DENVER – Kyle Freeland executed a perfect throw to first base, snagging a ground ball, coming off the mound, throwing out a scrambling Yasmani Grandal. That’s how he fished his sixth and final frame of his MLB debut. The Colorado Rockies left-handed starter walked straight to the club’s dugout, head down, no emotion.
Five hours before he exited the game, he stood in front of the dugout’s railing taking in Coors Field, the first big league park he’d pitch in, the same one he watched games in as a kid. His head was up, he was transparent and emotional.