Shortstop Iglesias honors his father with base hit and tears

When Rockies shortstop Jose Iglesias stepped into the batter’s box in the second inning at Coors Field Friday afternoon, he had 3,331 career at-bats and 923 hits.

One more hit would usually be no big deal. But when he hit an RBI single to center off Dodgers right-hander Walker Buehler to score Connor Joe, Iglesias’ tears started to flow.

“I lost my dad a few weeks ago and this was the first hit that he couldn’t see,” said Iglesias, who’s entering his 11th season in the majors. “It was for him. It was a very emotional moment for him. He’s a big part of my life and career.”

Iglesias said that his Cubanborn father, Candelario, always dreamed his son would play in the majors.

“He watched me play for 10 years, so I’m very blessed,” he said. “He’s in a better place now. I am who I am because of him.”

The shortstop didn’t anticipate that his emotions would overcome him.

“I didn’t expect it at all,” he said. “As soon as I hit that ball, the first thing that came to my mind was my dad. He watched every single game.”

Iglesias’s dad worked in a factory in Cuba, raising a large family.

“He worked hard but he didn’t make any money,” Iglesias said. “He made $10 a month. But he never gave up, and no matter how tired he was, he always took me to the (baseball) field.”

Lawrence relishes performance. Right-hander Justin Lawrence was sent to Triple-a on April 2, but a Covid-induced roster move brought the young sidearmer back to the majorleague roster on Wednesday.

Lawrence made the most of that opportunity on opening day with a strong impression in his season debut.

He pitched a flawless eighth and ninth, setting down all six Dodgers he faced, including two strikeouts. His steadiness gave the Rockies a chance to claw back in the 5-3 defeat.

“The emotions came from being able to be a part of this opening day, my first opening day, and having my family out there in the stands,” Lawrence said. “The baseball side of it was just doing what I know to do — staying even-keeled, staying comfortable and executing pitches to give the team the best chance to come back there at the end.”

Lawrence can consistently hit in the upper-90s with his fastball, but threw mostly offspeed on Friday (11 sliders to nine fastballs) to keep the Dodgers offbalance. The 27-year-old is looking to rebound in 2022 from the 8.64 ERA he posted in 19 games last year.

Colorado kid. Regis Jesuit graduate Ty Blach, who made the club as a long reliever and spot starter, said he was “beyond thrilled” to be on the Rockies’ roster for opening day.

“I used to come to all of the opening days as a fan,” he said. “As a kid, I’d come to 30 or 40 games every season.”

Blach said his memories came flooding back when he looked up at the stands.

“We always sat in the first row, section 203,” he said.