Chad Bettis
had trouble controlling his emotions as he took the mound for the first
time since cancer treatment. He had no trouble controlling the Atlanta Braves' lineup.
Bettis threw seven impressive innings in his season debut Monday, thrilling the crowd as the Colorado Rockies beat the Braves 3-0 on a feel-good night at Coors Field.
Bettis
scattered six hits, walked none and struck out two. He hadn't pitched
in the majors since being diagnosed with testicular cancer in November.
"I don't think I was in tune to what was going on until the fifth," Bettis said. "So many emotions. I was trying to get them under control. It was taking much longer than what was expected."
Bettis had surgery for the condition, but tests in March showed the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes. He later underwent chemotherapy.
The journey to get back to the rotation was on his mind all day, but he was able to harness his emotions and put together a strong outing.
"From what everybody has told me about this fella, seeing what he did tonight didn't surprise me," first-year Rockies manager Bud Black said. "I'm sure it was emotional for him, his family, the people who he's close to, people with cancer that follow his path."
The 33,641 fans at Coors Field were cheering for Bettis before he threw his first major league pitch of 2017. The crowd rose as he walked in from the bullpen before the start, and gave a big cheer as he went out to pitch the first inning.
"You try to get your mind clear because of the task at hand, and then to be hit with that emotion, it was unbelievable," Bettis said. "Walking in, it was deep breaths."
Asked about trying not to think too much about this start in the days leading up to it, Bettis said, "It crept in this morning, when I woke up. Just thinking about everything that happened, everything my family and I have been through ... I was holding back tears until the start."
Reality hit in a hurry when Ender Inciarte led off with a triple past a diving Gerardo Parra in left, but Inciarte was thrown out trying to stretch it to an inside-the-park home run.
"It went from being incredibly high to, 'Oh no, we're about to be down 1-0.' I've never had a problem with guys laying out," Bettis said. "Parra tried to make a spectacular play and ended up still making a spectacular play."
The 28-year-old Bettis settled into a pitchers' duel with Atlanta starter Julio Teheran and pitched the way he did last year when he led Colorado in starts (32), wins (14) and innings (186). Bettis left for a pinch-hitter in the seventh with the game still scoreless.
Bettis said he never had any doubt that he would return.
"The question was when was it going to be and what would it look like," Bettis said. "Was I going to be in the bullpen helping them back there, or was I going to be able to start.
"So the fact that I'm able to start again is exciting."
Colorado scored three times in the eighth off Rex Brothers (2-3), who relieved Teheran. The Rockies are tied with Arizona for the top NL wild card.
"You hate not to get that one for [Teheran]," Brothers said.
Mike Dunn (5-1) got the win and Greg Holland closed for his 35th save. Holland, who had blown his previous two save chances, gave up a single and a walk in the ninth before getting the last out.
Teheran allowed four hits and struck out eight in seven innings.
"I've been working to try and get back on track, and today I feel like I had my best, like the old Julio Teheran that we're used to seeing," he said.
Charlie Blackmon led off the Colorado eighth with a triple. After an intentional walk, Parra singled through the drawn-in infield to put the Rockies ahead.
Carlos Gonzalez's two-run single off Jason Motte provided some insurance.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Braves: OF Matt Kemp (right hamstring strain) did some running and is scheduled to do more Wednesday. He will take Thursday off but could play Friday against Cincinnati.
Rockies: OF-1B Ian Desmond (right calf strain) did some hitting and running on Colorado's recent road trip.
CRISIS AVERTED
The Rockies got a scare Sunday when All-Star 3B Nolan Arenado, who leads the majors with 100 RBIs, left the game in Miami after being hit on the left hand with a pitch. He and the team feared he broke a bone, but X-rays showed only a bruise.
"I was a little surprised. I thought I broke it," Arenado said Monday. "It got super tight right after. Last time I broke my finger, and I've broken bones before, it gets super tight and it usually comes out broken."
Arenado didn't start, but he pinch hit in the seventh, fouling out to first.
"I'm good to go. It hurts, but I've dealt with worse pain," he said. "It's not as swollen as we thought it was going to be. It's just pain tolerance."
