Diamondbacks bats make Opening Day history at the expense of lowly Rockies

The Arizona Diamondbacks had a night to remember on Opening Day. The defending National League champions opened up at home against the Colorado Rockies and came ready to defend their NL crown at all costs.

Thursday night was certainly a good start, as they blew out their NL West rivals by a final score of 16-1. Better yet, they scored 14 runs in the third inning alone.

According to the D-Backs broadcast team, the team set the modern-day Opening Day record in runs per inning with their 14-run onslaught against the Rockies. That was more than enough to make a winner out of right-hander and ace Zac Gallen.

Diamondbacks make history with 14-run outburst

For those curious, here is how the Diamondbacks scored all 14 runs in the bottom of the third inning:

• Lourdes Gurriel Jr. RBI single
• Christian Walker two-run double
• Gabriel Moreno RBI single
• Eugenio Suarez RBI single
• Alek Thomas RBI double
• Geraldo Perdomo RBI single
• Ketel Marte RBI single
• Lourdes Gurriel Jr. two-run single
• Gabriel Moreno two-run double
• Eugenio Suarez one-run sacrifice fly
• Blaze Alexander RBI single

There simply was no stopping the D-Backs on Thursday night. The offense got straight to work and took care of the Rockies.

These types of offensive outbursts are exceptionally rare, especially given the number of runs scored by Arizona in just the third inning. Their two first inning runs would have been enough, but the defending NL champs went above and beyond in order to secure their Opening Day win.

This is the perfect way to start for the Diamondbacks, who are eager to put the disappointment of their World Series loss behind them and get to work in 2024.

They've made some key additions to their roster too, adding Joc Pederson and Eugenio Suarez to bolster their lineup. They also added Eduardo Rodriguez to strengthen the rotation, and when he went down with a lat injury, the team pivoted to postseason hero Jordan Montgomery.

All in all, Arizona is looking like a serious threat to return to the World Series with their current roster. The bats certainly weren't rusty in their home opener, and neither were their arms.

But it was the bats that put on the show on Thursday, making Opening Day history in the process. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. led the way with three hits and five RBI. His night included a two-run home run to get things started in the bottom of the first.

That ultimately made the difference in the game, but it didn't stop Arizona from piling on the runs.