Welcome to The Opener, where every weekday morning during the regular season you’ll get a fresh, topical story to start your day from one of SI.com’s MLB writers.
Playing baseball in the heart of the Rocky Mountains at a far higher altitude than MLB’s other 29 teams has its advantages. The picturesque, snow-capped backdrop can’t be beat. No lead is safe in the thin atmosphere conducive to home runs, high-scoring games and thrilling comebacks. The mountain range even lent the Rockies their nickname.
But the mile-high style—the 20th row of Coors Field’s upper deck is literally a mile above sea level—also comes with one debilitating drawback.