His best play yet? Doyle dazzles in latest defensive gem

DENVER -- The Rockies’ Brenton Doyle treats the expansive green center field at Coors Field as his domain.

The park, though, was once the personal playground of Orioles rookie Jackson Holliday, when his father, Matt Holliday, ruled the place.

Doyle prevailed on a memorable play. But Holliday added memories of his own, when he delivered a run-scoring triple and scored on an error in the ninth inning of the Orioles’ 5-3 victory on Friday night.

But on a catch-and-throw double play in the fifth inning, Doyle displayed the talents and gifts that won him a Gold Glove Award last year as a rookie. They also confirmed the traits that earned him the MLB Players Alumni Association Heart & Hustle Award for the Rockies -- which was presented to him on the field before the game.

“I’ve played that position for a very long time and have made some very acrobatic movements out there,” Doyle said. “That’s just one of them.”

Holliday drew a walk from Rockies starting pitcher Austin Gomber and stole second to open the fifth. Austin Slater hit a sinking line drive to center, and Doyle raced in to grab it, and rolled over alertly.

“We have pretty soft grass here, so you don't really tend to slide or glide,” Doyle said. “Once you hit the ground, you kind of really stick. And I was just thankful that I was able to roll a little bit and not cause an injury.”

Doyle had to be wary of a runner who knows this park well.

Jackson is fondly remembered as a toddler in the clubhouse and on the field during Matt’s first tour with the club (2004-08). But during his dad’s return in 2018 to finish his career by helping lead the Rockies to the postseason, Jackson and his younger brother, Ethan, now one of the nation’s top high school players, would shag fly balls during batting practice. So Jackson tagged, figuring the throw to third would be a challenge.

“I knew Holliday was a pretty aggressive baserunner, so I knew he was probably going to be aggressive, seeing me dive for it,” Doyle said. “I got up, saw that he was going, and tried to get up as fast as I could.”

Doyle, who had 10 assists last season, met the assignment with a pinpoint throw to Ryan McMahon for the tag for his seventh assist of ’24.

“It was dead straight, man,” McMahon said. “I saw it clean out of his hand and I just stood there and didn’t move my glove, and it was straight at my chest.”

With a Gold Glove already on Doyle’s mantel, manager Bud Black wasn’t ready to put Friday’s play at the top of his list.

“‘Best’ is a strong word, but it was a good one,” Black said.

Gomber (six innings, three runs) might be in the right position to rate Doyle’s plays, since so many of them last year and this have tended to happen with him on the mound. But all he can do is enjoy them.

And Friday’s play led to another play when nothing happened, and Doyle enjoyed that equally. Eloy Jiménez, already smarter after being thrown out at third by left fielder Jordan Beck in the fourth inning, was at third on Colton Cowser’s sixth-inning fly ball to Doyle. Jiménez showed no interest in trying to score. The O’s didn’t score during that frame.

“The following inning, that play buys me an opportunity to get out of that inning right there, because they don't send Eloy out of respect, out of what Doyle has done,” Gomber said.

Doyle admits peeking at the replay. Before he could do so on Friday, Beck came from left for an enthusiastic leaping body bump -- “I was actually surprised he wanted to do that [it] caught me off guard,” Doyle said -- and Jake Cave dashed from right with equal boisterousness.

“Definitely a feel-good moment,” Doyle said. “But you’ve just got to settle back down and worry about the next pitch.”

Maybe so, but no matter how many pitches pass, folks have the highlight.