Rockies Win for 80,277 : Baseball: Crowd for 11-4 victory over the Expos breaks record set by 1958 Dodgers.

The attitude matched the altitude as the Colorado Rockies made their home debut before a festive crowd of 80,277 at Mile High Stadium on Friday, a record for a major league opener.

In what seemed to be the joyous equivalent of the opening of the ski season here and throughout the mountain time zone, the Rockies rebounded from what Manager Don Baylor had described as two lackadaisical defeats in New York to beat the Montreal Expos for their first victory, 11-4.

An 18-hit attack was accompanied by the stomping support of a crowd that broke the record of 78,672 set by the Dodgers on April 18, 1958, at the Coliseum, when they made their Los Angeles debut against the San Francisco Giants.

A one-time event here?

Hardly.

The Rockies have sold a major league-high 28,250 season tickets and 2.8 million in all. They are certain to draw 3 million, and could reach 4 million.

They expect crowds of 60,000 or more for each of the final two games of this opening series and could break the major league record for a three-game series of 188,081, set in Cleveland by the Indians and New York Yankees in August of 1948.

A crowd estimated at more than 60,000 set the stage for Friday’s debut by attending a downtown parade in the Rockies’ honor Thursday.

The parade of hits that the Rockies produced against rookie Kent Bottenfield and two relievers added to the celebratory mood of a crowd that bought an estimated 160,000 cups of beer. Fans were forming long lines at the souvenir counters more than 3 1/2 hours before the game, with one toting a suitcase that he stuffed with about 250 programs at $5 each.

“There was definitely an electrifying type of feeling today,” said Colorado starter Bryn Smith, who gave up six hits and one walk in pitching seven shutout innings. “When I first went out there and heard everyone start roaring, I tried to throw the ball 200 miles an hour and prayed that I wouldn’t fall over when I began my windup. I just concentrated on not letting the crowd’s reactions or my own emotions obscure my focus.”

Smith was the American Assn.’s pitcher of the year when he went 15-5 for the Denver Bears in 1981--Montreal Manager Felipe Alou was his manager then--but that was in another lifetime.

At 37, Smith might not have envisioned ever pitching another game, in Denver or anywhere, last season when he made only 13 appearances with the St. Louis Cardinals because of an elbow injury that required surgery and ultimately led to his release.

He signed a minor league contract with the Rockies and had to overcome a knee injury in early February that also required surgery before joining a rotation that totaled nine victories last year.

Smith had four of them, running his total to 106. He reflected on the setting and what he has overcome and said that No. 107 was his biggest victory.

“I wanted it for myself, but I also wanted it for the city, the fans and owners,” he said.

Former Dodger second baseman Eric Young, taken by the Rockies during the first round of the expansion draft, hit a leadoff home run in a four-run first inning that also included a homer by Charlie Hayes.

Young pumped his right fist to the approving crowd when he was shoved out of the dugout for a curtain call, then went on to hit three singles and score a total of four runs on his first four-for-four day in the majors.

“This was the kind of game you dream about,” the 25-year-old infielder said. “I’ll look back some day and really cherish it. I went one for eight in New York and wanted to find a way to ignite the team and crowd today, although I’m not going to hit many homeruns.

“In fact, I didn’t think it would get out. The altitude is really going to help balls hit to left field.”

Young hit one homer and batted .258 in 49 late-season games with the Dodgers last year.

“They have a great organization and I was upset when they didn’t protect me because I thought I had done a good job, but I have an opportunity here to establish myself for many years and I’m really excited about it,” Young said.

Baylor said that he, too, was excited by the emotions and events of the day but has realistic concerns about his team’s ability to score enough runs in a mile-high stadium. Studies have shown the ball travels 9% farther here than at sea-level stadiums. The 400 foot dimensions in right center might compensate for that, but it’s only 366 feet up the power alley in left center, where Young and Hayes hit their home runs.

“When I saw Hayes’ rear go one way, his bat another and the ball land eight rows into the bleachers, I knew 366 is not enough,” Baylor said. “The way the ball carries here, I’m never going to shut down my offense, no matter what the score is.”

Baylor received a sustained ovation before the game and said that when Young homered, “It felt like I had hit it, that’s how excited I was.”

He said the Rockies played much looser than they had in New York, their attack including a run-scoring single by pinch-hitter Dale Murphy, recently signed by the Rockies for a $200,000 base salary after being released by the Philadelphia Phillies.

“The ovation they gave Dale really showed me they know baseball here,” Baylor said. “I was happy for Dale and happy for the crowd.”

Bottenfield, one of eight Montreal rookies, lasted only four innings, yielding eight hits and five earned runs. Another rookie, third baseman Frank Bolick, made three of the Expos’ four errors. Rookie second baseman Mike Lansing hit a three-run homer during the ninth.

“I regret we didn’t make this a better show,” Alou said. “We have a pretty good team, but we didn’t pitch well or play well today.”