The MLB journey that began in 1989 with the Montreal Expos has finally been immortalized. The 22-year-old went 1-for-1 with three walks and two runs scored, reaching base in all four of his plate appearances during Montreal’s 4-2 victory. He then moved to Colorado, where he built his Hall of Fame case. Now, nearly four decades later, the club he spent 10 seasons with has honored him in a way reserved for only a select few, including Sandy Koufax, Jackie Robinson, and Tony Gwynn.

Before the Guardians-Rockies game, the Colorado Rockies gave a tribute to Larry Walker.

“Rockies unveiled a Larry Walker statue outside of Coors Field today,” Talkin’ Baseball reported on X along with a 21-second video of the ceremony.

Larry Walker stood in tears as the purple shroud fell and Crazy Train echoed outside Coors Field. Beneath it stood a 15-foot bronze statue, showcasing his famous celebration from 1999. The pose came after Walker crushed a three-run walk-off homer off Braves closer John Rocker.

That swing sealed a 4-1 Rockies win and produced one of Colorado’s most iconic images. On Sunday, 27 years later, the Rockies gave that moment a permanent place outside Coors Field, at the corner of 20th and Blake in Denver’s Lower Downtown.

And of course, the moment hit Walker hard, although he quickly found a way to laugh. After spending his career running, hitting, and chasing fly balls, Walker was now frozen.

“To have a statue outside of this ballpark, that’s an honor that’s pretty tough to put into words,” Walker said. “When I came here, my job was to keep moving — hit the ball, run the bases, chase fly balls in the gap, do anything I could to help us win. And now, here I am, frozen in bronze. I guess that’s a way to slow me down.”

The emotion grew when Walker thanked his 88-year-old father, who still umpires youth baseball games.

Around him were other Rockies legends like Todd Helton, Ferguson Jenkins, and Bob Gebhard. Their presence underscored Walker’s place in franchise history—and why he became the first Rockies player to be honored with a statue at Coors Field.

The bronze statue was created by Loveland-based sculptors George and Mark Lundeen. Walker traveled to Loveland last November, where he spent time posing for hundreds of photographs so that the artists could capture every detail accurately. He later revealed that the bat he held during the session was made of plastic and joked that, after holding it aloft for so long, his arm was indeed shaking by the end.

“Larry didn’t see the statue until today,” Mark Lundeen said. “He didn’t want to see it ahead of time. He told me he really likes it. We had to add a little hair. It was long back in 1999. He had that Kentucky waterfall thing going on back then. And then we had him pose. We had him pose so long with that bat in the air, his arm started shaking.”

Walker spent 10 seasons with the Rockies and helped give the team its identity. The 59-year-old batted .334 and hit 258 home runs with the Rockies. In 1997, he won the NL MVP after batting with an average of .366 with 49 homers. He also helped Colorado reach its first postseason during the franchise’s 1995 breakthrough season.

But Walker’s impact stretched beyond the numbers that now fill the Rockies’ record books. He remains Colorado’s leader in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging, OPS, and OPS+. Additionally, he won 3 batting titles and 5 Gold Gloves in his Rockies career.

Todd Helton called him the greatest athlete he ever played with, across baseball and football. In fact, Ferguson Jenkins said Walker is the first name fans think of when the Rockies come up. And that is why the statue captures a celebration instead of simply showing Walker standing. For Colorado, Walker’s legacy now has a place fans can feel. But he isn’t the only one getting this treatment.

Todd Helton next in line to be honored by the Rockies

On September 19, the Rockies will unveil Todd Helton’s statue outside Coors Field before facing the Mariners. It will give Colorado’s greatest franchise player a permanent place beside the stadium he called home.  

Helton spent his whole career with the Rockies, becoming the one constant for nearly 2 decades. For fans, seeing No. 17 outside Coors Field will feel like another piece fitting into the history of the team. 

That connection was built through numbers that still explain why Helton became a Rockies legend.  

He finished with 2,519 hits, 369 home runs, 5 All-Star selections, and 3 Gold Gloves. His 2000 season remains one of the finest offensive seasons in franchise history, during which he hit .372 with 42 home runs, 147 RBIs, and 216 hits.

But statistics only explain part of what Helton meant to people.  

In 2007, he helped the Rockies reach October after Game 163 against the Padres. Colorado won that game, and Helton drove in 2 runs during the dramatic victory. The run continued through Rocktober.

That postseason became another chapter in a career built around Colorado. Helton never left, even as teammates changed and the franchise searched for success. He became the player generations of Rockies fans could associate with their childhoods.  

Now, his statue will preserve that connection outside Coors Field for everyone who followed the team and will continue to do so in the future.