BAYLOR TRIBUTE
Before the game, the Rockies honored Don Baylor, the club's first manager, with a video tribute and a moment of silence. Baylor, who managed Colorado for its first six seasons, died last week at age 68 after a 14-year battle with multiple myeloma. The Rockies hung his jersey in their dugout.
UP NEXT
Braves: LHP Sean Newcomb (1-7, 4.45 ERA) will make his 12th start of the season Tuesday.
Rockies: LHP Kyle Freeland (11-7, 3.70) returns from a left groin strain to make his first career start against Atlanta.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Bettis threw seven impressive innings in his season debut Monday, thrilling the crowd as the Colorado Rockies beat the Braves 3-0 on a feel-good night at Coors Field.
ADVERTISEMENT
"I don't think I was in tune to what was going on until the fifth," Bettis said. "So many emotions. I was trying to get them under control. It was taking much longer than what was expected."
Bettis had surgery for the condition, but tests in March showed the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes. He later underwent chemotherapy.
The journey to get back to the rotation was on his mind all day, but he was able to harness his emotions and put together a strong outing.
"From what everybody has told me about this fella, seeing what he did tonight didn't surprise me," first-year Rockies manager Bud Black said. "I'm sure it was emotional for him, his family, the people who he's close to, people with cancer that follow his path."
The 33,641 fans at Coors Field were cheering for Bettis before he threw his first major league pitch of 2017. The crowd rose as he walked in from the bullpen before the start, and gave a big cheer as he went out to pitch the first inning.
"You try to get your mind clear because of the task at hand, and then to be hit with that emotion, it was unbelievable," Bettis said. "Walking in, it was deep breaths."
Asked about trying not to think too much about this start in the days leading up to it, Bettis said, "It crept in this morning, when I woke up. Just thinking about everything that happened, everything my family and I have been through ... I was holding back tears until the start."
Reality hit in a hurry when Ender Inciarte led off with a triple past a diving Gerardo Parra in left, but Inciarte was thrown out trying to stretch it to an inside-the-park home run.
"It went from being incredibly high to, 'Oh no, we're about to be down 1-0.' I've never had a problem with guys laying out," Bettis said. "Parra tried to make a spectacular play and ended up still making a spectacular play."
The 28-year-old Bettis settled into a pitchers' duel with Atlanta starter Julio Teheran and pitched the way he did last year when he led Colorado in starts (32), wins (14) and innings (186). Bettis left for a pinch-hitter in the seventh with the game still scoreless.
Bettis said he never had any doubt that he would return.
"The question was when was it going to be and what would it look like," Bettis said. "Was I going to be in the bullpen helping them back there, or was I going to be able to start.
"So the fact that I'm able to start again is exciting."
Colorado scored three times in the eighth off Rex Brothers (2-3), who relieved Teheran. The Rockies are tied with Arizona for the top NL wild card.
"You hate not to get that one for [Teheran]," Brothers said.
Mike Dunn (5-1) got the win and Greg Holland closed for his 35th save. Holland, who had blown his previous two save chances, gave up a single and a walk in the ninth before getting the last out.
Teheran allowed four hits and struck out eight in seven innings.
"I've been working to try and get back on track, and today I feel like I had my best, like the old Julio Teheran that we're used to seeing," he said.
Charlie Blackmon led off the Colorado eighth with a triple. After an intentional walk, Parra singled through the drawn-in infield to put the Rockies ahead.
Carlos Gonzalez's two-run single off Jason Motte provided some insurance.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Braves: OF Matt Kemp (right hamstring strain) did some running and is scheduled to do more Wednesday. He will take Thursday off but could play Friday against Cincinnati.
Rockies: OF-1B Ian Desmond (right calf strain) did some hitting and running on Colorado's recent road trip.
CRISIS AVERTED
The Rockies got a scare Sunday when All-Star 3B Nolan Arenado, who leads the majors with 100 RBIs, left the game in Miami after being hit on the left hand with a pitch. He and the team feared he broke a bone, but X-rays showed only a bruise.
"I was a little surprised. I thought I broke it," Arenado said Monday. "It got super tight right after. Last time I broke my finger, and I've broken bones before, it gets super tight and it usually comes out broken."
