DENVER (AP) — Ryan Ritter's major league debut Friday night was cause for a family gathering. Mom, dad and all six of his younger siblings arrived at Coors Field for the special occasion.
They were treated to quite a show, too, as the newest Colorado Rockies shortstop lined a triple in the fifth inning for his first big league hit. He looked in his family's direction after sliding into third.
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Colorado Rockies' Ryan Ritter reacts after reaching third base with a triple off New York Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga in the fifth inning of a baseball game Friday, June 6, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Colorado Rockies shortstop Ryan Ritter warms up before making his Major League debut in baseball game against the New York Mets, Friday, June 6, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Colorado Rockies shortstop Ryan Ritter warms up before making his Major League debut in a baseball game against the New York Mets, Friday, June 6, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Colorado Rockies' Ezequiel Tovar, right, can't beat the throw to New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso during the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, June 1, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
“They traveled a long way so I've got to show them some love,” Ritter said after a 4-2 loss to the New York Mets. “I was so excited get this game, not over with, but play my first game and then be able to relax after.”
Ritter was brought up to fill in for banged-up shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, who was placed on the 10-day injured list — retroactive to Tuesday — with a strained left oblique. The 24-year-old Ritter had his contract selected from Triple-A Albuquerque just before Colorado began a three-game series with the NL East-leading Mets.
It was part of a series of moves made by the last-place Rockies. They also released catcher Jacob Stallings and recalled catcher Braxton Fulford from Triple-A. Reliever Zach Agnos was reinstated from the bereavement list. Agnos took the loss Friday after surrendering a two-run double to pinch-hitter Francisco Lindor in the ninth.
Ritter was picked by Colorado in the fourth round of the 2022 amateur draft out of the University of Kentucky. He has batted .284 with 48 homers, 166 RBIs and 42 stolen bases over parts of four minor league seasons.
“Hitting is something that takes time. I’ve always wanted to be really great at hitting,” said Ritter, who had approximately 20 family and friends in attendance. “I always want to get better. Just like wine, the longer it (stays) in the cabinet, the better it tastes. That’s the mindset. Just as I get older, the better I’m going to get.”
Ritter was recently named the Pacific Coast League player of the month for May after hitting .381 for the Isotopes with 12 homers and 31 RBIs. That provided the perfect backdrop to deliver the news he was going to the majors.
He read aloud a letter he thought was in recognition of his award from the league.
“It ended up being congrats going to the big leagues,” said Ritter, who grew up in Illinois. “It was cool. It was a good way to do it.”
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Ritter primarily played shortstop this season for Albuquerque.
“Ryan Ritter is fantastic. It's good to see him up here,” Rockies interim manager Warren Schaeffer said. “He earned it. I'm happy for him to get his shot in the big leagues.”
Tovar, a Gold Glove winner last season, is hitting .258 with three homers and 10 RBIs in 32 games. He spent time on the injured list earlier this season with a bruised left hip.
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Colorado Rockies' Ryan Ritter reacts after reaching third base with a triple off New York Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga in the fifth inning of a baseball game Friday, June 6, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Colorado Rockies shortstop Ryan Ritter warms up before making his Major League debut in baseball game against the New York Mets, Friday, June 6, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Colorado Rockies shortstop Ryan Ritter warms up before making his Major League debut in a baseball game against the New York Mets, Friday, June 6, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Colorado Rockies' Ezequiel Tovar, right, can't beat the throw to New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso during the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, June 1, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
HILO, Hawaii (AP) — People on Hawaii’s Big Island are preparing for another potentially life-threatening and catastrophic storm as Hurricane Nolo is expected to bring flash floods and extreme surf as it churns just south of the islands through the weekend.
Nolo was expected to strengthen to a major hurricane on Saturday. Its maximum sustained winds increased to 105 mph (165 kph) Friday. The storm’s center was located about 185 miles (300 kilometers) south of Hawaii’s southernmost point.
Forecasters warned parts of the Big Island could see rainfall totals up to 15 inches (38 centimeters), with a possibility of up to 25 inches (64 centimeters). That was down from an earlier forecast that called for up to 35 inches (89 centimeters).
“People are going to want to kind of shelter in place on the Big Island, be in their safe place, certainly by later today, tonight, well into Saturday," Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center, said Friday. “Don’t venture out if you don’t have to into the dangerous flooding environment, but also high winds. We can have trees and power lines down.”
Heavy rainfall also was possible on Hawaii's other islands, the hurricane center said. Maui also could see heavy rainfall and potential life-threatening flooding and mudslides, forecasters said.
