Toeing the rubber for the Colorado Rockies on Sunday is rookie starting pitcher Chase Dollander, who is making his MLB debut against the Athletics.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Dollander acknowledged that he was tipped off to the possibility he'd be called up to MLB prior to Sunday's start, thanks to a confirmation email he received for an upcoming hotel stay.
"Right before I got called into the office I got a text from a hotel, saying, 'Hey, we're looking forward to welcoming your stay,' and I was like, 'Oh.' Immediately, my heart dropped and I was like, 'what's going on?'" said Dollander.
"I walk in and, thankfully our pitching coach, [Chris] Michalak, played it off really well and was like, 'Hey let's just go into the scouting report...' I look up and I saw the camera, and I was like, 'Is this happening right now?'"
Funny story about #Rockies Chase Dollander’s promotion…
— Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) April 5, 2025
Before getting the news from the Isotopes staff, Dollander got an email from a Denver hotel about his upcoming reservation. pic.twitter.com/1urtzI9A6p
The Rockies released a video of the moment Dollander found out about his promotion to the big leagues. He was discussing the scouting report with Michalak when the Albuquerque Isotopes' pitching coach informed him that he wouldn't be facing the team's upcoming opponent and that he'd instead be heading to Denver to join the Rockies.
Bah God, that’s Chase Dollander’s Music pic.twitter.com/3XyLU9YtoT
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) April 4, 2025
Any confusion that hotel confirmation email created was quickly resolved when Dollander officially got word he'd be heading to the show.
Dollander, who ranks as the No. 1 prospect in Colorado's farm system, is a former first-round pick by the Rockies, having been selected with the No. 9 pick in the 2023 MLB draft out of the University of Tennessee. Across two minor-league levels in 2024, he recorded a 3.05 ERA throughout 23 starts with 169 strikeouts in 118 innings on the mound.
More MLB on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Rockies Rookie Found Out About MLB Promotion From Hotel Confirmation Email.
