DENVER -- Nolan Arenado stared at the computer. He clicked on the mouse and grimaced. He needed the speakers to work to send tunes reverberating through the clubhouse.
Within a few seconds, the music roared. If anyone can release a hit into the universe it's Arenado.
The Rockies all-star delivered a breathtaking performance Wednesday, mashing three home runs and driving in seven runs in Colorado's sweep of the Padres.
The Rockies won 18-4. The numbers that will resonate: 436 feet, 423 feet, 407 feet. Those are the distances of the souvenirs created by Arenado. Arenado flied out to left field in his final at-bat.
"I will have dreams about this game," Arenado told Denver7.
That's because it has never happened on the professional level. The last and only other time Arenado pulled off a home run triple play? His junior season for El Toro (Calif.) High School at Edison High. It was an unforgettable day for a kid. But this? Three home runs in three consecutive innings? The last Rockies player to pull that off was Andres Galarraga in 1995.
What proved more impressive? Nolan's feat or the reaction to it. He has established such a high bar, Wednesday's jaw dropping seemed normal.
"I was like, 'Wow have a day!' If it were anybody else, I would have been upside down," winning starting pitcher Jon Gray said. "But with him.... Still, It's freaking a day, though."
Shorstop Trevor Story smiled when asked to explain Arenado. He occupies the best seat in the park to witness Arenado's Cirque du Soleil routine defensively. And that only scratches the surface of his value. Few players impact the game on both sides of the ball like Arenado.
"It's unreal. But, it didn't seem that out of the ordinary, you know," said shortstop Trevor Story, who has raised his average 17 points to .235 since July 5. "I guess it's because we were up by so much. But he hit the second and third one, and it was like no big deal because it's Nolan. What a special game for him. It was fun to be a part of it."
Footnotes
All-Star center fielder Charlie Blackmon left Wednesday's game with cramping in his hamstring and quadriceps. Manager Bud Black said the move was a precaution and believes Blackmon will be "fine." The Rockies are off Thursday. ... Outfielder Gerardo Parra continues scalding at the plate. He has 36 hits in his last 66 at-bats. He told Denver7 that he benefited in one way from his DL stint: "I was able to swing the bat the whole time. So I felt good about my swing when I came back." Parra could go hitless in his next 34 at-bats and hit .360 over that 100 at-bat span. "He's taking what the pitchers are giving and using the whole field," Black said.
