Doyle

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The dank night may have been thick with drizzle and mist, but the Colorado Rockies and former Shepherd University athlete Brenton Doyle didn’t seem to mind as they defeated the Washington Nationals, 6-4, on June 16 before the sparsest of crowds that sat in wet silence.

The Rockies, who came to refurbished southeast Washington one day after defeating Atlanta, put on display catcher Hunter Goodman, who hit two home runs, and ninth-inning rally that brought them from a run behind to the seldom-seen comeback win.

Colorado went on to win the first three games of the four-game series to gift themselves with a 2025 season oddity — a four-game winning streak. The Rockies had recently swept Miami and by the end of the week had won their 20th game — seemingly not much of a feat, but when your team has the worst record in all of 30-team Major League Baseball, it was the stuff of celebration.

Goodman is likely to be Colorado’s lone selection to the 2025 National League All-Star team.

Mickey Moniak also homered for the Rockies, as pitchers Victor Vodnik (2-2 record) got the win and Seth Halvorsen got a save, his fourth. Colorado entered the ninth inning trailing, 4-3, but rallied heartily against Washington’s closer.

Doyle, who last played at Shepherd in 2019, batted sixth in Colorado’s lineup and was stationed as usual in centerfield, where he has won consecutive Gold Gloves for fielding excellence in both 2023 and 2024.

The Rockies left Washington and returned to their Coor’s Field home grounds where they lost two of three games to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Even with such a dismal overall record, the attendance in Sunday’s win over the Diamondbacks was announced at 21,143.

Doyle’s most stylish stats from this season show him with eight stolen bases and only two fielding errors. He also has five home runs.

But in Washington last week he and his teammates could find solace in how they had spanked the Nationals and were still displaying the same hustle and caring as teams in the middle of season-long pennant races.

Through games of Sunday, June 22, Colorado was 18-60, but was hoping to be more than a spoiler to other team’s pennant hopes.