'What you dream about': Goodman's grand slam caps 7-RBI night
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DENVER -- Prior to the Rockies’ series-opener against the Cubs on Friday night, manager Bud Black talked about finishing strong.
It’s been a trying season for Colorado, but Black said his young club isn’t letting up until it crosses the finish line when the regular season concludes on Sept. 29.
“Our guys are playing hard,” Black said. “And there are so many young guys who are still trying to establish themselves.”
Hunter Goodman is one of those young guys. And on Friday, he passed the test with flying colors.
Goodman launched two homers, including a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning, to lead the Rockies to a 9-5 victory over the Cubs at Coors Field.
“With just a couple weeks left, there's impact to be had for these young guys,” Black said. “They’re wanting to make a statement in letting us know that they’re Major League players. And a night like this from Goody helps his cause.”
Goodman helped the Rockies’ cause on Friday by almost single-handedly producing all the offense. While the lineup picked up 12 hits, Goodman drove in a career-high seven of Colorado’s nine runs.
After the Cubs jumped out to an early lead with two runs in the first inning off Rockies starter Austin Gomber, Goodman put Colorado ahead with a two-run homer in a three-run second. Then in the fourth, Goodman delivered an RBI single to extend the Rockies’ lead to 4-2.
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An Ezequiel Tovar solo homer in the seventh added some insurance, but in the eighth, the Cubs answered with a three-run, game-tying shot from Michael Busch off reliever Victor Vodnik.
The Rockies could have been left reeling. But Goodman wouldn’t allow it.
After a pair of singles and a walk loaded the bases in the bottom half of the frame, another opportunity arose for the man of the night to make a late-season impression.
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And Goodman once again took advantage of it. On an 0-2 pitch, the 24-year-old catcher smashed a hanging slider from Cubs reliever Nate Pearson and deposited it into the left-center field bleachers.
“You work every day for nights like those,” Goodman said as he stood in front of his locker, where the baseball he hit for his first career grand slam sat on the top shelf. “All the work in the cage, all that stuff. It’s what you dream about when you’re growing up, having nights like that.”
With the 2024 campaign winding down, this is a time for young players to head into the offseason on a high note, not only to buoy themselves as they look ahead to 2025, but to plant seeds in the minds of those who evaluate them before Spring Training comes around.
Black mentioned others who, like Goodman, are trying to accomplish that in the season’s waning days. One of them is Nolan Jones, who, after a great rookie season in 2023, has been hurt and unable to get going consistently at the plate in ’24.
“Jones had a good year last year,” Black said. “It didn’t guarantee a good year this year, right? It didn’t. So he’s saying, ‘Hey, man, I’ve got to play here the next couple weeks and do well.’”
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Going hand-in-hand with trying to finish strong and make a good impression ahead of ‘25 is playing spoiler in the final couple of weeks of the season. The Rockies dealt the Cubs a major blow in their quest for the postseason on Friday, dropping Chicago to six games behind the Mets for the third and final National League Wild Card spot.
Colorado will see the D-backs and Dodgers again before it’s all said and done, meaning that the Rockies could have a significant say in what the postseason field looks like.
“I told the guys that across baseball, they’re watching our games against the Orioles, they’re watching our games against the Brewers, they’re watching our games now against the Cubs,” Black said. “ … So, yes, it means something. It means something to our guys and it means something to probably 10 to 15 teams across baseball, the importance of [these] games. And we take pride in that.”
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As he left the ballpark carrying his grand slam ball on Friday night, Goodman could take pride in his career-best performance. Now, he’ll try to carry that forward, much like many of his teammates hope to do.
“Like Buddy said, just finish strong,” Goodman said. “Just go out there, have fun, and let’s try and finish on a high note.”