Coors Field is a Major League Baseball stadium located at 20th and Blake Streets in downtown Denver, and the home field of the Colorado Rockies. It is known as a hitter-friendly ballpark due to the thin air and high altitude which causes baseballs to travel further than usual. The venue averages over 2.5 million attendees each season as of 2024. 

Early Baseball in Denver

Baseball has been popular in Denver since the nineteenth century. The city’s first team was a minor league franchise founded in 1885. This team was known over the years as the Denver Bears, Grizzlies, and Mountaineers, before coming to be known by the name they were known as the longest, the Denver Zephyrs. For most of its history the franchise played in the Western League, but for a brief time it also played in the now-defunct Colorado State League.

The Denver minor league team won seven championships throughout its history, and enjoyed local support in the city for generations.

Throughout the twentieth century there were multiple proposals to relocate existing Major League Baseball (MLB) teams to Colorado, but this never happened. In 1985, the National League announced it would be expanding its franchises, and in 1991 Denver was granted an expansion franchise. The same year, the team was officially named the Colorado Rockies. 

The Rockies played their first game on April 9, 1993 against the Montreal Expos. Rockies pitcher Bryn Smith, near the end of his career at thirty-seven years old, pitched a shutout through seven innings, leading to an 11-4 Rockies victory. The attendance for that opening game was 80,227, a new record for the National League. 

That same year, the Denver Zephyrs relocated to Louisiana, where they played as the New Orleans Zephyrs until 2019. The franchise then relocated again, this time to Wichita, where they now play as the Wichita Wind Surge.

For the first two seasons (1993 and 1994), the Rockies played at Mile High Stadium while a permanent MLB stadium to serve as the team’s home park was under construction.

History of Coors Field

Construction

Construction of the Rockies’ permanent home began on October 6, 1992, and would take more than three years. HOK, a Kansas City-based architectural firm, designed the ballpark. Mortensen Construction Company, which also built the Denver Art Museum and the Colorado Judicial Center, carried out the construction. Around the same time, Coors Brewing Company provided a 30-million-dollar investment to the project and in return received perpetual naming rights. This is uncommon, as stadium naming rights usually expire.

The original plan for Coors Field had a seating capacity of just over 43,000 fans. After a record-setting 4.5 million people flocked to watch the Rockies during their inaugural season at Mile High Stadium—almost double the National League average—it was clear that the ballpark needed expansion. In 1993, a new plan revealed that the stadium’s capacity would increase to seat about 50,000 fans. 

The area around Coors Field is now referred to as the “Ballpark District.” It sits in between Denver’s historic neighborhoods of Five Points, Lower Downtown (LODO), and River North (RINO) Art District. Denver’s historic Union Station sits less than half a mile away to the southwest.

First Action at Coors Field

After the Rockies played their first few seasons at Mile High Stadium, Coors Field first served as the team’s home field for the 1995 season. On April 26 of that year, the Rockies played  the New York Mets in the first official MLB game at the site. The game was close, but ended in a dramatic 10-9 Rockies victory after an extra innings home run by Dante Bichette, leading broadcaster John Miller to announce, “And there’s the storybook ending for the Rockies!”

Renovations

Coors Field is unique for its high-altitude location, which required special attention in its design. The altitude, thin air, and twenty percent less atmospheric pressure compared to sea level, all contribute to baseballs traveling 5 to 10 percent  farther in Coors Field than other ballparks. Measures were taken in the construction and innovation of Coors Field to combat this. The outfield is one of the largest in MLB. The distance from home plate to the outfield walls is anywhere from 347 feet in right field to 415 feet in center field. To offset the effects of dry and thin air, baseballs are kept in a special humidor room which keeps the baseballs at a specific temperature and humidity level. 

A purple row of seats in the upper deck, repainted in 2001 as part of renovations, contrasts with Coors Field’s mostly green seating and marks the elevation of exactly one mile above sea level. A decade later, a rooftop space for fans to congregate and socialize replaced 3,500 seats above right field. 

In 2018, major renovations were performed to improve the player and fan experience at Coors Field, including the installation of a new scoreboard twice the size of the original. Other improvements include the addition of a media room, the “Captain’s Deck” bar area, new food options, new batting cages, and more amenities.

Notable Events

2007 World Series at Coors Field

In their relatively short history, the Rockies have only reached the World Series once in 2007. This marks the only time Coors field has hosted the MLB championship. After winning playoff games against the Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks, the Rockies faced the Boston Red Sox in the 2007 World Series championship. While the Rockies were swept four games to none by the Red Sox, the 2007 postseason is remembered by Rockies fans as “Rocktober.” As of 2025, this remains the only time the Rockies have reached the playoffs.

All-Star Week at Coors Field

Coors Field has hosted two All-Star Week events in 1998 and 2021. The 1998 All-Star Game had a score of 13-8, with the American League winning. This remains the highest-scoring All-Star Game in the sport’s history, which is often attributed to the thin air at Coors Field making home runs more likely. 

Notable Concerts and Other Events

Coors Field has held non-baseball events as well throughout its history including concerts, hockey games, and festivals. The first concert at Coors Field took place on July 3, 2015, when the Zac Brown Band performed in front of a sellout crowd. Since then, other notable acts to have performed at Coors Field include Green Day, The Smashing Pumpkins, Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Journey, and Billy Joel.

Coors Field has hosted hockey games in recent history. In 2016, Colorado College faced off against Denver University in the annual “Gold Pan” rivalry at Coors Field. In this NCAA outdoor hockey clash, dubbed the “Battle on Blake.” Just a week later, Coors Field hosted another hockey game, the Colorado Avalanche against the Detroit Red Wings. This National Hockey League showdown was part of the Coors Light NHL Stadium Series of outdoor hockey games. 

Festivals have also taken place at Coors Field. The annual Brew Fest has been held at Coors Field since 2013. This festival allows beer enthusiasts a chance to sample beers from near and far. Attendees cast their votes for their favorite selection and the winning beer is granted a tap inside Coors Field for the first month of the following baseball season. The venue also hosts Troutfest, a free event focusing on Colorado’s fishing culture while promoting conservation, education, and community.