Birth of the beard

Blackmon’s 2014 home opener changed everything for Rockies icon

Ten years ago, Chuck got “Nazty.”

First, there was the birth of The Beard. Then he played one of the greatest games in Rockies history.

“That one game, you could almost say, singlehandedly turned my career around,” Charlie Blackmon said.

The date was April 4, 2014 — opening day in LoDo, with 49,130 packed into Coors Field to witness what became one of the most iconic performances of Blackmon’s career.

Sporting the beginnings of his famed beard, Blackmon hit 6-for-6 with one home run, three doubles, two singles and five RBIs in Colorado’s 12-2 win over Arizona.

“I remember it well — just an incredible day,” said former Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu, Blackmon’s close friend and former roommate.

On Friday afternoon, Blackmon, 37, will play in his 12th home opener at Coors. After he finishes his meticulous pregame routine — stretching, studying video, taking batting practice — he’ll be sure to soak it all up.

“Because opening day is such a big deal for the city of Denver, right?” he said. “It seems like everybody’s at the ballpark or is downtown watching the game at a local establishment. It seems like the whole city is plugged into that home opener. So that was the right time to have a game like that. It was special.”

It’s unlikely Friday’s game will come close to matching that game 10 years ago. Not only because Blackmon had six hits — since 1900, it’s only been accomplished 74 times in a nine-inning game — but also because it launched an extraordinary career for the four-time All-Star who’s become a Rockies icon and fan favorite.

“That game was kind of Charlie’s arrival to the big leagues,” said LeMahieu, who’s played for the Yankees since 2019. “He had been up and down the previous couple of years, but that was the game that made him ‘a guy.’ “

“We were roommates during the regular season in ’14 and he had just an amazing year. I watched all the work he put in, and I knew he had a chance to be good. But that opening day was the start of a great season and a great career.”

Of course, Blackmon knew he had five hits when he went to the plate in the eighth inning to face Diamondbacks reliever Oliver Perez for his final atbat. Still, Blackmon didn’t know he could join Andres Galarraga as the only player in Rockies history with six hits in a game. He did, however, know that he was a triple short of hitting for the cycle.

When he lined a ball, barely fair, into the leftfield corner, he was tempted to risk going to third, but when Diamondbacks left fielder Mark Trumbo retrieved the ball quickly, Blackmon pulled up at second base.

“I didn’t even know where it went when I hit it,” Blackmon said after the game. “You know you had a good day when you hit a ball, and it ends up two inches inside the line.”

As usual, Black was so focused on his job that he didn’t even notice the fans giving him a standing ovation as he came to the plate for his final at-bat.

“I missed it,” Blackmon said. “But I received a lot of applause when I went out to (center fielder). It was really nice.”

Blackmon’s were gaga. teammates

“I don’t think I ever hit 6 for 6 in my life,” right fielder Carlos Gonzalez said. “I’m happy for him. He’s proving to everybody he deserves to be in the big leagues and every day in the lineup.”

But entering the 2014 season, Blackmon’s career was at a tipping point. He debuted on June 7, 2011, at age 24, but foot injuries limited him to 69 games in 2011-12.

In 2013, he suffered an infection in his right knee during spring training and began the season at TripleA Colorado Springs. Though he got called up and hit .309 in 82 games for the Rockies, he was not a lock to make the roster in ’14.

Understanding that, Blackmon headed into that season with a new attitude and a look so different that his own manager didn’t recognize him.

“I had Charlie in ’13, and there was no beard,” recalled Walt Weiss, now the Atlanta Braves bench coach. “Then we had our fanfest in January, and Charlie walked in with a beard and a big flannel shirt. And the thing with Charlie is, he’s all business at the field, and then you get away from the field, and it’s like he has a dual personality.

“So, he comes bouncing into the clubhouse, all animated and everything, and he gives me a big hug. Then he walks away. And I remember mouthing to one of the players, ‘Who is that?’ The player says, ‘That’s your center fielder.’ I say, ‘What?’ I didn’t even know it was Charlie.”

The bearded Blackmon hit just .236 during spring training, while fellow lefty hitter Corey Dickerson batted .344. Blackmon was initially afraid he wouldn’t make the big-league roster. However, Weiss held a stress-relieving meeting and told the outfielders that he was keeping both Dickerson and Blackmon and going with six outfielders.

“That was the first time I had made the team out of camp, but I think I was considered the sixth outfielder,” Blackmon recalled. “It was just going to be kind of a platoon situation across the outfield to see how things would shake out.”

Blackmon started two of the first four road games at Miami, hitting 3 for 10 with no extra-base hits, one strikeout and one walk.

“We came home, and I got the start and from that point on, I was part of the starting lineup,” Blackmon said.

Blackmon finished the season slashing .288/.335/.440 with 19 homers, 27 doubles, three triples and 72 RBIs. He made the National League All-Star team for the Midsummer Classic at Target Field in Minneapolis.

Weiss, who managed the Rockies from 2013-16, always loved how Black approached baseball but admits he didn’t foresee the player who would soon put together one of the greatest seasons in franchise history. In 2017, Blackmon led the NL in average (.331), triples (14), runs (137) and plate appearances (725). He hit a career-high 37 homers and set a then-major league record with 103 RBIs from the leadoff position.

“I always really liked the way Charlie played the game,” Weiss said. “… I really thought he was a winning player. I really liked

• First inning:

• Third inning: the way he attacked the game, how he prepared and his focus. I really wanted him in the mix after what I saw in ’13, but I didn’t know he would end up having the career he’s had.”

Neither did Blackmon. “Even when I was having some success, at that point, I really didn’t know if I was lucky or good,” Blackmon said with a chuckle. “Even now, I sometimes wonder. But that’s a good mindset to have, right? To know that you have to keep performing and putting in the work.

“There is so much defeat and failure in baseball, and it’s really hard to appreciate how hard big-league baseball is and how good these guys are. You might be an amazing player who has confidence, but until you have that track record of consistent success, you don’t really know if you are capable of it. How can you know?”

True enough. But 10 years ago, Chuck Nazty provided a sneak peek of amazing things to come.