Broncos’ Wilson fires a strike
Russell Wilson has yet to play a snap for the Broncos, but he’s already owning this city.
The new Denver quarterback took the mound at Coors Field to thunderous applause at Friday’s opening day, firing a fastball for a ceremonial first-pitch strike to his catcher, new Rockies outfielder Kris Bryant.
“I brought the heat today,” Wilson joked during an in-game interview with AT&T Sportsnet’s Kelsey Wingert. “I told Kris, I said ‘ Hey, I’m going to bring a little extra gas for you.’ “
It was a moment that marked a full-circle baseball journey for Wilson, who was drafted in the fourth round (No. 140 overall) by the Rockies in 2010 and signed for $200,000. His father died from diabetes complications the day after he was drafted, making the experience bittersweet for him at the time.
Wilson reflected on that during his interview with Wingert, and compared Friday’s first pitch to the others he’d thrown previously in Seattle and Texas.
“I’ve had some amazing first pitches, in terms of just experiences,” Wilson said. “I remember when we won the Super Bowl (in Seattle), I threw the first pitch out. But then to be here today, opening day, this crowd, this energy, I mean look at this, this place is completely packed. And then also, this being the place that I got drafted in when I was really young, like I said the ‘hard times’ (after his father died), and I hit home runs on this field and BP and turned double plays with Troy Tulowitzki and guys, this one was really special.”
While in the Rockies organization, Wilson slashed .229/.354/ .356 with five homers and 26 RBIS across Class-a short-season Tri City and Low-a Asheville in 2010 and ’11.
The 33-year-old also appeared in spring training with the Rockies, Rangers and Yankees before finally giving baseball up for good. In his NFL career, Wilson’s a nine-time Pro Bowler and had two Super Bowl appearances with the Seahawks, winning one by blowout over the Broncos.
Wilson fared better than another Broncos quarterback who took the mound for a ceremonial first pitch at Coors Field recently. Last July, Peyton Manning threw one out ahead of the AllStar Game, but bounced the ball low and in the dirt.
Prior to the pitch, Wilson met
Rockies manager Bud Black and bench coach Mike Redmond in the Rockies’ dugout. The quarterback also spent several minutes talking with Bryant, who signed a seven-year free agent deal with the Rockies two days after the Broncos’ trade for Wilson became official.
When Wilson took the field for the pitch, he took off his orange Broncos hat and pumped up the already-buzzing crowd. And after firing the strike, he gifted Bryant with a signed No. 3 Broncos jersey.
Wilson and his wife, Ciara, have been popping up all over Denver since the quarterback was traded to Denver from Seattle last month. That included a visit to Children’s Hospital on March 15 and a courtside appear
ance at a Nuggets game on Thursday night. The Wilsons’ showing at Ball Arena featured the QB tossing a football into the stands, after which he tweeted, “Deep Ball. First of many!”
“It’s been electric, just pulling up and just the energy around this town, it’s really special,” Wilson said. “Obviously we’ve got a very good baseball team, we’ve got a great basketball team, a great hockey team, and in terms of just football, I think there’s a special feeling in the air. So I’m excited about it. Just to know that everybody is hopeful, I think is also cool, too.”