Colorado Rockies win inspires Cleveland Guardians fans to donate more than $20,000 to Denver nonprofit

It's hard to cap a 100-plus-loss season on a positive note. But the Colorado Rockies found a way to manifest a silver lining at the end of a losing season. It's thanks to a pair of Hunter Goodman home runs, and a group of Cleveland Guardians fans with a stake in the team's success in their final series against the Chicago White Sox.

Goodman's bombs propelled Colorado to win, helping the Cleveland Guardians clinch the AL Central. That prompted fans from more than 1,000 miles away to rally behind the Rockies catcher. 

"This is such a positive exchange of memory between two baseball clubs that you know had no reason to connect on a Saturday night in October, but a reason came up, and the fans loved it," said Jim Kellogg, the team's vice president of community and retail. 

Through their excitement, fans decided to donate to a nonprofit of Goodman's choosing. He landed on Clothes to Kids of Denver, and the donations started piling in. 

"It was like a scene from a movie," said Kathleen Phillips, the organization's executive director. "It truly was, and now we're up to more than 700 Guardians fans have donated so far, and more than $20,000." 

Clothes to Kids allows students to visit and shop every few months for a week's worth of clothing — for free. "Clothe a child, change a life," is the nonprofit's motto.

The organization is on pace to serve more than 16,000 kids this year alone. The more than $20,000 in donations will be an enormous help. 

"Knowing that we'll have the funds to be able to keep our shelves filled, we're just so incredibly grateful," Phillips said.

And the donations keep rolling in. Clothes to Kids' donation center is always accepting donations and is open every Tuesday to Saturday.

"It would say, 'Guardians fans in gratitude to Hunter Goodman,'" Phillips explained.

Nobody could have expected the support that was received from Cleveland's fan base, but it shows the beauty of baseball and the power of sports.

"It's creating great memories, and it'll be stories told in the future," Kellogg said.

"I just can't even express, of course, our excitement, but our sincere gratitude to be the beneficiary of their generosity and their excitement for their team," Phillips added.