This Opening Day game was supposed to be about Zack Greinke, the new ace of the Arizona Diamondbacks, pitching in front of an enthusiastic home crowd, resplendent in those love 'em or hate 'em new Diamondbacks uniforms.
I have to admit: After seeing Greinke pitch in the classic uniform of the Dodgers the past three seasons, it was a little jarring to see him in that 22nd-century Diamondbacks uniform with the sublimated snakeskin pattern on the shoulders and at the bottom of the pants legs. But nowhere near as jarring as seeing Trevor Story take him deep twice as Greinke imploded in his worst outing since 2012.
Story was making his major league debut for the Colorado Rockies after winning the starting shortstop job in spring training by bashing six home runs. With veteran Jose Reyes on the suspended list, the Rockies had little choice but to give Story the job, even if they would have preferred to give him a little more seasoning in Triple-A.
His power potential is legit: He cracked 20 home runs and 70 extra-base hits in the minors last year while hitting .279, albeit with 141 strikeouts in 130 games. His hot spring even earned him the No. 2 spot in the batting order.
After grounding out in his first at-bat, Story lined an 0-1 fastball out to right field for a three-run homer as the Rockies scored six runs in the inning. In the fourth, he golfed a 2-0 slider off his shoe tops for a long home run to left field.
Story became just the sixth player in major league history to homer twice in his debut, the first since Toronto's J.P. Arencibia, and the first to do it on Opening Day. He became just the third player to homer twice off Greinke in the same game, joining Joey Votto (in 2010) and Miguel Olivo (in 2004).
Greinke looked a little shell-shocked after the first home run, which is understandable considering the season he had last year, when he allowed just 43 runs in 31 starts while leading the NL with a 1.66 ERA, the lowest mark since Greg Maddux in 1995. He allowed more than three runs just twice all season, one five-run outing and one six-run outing. Before Monday, he hadn't allowed seven runs in a start since 2012, against the Diamondbacks in a game at Chase Field.
His usual pinpoint command was off just a bit. The 0-1 fastball to Story was supposed to be low and away but instead was up, although it was on the outside corner. Give Story credit for going the other way. The slider also was at the bottom of the zone or just below; again, not a terrible pitch, but not on the outside corner that Greinke likely wanted. Carlos Gonzalez followed Story's first home run with his own line-drive homer, off a 3-2 changeup that was up in the zone.
Story had an up-and-down minor league career after being drafted 45th overall in 2011 out of a Texas high school. He had a big season at low-A ball in 2012, but then struggled in the Class A California League in 2013 when he hit .233 while striking out 183 times. His raw power and athleticism were never an issue; his ability to make contact and control his swing were, but after hitting .200 in a partial season at Double-A in 2014, he started to develop some consistency last year at Double-A New Britain and maintained his production after a promotion to Triple-A.
Reyes' offseason legal troubles led to MLB giving him an indefinite suspension. Though charges against him eventually were dropped, a possible suspension by the league still looms, and some have speculated Reyes won't play for the Rockies even if a suspension is lifted at some point this season.
Certainly, Story's play will have a lot do with that decision. Considering the state of the Rockies -- five consecutive losing seasons, none with more than 74 wins -- they're better off letting Story play the entire season and seeing what he can do. Reyes isn't part of their future, even though they owe him $48 million through next season.
It's not easy replacing a franchise stalwart like Troy Tulowitzki. But Story is off to a great start. You never know, maybe Rockies fans will soon forget about their former All-Star shortstop as they cheer on their future All-Star shortstop.
