The Colorado Rockies are in the midst of what is sure to be their seventh consecutive losing season, and the losses have taken a toll on one fan in particular.
Rockies fan Timothy Roeckel is suing the team after he was struck by a foul ball during a 2023 game at Coors Field against the New York Yankees. Roeckel was sitting in a suite at the time, which he alleges obstructed his view of the ball. To make matters worse, he claims, the team’s persistent losing has made it difficult for fans to pay attention to the action.
The incident happened in the bottom of the first inning when a Rockies batter fouled a pitch off of Yankees starter Gerrit Cole. The ball then “traveled at a speed, velocity and trajectory that allowed it to sail past the 100-level seating, the club boxes and enter the luxury box where [Roeckel] was seated,” according to the lawsuit, filed in a Denver court on Monday, May 19, and viewed by Us Weekly.
The ball struck Roeckel in the right eye and face, allegedly “causing catastrophic and permanent injuries.”
The lawsuit also alleges that the Rockies’ poor play has contributed to an atmosphere at Coors Field where the baseball itself is secondary to the “socializing, dining and business networking [that] have become the primary focus for many attendees.”
“This cultural shift is not incidental but rather encouraged by [the Rockies’] own marketing and design choices, which emphasize hospitality and off-field amenities over fan vigilance,” the suit reads. “A primary example is [the team’s] removal of the upper right field seats and installing a party deck where a view of the game for most spectators is virtually impossible.”
To underscore his point, Roeckel laid out just how hapless the Rockies have been on the field since they last made the postseason in 2018. The suit points out that Colorado was 35-58 at the time of the incident and finished the season at 59-103. Leading up to that season, the Rockies had finished fourth or fifth in the five-team National League West each of the previous four seasons.
The Rockies haven’t gotten better since then either. They went 61-101 in 2024 and are currently 8-41. Their .163 winning percentage puts them on pace for the worst season of any Major League Baseball team since the 1899 Cleveland Spiders.
Roeckel is seeking damages “including, without limitation, economic, noneconomic and permanent impairment and disfigurement damages as well as interest, costs and such other relief as the Court deems just and appropriate.” He has demanded a trial by jury.
Us Weekly has reached out to the Rockies for comment.
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