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De La Rosa treasures 9 years with Rockies
- Updated: October 7, 2016
DENVER — The goodbye felt certain, and it went by slowly for left-hander pitcher Jorge De La Rosa.
The up-and-down final year of his two-year, $25 million contract ended on a downer — 4 2/3 innings, eight runs (seven earned) in a 10-5 loss to the Cardinals on Sept. 20. The loss dropped De La Rosa to 8-9, which made 2016 the only season since he joined the Rockies in 2008 that he finished with a sub-.500 record (except for ’12, when he only made three appearances).
“It’s hard,” said De La Rosa, who had little to do besides pack his locker the final two weeks. “You’ve been playing here for nine years, and I think I did a good job all those years.”
De La Rosa, 35, joined the Rockies in a trade with the Royals at the start of 2008, after starting his career with the Brewers. Before that, he saw time in the D-backs and Red Sox’s organizations and pitched a year in his native Mexico. It was a good move for the Rockies and De La Rosa.
De La Rosa is the club’s leader in wins (86), and strikeouts (985), and his .585 winning percentage with all but nine of his 209 appearances as a starter, is tops for a Colorado starter. Even after this rough season, his 53-20 mark at Coors Field will stand as a benchmark. According to Baseball Reference, De La Rosa’s 15.2 WAR ranks …
