DENVER — The crowd may not have been as big as those at opening days past, but the weather was perfect, and Rockies fans were pumped.
"Man, we're just excited," one father exclaimed. "The kids got out of school. No work for Dad. We're looking for a Rockies win and great season this year."
"It's been over 500 days since they've had fans at the ball park," Rockies fan Aron Anderson said.
"We came out here today to support the Rockies and to try to get back to a little more normalcy," said Ben Miller, carrying his purple and white pompom-clad daughter on his shoulders.
Thousands of fans packed LoDo near Coors Field, but the atmosphere was still a bit subdued because of COVID-related crowd size restrictions.
No one was more pumped than Josh Pugh.
"They call me the Mile High Mohawk," he said.
The die-hard Rockies fan with a mohawk hairdo reaching into the sky said it takes about eight hours to get ready for the game. His long hair is sculpted upwards like a walking billboard with the words "Colorado Rockies" painted on one side and "Opening Day" on the other.
"I love baseball," he said. "I love our team, and being here is just amazing right now."
At McGregor Square across from Coors Field, the scene was just as festive. There was a live band performing on the plaza before the game and once the game started, all eyes were on the big screen.
"It's fantastic," Anderson said. "You couldn't ask for a better day. Its gorgeous. They did a great job with McGregor Square. They have a massive screen here that you'll be able to watch the highlights when the game is going on."
Baseball fan Danny Moran said this was his first time at the square.
"It's pretty exciting," he said. "Come on down, get some libations and enjoy the game."
"It's great to be out in LoDo," Rockies fan Bob Bastiaans said. "It's great to have this weather and to be back to some semi-real baseball with the activity, but the crowd is half of what it normally is. Still, it's a great feeling to get baseball going again."
Most fans were in their seats by 1:30 p.m. That's when the flyover took place.
Fans were in a celebratory mood after the game, which the Rockies won 8 - 5 against the Dodgers.