Rockies powered by Schaeffer ejection to extra-innings win

MILWAUKEE — Rockies Report, Game 84:

ROCKIES BOTTOM LINE: One can’t statistically quantify the value of a manager’s ejection on a baseball team.

The impact is debatable, and it’s not as if the Rockies suddenly began launching missiles all over American Family Field immediately after interim manager Warren Schaeffer was ejected in the third inning of Sunday’s 4-3 extra-innings win over the Milwaukee Brewers.

But it did mean something to Schaeffer’s players.

“Yeah, anything like that — especially when you see your manager turn red and bald and run out there fast, it’ll get you fired up,” said Kyle Farmer, who later delivered the game-winning single to cap a 2-for-3 day coming off the bench as a seventh-inning substitute.

“He’s a great manager. But when I saw him get fired up, it fired me up. And the rest happened.”

Given the speed with which Schaeffer burst from the dugout in defense of the ejected Tyler Freeman after the called third strike, he would have beaten almost any throw to steal second base. (He was successful on 15 of 21 stolen-base attempts as minor-leaguer in the Rockies system once upon a time.)

After the game, Freeman told reporters that nothing he said to home-plate umpire Ramon De Jesus was particularly out of line.

“I didn’t swear. I didn’t really say anything rude,” Freeman said. “All I said was like, ‘Come on, bro. That’s twice.'”

With that came the ejection — and Schaeffer.

“There wasn’t really much of a conversation there,” Schaeffer said. “I just didn’t like the fact that he got rid of Freeman so quick after Freeman didn’t cuss at him, didn’t show him up, didn’t do anything to him.

“I like Ramon. But that was way too quick to get rid of Freeman. Way too quick. One of our best players — in the third inning? That was ridiculous. That was pretty much the extent of it.”

Schaeffer also explained that his resounding spike of his gum — which went flying along with his cap — wasn’t demonstrative, but was actually intentional.

“Because I’ve spit on an umpire before in my career, and I’ve gotten fined big-time,” he said. “And I don’t want to do that again. Just make sure I’ve got whatever’s in my mouth out of it.”

EMOTIONS WHERE HIGH, BUT IT TOOK A WHILE TO GET THE OFFENSE GOING

It wasn’t until the eighth inning — five innings after Schaeffer and Freeman were tossed — that the Rockies offense finally awoke. Brenton Doyle drove home Ryan McMahon to get the Rockies on the board, slicing Milwaukee’s lead in half.

Then, with Trevor Megill one out from closing out a Brewers sweep, ex-Milwaukee infielder Orlando Arcia made it a happy return to the club with which he broke into the major leagues, tying the game with a two-out home run to left field in the top of the ninth.

Two innings later, Farmer delivered a one-out single to score Doyle with the winning run.

Farmer brings in Doyle‼️ pic.twitter.com/v6EnQ2x4Vu

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) June 29, 2025

Farmer’s RBI held up when Tyler Kinley shut down the bottom of Milwaukee’s order to close out the afternoon, finishing with a 1-2-3 inning that included two strikeouts when he froze Milwaukee batters with his curveball and his slider.

In between Arcia’s homer and Farmer’s single came an exchange of runs in the 10th. A Thairo Estrada single put Colorado in front, but Milwaukee had a chance to close it out, leading off with a single and a walk with a Victor Vodnik wild pitch that brought in the tying run from third base.

But Vodnik escaped without further damage by inducing a shallow pop fly from William Contreras and getting Brice Turang to chase a low 95-MPH changeup.

ROCKIES STARTER’S REPORT

Germán Márquez’s first five innings Sunday represented arguably his finest work of the season, as he dominated on a sticky, humid afternoon.

He sailed through two turns of the Brewers order. In the first five innings, he faced just two batters above the minimum. In his first two trips through Milwaukee’s lineup, he allowed only three baserunners — on two walks and a hit.

One of them — Sal Frelick, who led off with a first-inning single — was wiped out when Márquez caught him starting to steal second, leading to a 1-3-6-4 retirement that squelched an early threat.

What’s more, Márquez was efficent, needing 78 pitches to go through the Brewers lineup twice.

But the third time through the order was different. Sal Frelick immediately began by turning on a 3-2 fastball that settled in the core of the strike zone and driving it over the right-field fence, breaking the scoreless deadlock.

Márquez rallied to strike out Jackson Chourio before Christian Yelich repeated the feat, taking a fastball at the bottom of the zone and pulling it over the left-field fence. A walk to Wilson Contreras followed, and Márquez’s day was complete, one out short of qualifying for a quality start.

But Doyle and Arcia took Márquez off the hook, ensuring that he didn’t absorb what would have been an undeserved loss.

BITS AND PIECES

IT WAS DECIDED FOR THE ROCKIES WHEN: Vodnik retired the Brewers in order in the 11th.

NUMBER TO NOTE: 1 — Number of Rockies wins in extra innings this season. Colorado came into Sunday 0-5 in such games this year.

WHAT’S NEXT: A day off at home before facing the Houston Astros, who lead the AL West. Chase Dollander will start to open the homestead. Colton Gordon gets the nod for the Astros. First pitch Tuesday night is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. MDT.

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