"She better than Kyle Freeland" - Rockies fans hilariously demand UFC star Maycee Barber to take the mound after ceremonial 1st pitch

Fans reacted as UFC athlete Maycee Barber threw the ceremonial first pitch at Coors Field before the Colorado Rockies' game against the Philadelphia Phillies. The matchup marked the opening game of a three-game series for the Rockies, following their recent road trip loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Maycee Barber kicked off the game wearing a Rockies jersey paired with denim shorts and white sneakers. The Colorado Rockies, in collaboration with the UFC, shared photos of Barber’s first pitch with the caption:

“The Future is here! (and threw a strike right down the middle)”

The mixed martial artist was visibly happy and could be seen cheerfully celebrating after her throw. Several fans took to social media to share their reaction to Maycee Barber's ceremonial first pitch, with some making comparisons with Rockies pitcher Kyle Freeland:

“She prolly better than Kyle Freeland fr fr,” a fan said.

“Can she be our ace?” another fan said.

“She would throw a no hitter before Kyle freehand,” another fan wrote.

IG comments (Credits: Instagram@rockies)

Other fans continued to post hilarious comments:

“She's the new ace,” a comment reads.

“If she can pitch give her a contract,” another comment reads.

“Nobody knows who this is but everyone is ready for her to start,” someone wrote.

Rockies interim manager Warren Schaeffer discusses the team’s 9-3 loss vs the Phillies

The Colorado Rockies opened their series with a 9-3 loss against the Philadelphia Phillies, falling to 8-39 on the 2025 season. Despite the tough outing, Rockies interim manager Warren Schaeffer remained optimistic after the game, saying (via the Denver Post):

“It’s a day-to-day activity. There is a lot of stuff from that game to take positives (from), and that’s what we are going to focus on tomorrow.”

The Rockies held a 3-1 lead through six innings but faltered late. The turning point came in the eighth inning when Seth Halvorsen took the mound. He surrendered four earned runs on five hits across just 19 pitches, 14 of which were strikes.

Commenting on Halvorsen’s outing, Schaeffer said:

“Tonight, Seth left some of his off-speed pitches up in the zone. He can blow that heater up, but if you leave that offspeed stuff up, a good team is probably going to take advantage of that. Seth is a really good pitcher, and he’s a part of our future. Tonight wasn’t his night.”

The Rockies will look to bounce back in the second game of the series on Tuesday at Coors Field.