In 1999, Coors Field firmly founded itself as the most prolific offensive ballpark ever created. The Rockies and their opponents combined for 303 home runs, the most ever in a season at one venue, with one or more tenants. The average 1999 score was 8-7. And, like the park's previous seasons, no lead was safe. The Rockies on one occasion lost after relinquishing an eight-run lead. Two days later, they entered the bottom of the ninth down 12-5, but rallied for five runs and stranded the tying run on second.

But while the experts are still debating whether the egg preceded the chicken, one thing is obvious: Offensive baseball came well before Coors Field. Even after the park's inception in 1995, American League teams have consistently compiled higher batting averages and more hits than the Rockies. And, Mark McGwire hit only one of his 70 home runs in Denver during his magical 1998 season. In the park's short lifetime, there's also been a no-hitter and 14 shutouts. Coors was only a small cog in baseball's shift to a hitter's game; it wasn't the catalyst.