Trevor Story writing unprecedented first chapter to Rockies career

DENVER -- The jerseys worn to Coors Field on Friday afternoon for the Colorado Rockies home opener were mostly relics, celebrations of days gone by featuring names like Helton, Walker, Tulowitzki and some recognizing Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado or slugger Carlos Gonzalez.

There were no No. 27s pleading for autographs at the edge of dugout before the game, standing in the concession lines or sitting in the outfield hoping a home run would come their way. That is about to change.

Almost from the moment fans were allowed into the building to catch the tail end of the Rockies’ batting practice two hours before the game, it felt as if the purple-clad people of Colorado came to see their 23-year-old rookie shortstop Trevor Story as much, maybe more than wanting to experience all the traditions of the home opener. And he made sure not to disappoint them by extending his historic and almost unbelievable home run streak.

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Story had already made history giving everyone in Major League Baseball a reason to know who was wearing that No. 27 jersey for the Rockies before he took batting practice for the first time at Coors Field let alone played his first game in Denver.

He is the only player in the modern era (since 1900) to hit a home run in each of his first three games in the big leagues, all in Arizona. He is the first player to hit two home runs in his major league debut in a season opener. He went into the Rockies home opener with four home runs in 14 at-bats looking to keep his historic run going after fulfilling a request from the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown donating his batting helmet and batting gloves with which he started the season.

This just doesn’t happen much in baseball or any other sport for that matter. The Hall of Fame asking for your gear before you’ve played a home game.

“I think I saw it right from the beginning of spring training, just the poise," manager Walt Weiss said before Friday's game. "You never know how a young player is going to respond when he knows there is an opportunity. And he knew that right coming in that he had an opportunity to win a job and come to the big leagues for the first time and it elevated his game. You see some players go the other way, where it’s a little bit too much for them. But with Trevor, we saw his game elevate. He had a tremendous spring. He just always looked in control of the game the entire spring and he took it right into the first series.”

Story was in Coors Field for only the fourth time in his life Friday, yet he received an ovation to rival Arenado from the crowd during the traditional player introductions that come with home openers. Another roar followed in his first at-bat when he came to the plate with Kanye West’s  “Father Stretch My Hands” playing as his walk-up music. He flied out to right field.

He came to the plate for the third time in just the fourth inning because this is Coors Field, the hardest place in the game for pitchers to get outs. He was 1-for-2 having smacked the first hit of his career that wasn’t a home run to right field in the second inning, driving in a run.

San Diego starter Colin Rea fired a pitch down in the zone that Story went down and clobbered 411 feet high up into the bleachers in left field. Home run No. 5.

Mouths were agape, high-fives were abundant, the scoreboard in left field read simply KABOOM. Somewhere someone was surely asking themselves, ‘How in the world is this guy rated only the Rockies 11^th best prospect?’ No one has seen a rookie start a career by mashing big league pitching like this – ever.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Colorado manager Walt Weiss said afterward.

Any lingering upset about last season's trade of shortstop Troy Tulowitzki seems to have faded rather quickly this season for Rockies fans. Story joined the Rockies in 2011 as a supplemental draft pick in the first round, 45^th overall. He joined an exclusive club Friday by hitting a home run in four straight games to start a season. Only Chris Davis (2013), Nelson Cruz (2011), Mark McGwire (2008) and Willie Mays (1971) have done it.

“To be on a list with those kinds of guys is pretty special,” Story said.

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No player in MLB history has hit five home runs in a career faster, and Story wasn’t done. He came to the plate in the bottom of the ninth with San Diego leading 13-5 and many in the crowd of nearly 50,000 already headed home. Story worked himself into a 3-2 count against lefty Ryan Buchter and blasted his sixth home run of the season to left field.

“We were all amazed, all shaking our heads, can’t believe what we saw and when he hit that second one, it was like, ‘All right, whatever,’ Rockies second baseman D.J. LeMahieu said.

Story is the first player in history to have two multi-homer games in his first four games and it seems this is just the start of something special. Gonzalez has one of the best views of each of Story’s at-bats from the on-deck circle. He said he doesn’t say anything to the rookie right now because Story doesn’t need anyone talking to him as locked in as he is.

“That’s something that legends do,” Gonzalez said. “Hopefully we’re seeing something special that you don’t get to see for a lot of years.

Veteran Mark Reynolds sat at his locker with media buzzing around a quiet losing clubhouse and marveled at his young teammate’s poise. It’s a word multiple members of the Colorado organization used to describe Story.

“He doesn’t seem overwhelmed at all,” Reynolds said. “He seems like he’s been up here forever doing it and it’s just fun to watch him go out there and play.

“I think the sky is the limit because of the way he acts and the way he goes about his business and the way he works hard and the way he doesn’t let these things go to his head. I think right now he’s probably in the weight room lifting.”

Story said he is not trying to think at all when he is at the plate. He said he is competing with his eyes and reacting and he couldn’t ask for better results. He could not recall ever hitting six home runs in four games at any level of baseball before.

“I never could have thought that it could start out like this,” Story said. “It’s been great so far. …It’s very gratifying. I’ve put in a lot of work and a lot of time in some rough places, too. It’s all kind of paying off, but I think this is where it really starts.”

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Kyle Ringo is a contributing writer to Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo