On Monday, the Colorado Rockies meet in the first of three games against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas, and it will be a homecoming for two Colorado Rockies, among other things.
Both shortstop Trevor Story and outfielder Sam Hilliard are from the Dallas / Fort Worth area and will have a little homecoming.
When the Colorado Rockies took on the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field earlier this week, we had the opportunity to speak to both of them about their return to the Dallas area.
Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story and outfielder Sam Hilliard will have their family on hand in Texas.
Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story is from Irving, Texas, about 12 miles northeast of Globe Life Field in Arlington. Outfielder Sam Hilliard is from Mansfield, Texas, which is 20 miles south of Globe Life Field. Both love the new park in Arlington, but they love the historic parks like Wrigley Field.
Hilliard, who said he had been dying to play at Wrigley and Fenway Park since childhood, as these are the two oldest stadiums, was able to play in his first game at Wrigley this week.
Hilliard took a tour of the midfield scoreboard, which is still being operated by hand by an operator. Although Wrigley Field has done some renovations in the past few years that have added a digital video board, an attentive observer will find that if you want to count during a stroke in the midfield, you will still need to keep an eye on the old scoreboard.
Hilliard also said he took a stroll around the ballpark to check out the rest of the park.
Part of the park that he experienced up close and personal in his first game was the ivy along the outfield wall. The wall is different from all other MLB walls for two reasons: the ivy, but the brick wall that sits behind the ivy.
“They don’t hold that much ivy,” said Hilliard. “I felt every piece of that brick wall. Fortunately I was able to catch (the ball) and support myself a little, but you could definitely feel the brick out there. “
You can check out the game below.
Story said that every time he played at Wrigley it was a fun experience for him because it has “a different atmosphere” with the story behind the stadium.
Trevor Story and Sam Hilliard on returning to Arlington, Barbecue, and Tex-Mex
Although Sam Hilliard never played at Globe Life Park, he has special memories, in part because he got his first job there.
“I started working there when I was 16,” explains Hilliard. “There used to be this wiffle ball field behind midfield in the old stadium (and it was) sort of an area where kids could play and play, and there were other stands where you could throw a ball and see how hard you could go could throw and get tattooed … and that was really fun. “
As a fan, Hilliard’s favorite moments are from her World Series runs in 2010 and 2011. Hilliard said he went to “some of her World Series games” from then on.
Hilliard also stated that some of his friends are still Rangers fans who still deny this game in the 2011 World Series in St. Louis. The game came with the Rangers with a two-run lead in the bottom of the ninth with a 1-2 count and two outs. One stroke away from winning the World Series … but it never came. Hilliard said that the Rangers fan in him found the piece “devastating” at the time.
Story, on the other hand, was lucky enough to play a few games in the Rangers’ old stadium (Globe Life Park) as well as in their new stadium (Globe Life Field). Story, who was “there all the time as a kid” with his family and friends, missed the opportunity to play there in 2016 because he was on the injured list.
But when the Rockies returned in 2018, Story played in front of his family and friends in a 13-12 loss to the Rangers on Father’s Day. Story described the homer as “definitely one of my favorite moments of my career”.
The story will involve “at least” 30 people, and perhaps up to 50 people for games during the series, including friends and family.
Arlington is the closest street stadium to Coors Field where the Rockies are playing this season (generally Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City is the closest), so Story had some recommendations for Rockies fans regarding restaurants and attractions in the environment.
“I love Hurtado’s barbecue, which is in Arlington, so near the stadium,” said Story. “That was our favorite barbecue (restaurant) last off-season and we ate it before the (Dallas) Cowboys games.” Story also recommends Tender Smokehouse and BBQ, which has three locations in the area suburbs. This belongs to former MLB All-Star Torii Hunter. You can’t go wrong with local Tex-Mex restaurants either. He also recommends visiting the Cowboys’ Stadium (AT&T Stadium), which is about 1 mile from Globe Life Field.
When it comes to dining, Hilliard recommends Cha Cha’s Mexican Restaurant in his hometown of Mansfield, as well as El Primo’s Mexican Restaurants in Mansfield for some Tex-Mex. Regarding barbecue and Tex-Mex in Arlington, he said there were “too many” good restaurants around the stadium.
For Hilliard and his family in Texas, he said he will have some family and friends there, but since his father Jim has ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease), it is “in the air” whether his father is , Jim and mother Tamara can be there. His father and mother were able to attend the shows that the Rockies and Rangers had in 2020 before the season started.
You can check out our entire conversation with Trevor Story on the latest episode of our podcast. You can listen to this above or wherever you download your podcasts.
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