Kyle Freeland was pulled after just 67 pitches of his Rockies season-opening start; Bud Black explained why

TAMPA, Fla. — Kyle Freeland was dealing.

The Colorado native twirled a gem in the Colorado Rockies’ season opener against the Tampa Bay Rays here Friday. Freeland had a perfect game through three innings. He faced the minimum number of batters through four innings. And through six innings, he’d allowed just two hits, no runs and no walks, baffling the Rays and silencing a cowbell-clutching crowd enjoying the club’s first-ever outdoor home game in the Tampa Bay area.

But after 67 pitches — a figure where you’d think he would have had another inning or two left in him — his workday was complete.

Had this been mid-June — or even mid-April, for that matter — Kyle Freeland would have gone back out for the seventh inning. But in the first turn through the rotation, just out of spring training in a spring-training stadium, Black turned to his starter.

“So, we had a conversation. I told him that I was getting a little winded,” Kyle Freeland said.

“And, like I’ve said in the past, you gotta have a good rapport with your manager and let them know how you’re feeling and what you want to do.

And with that, Black called it a day for the man who has started four Opening Days — including the last three in succession — for him.

“His first game of the year. First time he went six innings this season,” Black said in the wake of the 3-2 walkoff loss Friday at Steinbrenner Field. “It’s a long year. I felt as though I didn’t want to push him, right?”

And we talked after the sixth. He was a little bit winded. He still felt, probably good enough to go out. But I just felt because of Opening Day, I know how adrenaline is and as it sort of wears down as the, as the innings go, I just didn’t want to push it.”

Kyle Freeland didn’t object.

“It was only the second time that I touched six innings this year,” he said. “So, I know the pitch count was low, but you also gotta think about the up-downs, the innings. It’s only the second time I’ve touched the sixth this year.”

Rockies pitcher Kyle Freeland said he told Bud Black after the sixth inning today that he felt "a little winded."

"You gotta have a good rapport with your manager and let them know how you're feeling and what you want to do," Freeland said. pic.twitter.com/4A0gEMN821

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) March 28, 2025

Black hopes that it won’t be the last time he sees Kyle Freeland look this effective.

When asked whether he second-guessed himself, he paused. But then he reflected on the bigger picture.

“The thing about it, it was early in the year,” he said. That’s the thing that probably for me, led to that decision. It’s early, and Kyle threw 75 pitches in spring training. He went five innings in spring training. He hadn’t gone seven. You know, that was the main thought behind it. And it’s a long year.”

All of that is correct. It’s cliché, to be certain. But it’s undeniably accurate.

Still, it was an opportunity lost for a club that needs an injection of morale. Last year, the Rockies opened in foul fashion at Arizona, dropped two of three in that season-opening series and were 1-5 by the time they came back home for the Coors Field opener.

It’s been 727 days since the purple and black were last over .500 at any point in the regular season.

That could have changed. However little that means in the big picture, it would have been nice to awaken Saturday and see the Rockies at “1-0.”

Instead, they’ll have to settle for the little victories, like Kyle Freeland’s dominant start, Hunter Goodman going 2-for-4 and earning praise from Freeland for how he called the game behind the plate, Ezequiel Tovar and Ryan McMahon raking in the 2-3 spots, going a combined 5-for- with a walk, and young left fielder Jordan Beck going 1-for-3 with a walk at the bottom of the order in his first Opening Day start.

And then try and forget about a bullpen that was as shaky as feared, a frustrating 0-for-4 afternoon from Kris Bryant in the cleanup spot, and an opportunity lost.

Kyle Freeland was good enough to give the Rockies a wondrous Opening Day. Unfortunately, other elements weren’t.