DENVER — The hype had been building since that fateful day in February, when Nolan Arenado said goodbye to Colorado and hello to a new, blissful life in St. Louis.

The question loomed: Would Rockies fans boo him for leaving behind the franchise that drafted him and turned him into the player he is today? Or would they understand his decision to leave, and respect him for doing what was best for his career?

The Rockies, though, managed to spoil the long-anticipated homecoming. Arenado went 0 for 4, as the Rockies beat the Cardinals 5-2 in walk-off fashion. It was Elias Díaz that came up with the winning play — a home run to left field. The Rockies have now won four in a row, their second longest winning streak of the season. 

“That was a good one,” Black said. “That was great.”

The answer as to how the fans would react to Arenado, that was blatantly clear before the first pitch of the rain delayed game was thrown. Arenado was honored with a tribute video before the game, a short yet touching montage of his best moments with the Rockies. Then, as he came up to bat in the first inning, a sea of purple and red rewarded him with a standing ovation.

“I thought the crowd was very classy,” manager Bud Black said. “I thought Nolan did a very nice job of working his way around the ballpark. I think everyone knew it was coming. It didn’t surprise me at all.”

Arenado, who himself speculated prior to the game about how the fans would react, was so moved by the gesture that he had to step out of the batter’s box. He tipped his helmet to the crowd, and took a few minutes to compose himself before he started his at-bat.

Díaz was the one that held his hands up, giving Arenado the time to soak in the moment. Díaz said hitting the walk-off home run, the first of his career, was a special moment, and there wasn’t any added pressure because of Arenado’s homecoming. 

Díaz has exploded for four home runs over the past nine games. Díaz, who is hitting below .200 at the midway point of the season, simplified his swing and tried not to get too frustrated by his lack of production. 

“Hitting a walk-off is very emotional,” he said. “I’m very grateful to hit one.”

Garrett Hampson, fresh off a four-hit game the day before, got on base twice, both times advancing because of errors. Brendan Rodgers smashed his fifth home run of the season, a two-run shot to center field.

Antonio Senzatela gave the Rockies seven innings, giving up seven hits but just two runs. Paul DeJong hit a RBI single off him in the second, and Paul Goldschmidt received a fastball and sent it soaring 403 feet to center field, landing just over the wall above Hampson. 

Over his last five starts, Senzatela has posted a 2.48 ERA with 18 strikeouts and just three walks. He wasn’t feeling his slider on Thursday, so he used mainly his fastball to make his way through the outs. 

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