The Colorado Rockies have their 20th anniversary home opener this afternoon against the San Diego Padres with veteran Jeff Francis on the mound for Colorado.

The Rockies had lost their first 2 games on the road in 1993 when their home opener saw over 82,000 people crowd into Mile High Stadium…a major league baseball record for opening day and the beginning of a season that still holds the MLB attendance record of nearly 4.5-million fans.

Those there on Day 1 were thrilled when the Rockies’ leadoff hitter, Eric Young, homered in his first at-bat and the team went on to take an 11-4 victory over the Montreal Expos. The Expos are, of course, now the Washington Nationals and Young’s son…Eric Jr…is a backup OF for the Rockies.

The Rockies also won their first game in Coors Field 2 years later, defeating the Mets 11-9 on a 14th inning 3-run walk-off home run by Dante Bichette…now the Rockies hitting coach.

Current Rockies manager Walt Weiss was the team’s SS in that game and got the first putout, started the first DP (the same play on the 2nd batter of the game) and scored the first run in Coors Field in the bottom of the 1st.