge has been hitting balls that would’ve been out in most stadiums.

The park will benefit Judge’s play style, as the right-handed hitter tends to pull more of his hits towards left field. At Coors, the left field wall is slightly shorter on the foul pole than the right field wall, and also has a shorter wall. Left-center field is 15 feet longer than right-center, but has a wall that’s half the height. With how the Rockies have been pitching this season, with a team ERA of 5.82 (worst in MLB), there should be plenty of opportunities to see Judge work his magic in the batter’s box.

For Colorado, the starting pitching rotation this weekend is expected to be Tanner Gordon (filling in for the injured Chase Dollander), Kyle Freeland and Antonio Senzatela. All three pitchers have fared far worse this season against right-handed batters as opposed to lefties, with ERAs of 7.71, 5.82 and 8.88, respectively.

Advantage, Judge.

Coors Field is the last ballpark that Judge has yet to play a regular season game in, as the 6-foot-7, 282-pound behemoth tore a ligament in his toe that summer, causing him to miss the series that the Rockies actually won 2-1. Two years later, he gets his chance to take the plate in one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in the league.

With the Rockies officially posting the worst 50 game start to a season in the modern era after Thursday’s loss to Philadelphia, it’s clear that the fans aren’t there to see the home team play. They’re there to enjoy the talent of the other teams that come into town along with some three-dollar beverages up on the Rooftop before first pitch. For those who want to see a change in ownership, this weekend will not add fuel to the argument, as Judge and the Yankees will sell plenty of tickets, especially given the weather for Friday night’s contest.

First pitch from Coors Field on Friday is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. Denver time. For fans who are already there and enjoying the Rooftop early, Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix will be tossing out a ceremonial first pitch shortly before that.

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