Arenado didn't start, but he pinch hit in the seventh, fouling out to first.
"I'm good to go. It hurts, but I've dealt with worse pain," he said. "It's not as swollen as we thought it was going to be. It's just pain tolerance."
BAYLOR TRIBUTE
Before the game, the Rockies honored Don Baylor, the club's first manager, with a video tribute and a moment of silence. Baylor, who managed Colorado for its first six seasons, died last week at age 68 after a 14-year battle with multiple myeloma. The Rockies hung his jersey in their dugout.
UP NEXT
Braves: LHP Sean Newcomb (1-7, 4.45 ERA) will make his 12th start of the season Tuesday.
Rockies: LHP Kyle Freeland (11-7, 3.70) returns from a left groin strain to make his first career start against Atlanta.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
8:40PM,EDT,August 14,2017
Coors Field, Denver,Colorado
Coors Field, Denver,Colorado
| View: Play-By-Play | Pitch-By-Pitch | Inning: All | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Atlanta - Top of 1st | SCORE | |
|---|---|---|
| Chad Bettis pitching for Colorado | ATL | COL |
| Inciarte tripled to left, Inciarte out at home, left to short to catcher. | 0 | 0 |
| Phillips grounded out to shortstop. | 0 | 0 |
| F. Freeman singled to deep right. | 0 | 0 |
| Markakis grounded out to second. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 1st | SCORE | |
| Julio Teheran pitching for Atlanta | ATL | COL |
| Blackmon struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| LeMahieu lined out to right. | 0 | 0 |
| Parra flied out to left. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Atlanta - Top of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Chad Bettis pitching for Colorado | ATL | COL |
| Suzuki popped out to first. | 0 | 0 |
| Santana grounded out to first. | 0 | 0 |
| Albies lined out to right. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Julio Teheran pitching for Atlanta | ATL | COL |
| Reynolds grounded out to pitcher. | 0 | 0 |
| González flied out to center. | 0 | 0 |
| Lucroy singled to right center. | 0 | 0 |
| Valaika flied out to center. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Atlanta - Top of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Chad Bettis pitching for Colorado | ATL | COL |
| Swanson grounded out to third. | 0 | 0 |
| Teherán singled to center. | 0 | 0 |
| Inciarte lined out to center. | 0 | 0 |
| Teherán to second on wild pitch by Bettis. | 0 | 0 |
| Phillips grounded out to pitcher. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Julio Teheran pitching for Atlanta | ATL | COL |
| Story singled to center. | 0 | 0 |
| Bettis walked, Story to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Blackmon struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| LeMahieu lined into double play, second to shortstop, Story doubled off second. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Atlanta - Top of 4th | SCORE | |
| Chad Bettis pitching for Colorado | ATL | COL |
| F. Freeman grounded out to third. | 0 | 0 |
| Markakis doubled to deep right. | 0 | 0 |
| Suzuki grounded out to shortstop, Markakis to third. | 0 | 0 |
| Santana grounded out to second. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 4th | SCORE | |
| Julio Teheran pitching for Atlanta | ATL | COL |
| Parra struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Reynolds struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| González walked. | 0 | 0 |
| Lucroy singled to center, González to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Valaika popped out to shortstop. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Atlanta - Top of 5th | SCORE | |
| Chad Bettis pitching for Colorado | ATL | COL |
| Albies struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Swanson doubled to deep right. | 0 | 0 |
| Teherán grounded out to shortstop. | 0 | 0 |
| Inciarte flied out to left. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 5th | SCORE | |
| Julio Teheran pitching for Atlanta | ATL | COL |
| Story struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Bettis struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Blackmon flied out to center. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Atlanta - Top of 6th | SCORE | |
| Chad Bettis pitching for Colorado | ATL | COL |
| Phillips grounded out to shortstop. | 0 | 0 |
| F. Freeman grounded out to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Markakis struck out looking. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 6th | SCORE | |
