Angels make history in lopsided rout of Rockies
Saturday was not the Colorado Rockies' night.
In front of a stunned Coors Field crowd, fans watched the Los Angeles Angels hand the Rockies an unmerciful beating, winning 25-1. With a 24-run win, the Angels tied the 1923 Cleveland Indians for the third-largest margin of victory since 1901.
The Angels came only three runs short of the top spot, held by the Texas Rangers, who defeated the Baltimore Orioles by 27 runs, 30-3, in 2007.
L.A. was on pace for one of the largest shutout victories in baseball history, but the Rockies spoiled things with a Brenton Doyle home run in the bottom of the eighth.
The Angels exploded for 21 runs over two innings Saturday, becoming the only team in the modern era to score 20-plus runs in a two-inning span, per OptaStats.
Already up 2-0 after two frames, the Angels took control, bringing 16 batters to the plate in a 13-run third inning featuring five singles, a double, four home runs and three walks. The Halos began the third-inning onslaught in style, with Mike Trout, Brandon Drury and Matt Thaiss hitting back-to-back-to-back home runs on three consecutive pitches.
While the Rockies may have already begun to beg for mercy, there would be none. In the fourth, the Angels continued to pile on, driving eight more runs across the plate to increase their lead to 23-0. After doing damage with the long ball the previous inning, four of the first five Angels batters singled to start the fourth before doubles from Hunter Renfroe and Mickey Moniak and a three-run homer by David Fletcher capped things off.
Every Angels starter had at least one hit on the night and eight players had multiple base knocks. Renfroe and Moniak led the way with five hits apiece, while Fletcher finished with a team-high five RBI.
Saturday's offensive outburst was one way to break a three-game losing streak for the Angels, who improved to 42-36 on the year. Meanwhile, things can't get much worse for the Rockies, who've lost 15 of their last 19 games. They fall to 30-49 with the loss, ahead of only the Washington Nationals (29-47) for the worst record in the National League.
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