| Julio Teheran pitching for Atlanta | ATL | COL |
| LeMahieu grounded out to third. | 0 | 0 |
| Parra flied out to left. | 0 | 0 |
| Reynolds grounded out to pitcher. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Atlanta - Top of 7th | SCORE | |
| Chad Bettis pitching for Colorado | ATL | COL |
| Suzuki doubled to left. | 0 | 0 |
| Santana sacrificed to pitcher, Suzuki to third. | 0 | 0 |
| Albies flied out to center. | 0 | 0 |
| Swanson flied out to center. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 7th | SCORE | |
| Julio Teheran pitching for Atlanta | ATL | COL |
| González reached on infield single to shortstop. | 0 | 0 |
| González stole second. | 0 | 0 |
| Lucroy walked. | 0 | 0 |
| Valaika struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Arenado hit for Story. | 0 | 0 |
| Arenado fouled out to first. | 0 | 0 |
| Amarista hit for Bettis. | 0 | 0 |
| Amarista struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Atlanta - Top of 8th | SCORE | |
| Mike Dunn pitching for Colorado | ATL | COL |
| Amarista at shortstop. | 0 | 0 |
| Dunn relieved Bettis. | 0 | 0 |
| L. Adams hit for Teherán. | 0 | 0 |
| L. Adams flied out to center. | 0 | 0 |
| Inciarte struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Phillips lined out to second. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 8th | SCORE | |
| Rex Brothers pitching for Atlanta | ATL | COL |
| Brothers relieved Teherán. | 0 | 0 |
| Blackmon tripled to deep center. | 0 | 0 |
| LeMahieu intentionally walked. | 0 | 0 |
| Parra safe at first on error by shortstop Swanson, Blackmon scored, LeMahieu to second. | 0 | 1 |
| Motte relieved Brothers. | 0 | 1 |
| Reynolds walked, LeMahieu to third, Parra to second. | 0 | 1 |
| González singled to shallow center, LeMahieu and Parra scored, Reynolds to second. | 0 | 3 |
| Lucroy flied out to right. | 0 | 3 |
| Valaika grounded into double play, pitcher to second to first, González out at second. | 0 | 3 |
| 3 Runs, 2 Hits, 1 Errors | ||
| Atlanta - Top of 9th | SCORE | |
| Greg Holland pitching for Colorado | ATL | COL |
| Holland relieved Dunn. | 0 | 3 |
| F. Freeman grounded out to first. | 0 | 3 |
| Markakis singled to left. | 0 | 3 |
| Suzuki lined out to center. | 0 | 3 |
| Markakis to second on fielder's indifference. | 0 | 3 |
| Santana walked. | 0 | 3 |
| Albies lined out to second. | 0 | 3 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Atlanta Braves | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hitters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | #P | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| Inciarte CF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 22 | .298 | .343 | .396 |
| Phillips 3B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | .283 | .326 | .426 |
| F. Freeman 1B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | .321 | .422 | .631 |
| Markakis RF | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15 | .276 | .359 | .390 |
| Suzuki C | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | .263 | .340 | .508 |
| Santana LF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | .212 | .257 | .379 |
| Albies 2B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | .205 | .273 | .385 |
| Swanson SS | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | .210 | .281 | .306 |
| Teherán P | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | .150 | .186 | .150 |
a-L. Adams PH
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .263 | .300 | .421 |
Brothers P
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
Motte P
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Totals | 32 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 116 | |||
| a-flied out to center for J Teheran in the 8th | ||||||||||
| BATTING 2B: Markakis (29, Bettis); Swanson (15, Bettis); Suzuki (8, Bettis) 3B: Inciarte (2, Bettis) S: Santana Braves RISP: 0-8 (Santana 0-1, Teherán 0-1, Inciarte 0-1, Swanson 0-1, Phillips 0-1, Albies 0-2, Suzuki 0-1) Team LOB: 7 | ||||||||||
| FIELDING DP: 2 (Albies-Swanson, Motte-Albies-F. Freeman). | ||||||||||
Game Information
| Stadium | Coors Field, Denver, CO |
| Attendance | 33,641 (66.8% full) - % is based on regular season capacity |
| Game Time | 2:44 |
| Weather | 82 degrees, cloudy |
| Wind | 5 mph |
| Umpires | Home Plate - Jerry Layne, First Base - Ryan Additon, Second Base - Dan Bellino, Third Base - Mike Estabrook |
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