Crews on the Big Island spent hours Friday trying to build berms to guide water and move large debris ahead of the worst of the rain, said Erika Kapu, Hawaii program manager for the humanitarian nonprofit CORE.
CORE and other nonprofit partners spent the week packing and shipping supplies like camp stoves and hygiene products by air cargo from Oahu to the Big Island for a community relief hub that has been active since August's Hurricane Lala.
Hawaii officials told residents to put together emergency kits, and the governor issued an emergency proclamation, activating more than 230 Hawaii National Guard members. Schools were closed in some areas.
Hawaii County officials on the Big Island were urging residents in flood-prone areas to consider taking refuge at shelters being set up or other locations.
“We encourage everyone to complete their preparations, stay connected to official alerts and weather updates, and secure safe shelter before flooding strikes,” Mayor Kimo Alameda said in a statement.
The heaviest rain from Nolo is likely to fall over the same southeastern region of the Big Island that was hit by Lala and where grounds are still wet from additional precipitation. The storm surge could hit 1 to 3 feet (30 to 91 centimeters), creating large and dangerous waves and coastal flooding, the hurricane center said.
Hawaiian Electric, the state’s primary utility, said crews that had been helping restore power in Kauai after this month’s Hurricane Lowell would return to Oahu, Maui and the Big Island in preparation for the coming storm.
Residents and tourists on the Big Island were busy preparing.
In Hilo, where light rain was falling Friday, residents filled bags with sand and gravel at Francis Wong Stadium, where authorities set up a sand distribution center.
Dean Taise said water was starting to get into his driveway from the street, so he decided to get a few sandbags ready ahead of possible floods.
“They say, prepare for the worst, right? Hope for the best,” Taise said.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green has requested an emergency disaster declaration for four Hawaii counties.
Meanwhile, Mexico is under the threat of Hurricane Polo as it heads toward the Baja California peninsula after bringing storm conditions to the southwestern coast.
The hurricane center said Polo gained significant force overnight into Friday morning and doused parts of Mexico's Pacific Coast. No major damage or flooding was reported along the coast overnight into Friday.
By midday Friday, attention turned to the peninsula, where the hurricane was slated to arch back and hit between Monday and Tuesday. Local authorities were preparing shelters, and Mexico’s government announced Friday afternoon that they were closing ports in the region as dark clouds swirled overhead.
The latest estimated sustained winds were 180 mph (290 kph).
Residents stacked sandbags to fortify beachfront shops and evacuated their homes in some coastal areas on Thursday. Mexican authorities opened shelters and cleared people from beaches, and 15,000 security personnel were deployed across the coast. Schools were closed.
In the port city of Lázaro Cárdenas in Michoacán, seawater swept through homes and left wooden planks and furniture strewn on the streets. Locals and government officials were clearing debris and shoveling thick mud coating much of the town.
Alicia Contreras said the walls and roof of her restaurant had been severely damaged by 15-foot (4.5-meter) waves. As officers and family helped pick through the damage, Contreras worried about how she would recover economically.
“This is huge because we have no other source of income. Now we’re just surviving,” Contreras said.
Brennan said some moisture associated with Polo will be pushed into parts of the southwestern U.S. by Monday, possibly producing scattered flash flooding in the Four Corners region, particularly portions of Arizona and New Mexico.
Biologists on Friday relocated eggs from two olive ridley sea turtle nests on Southern California beaches to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach over concern about high tides and hazardous surf as officials monitor Hurricane Polo.
El Niño is prompting major environmental shifts across the world, fueling drought in some areas and flooding in others. It traditionally dampens the Atlantic hurricane season, while it tends to rev up tropical cyclone activity in the Pacific with moist air and little wind shear.
A third storm in the Pacific, Hurricane Odalys, was at Category 4 status and was still far from land Friday, roughly 955 miles (1,537 kilometers) west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.
Two other powerful storms were churning in the Atlantic Ocean but were not near land.
In the northern Atlantic, Tropical Storm Fay reformed early Thursday. As of Friday, it was about 1,040 miles (1,674 kilometers) west-southwest of the Azores, the hurricane center said. Off Africa's western coast, Tropical Storm Gonzalo strengthened early Friday as it approached the Cabo Verde Islands.
Associated Press writers Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut; Gabriela Aoun Angueira in San Diego; and Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.
Kenzielynn Kekoa, center, of Hilo, Hawaii, helps her family fill sand bags as Hurricane Nolo sits nearby Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Hilo, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Eugene Garcia)
Kawika Ige fishes as Hurricane Nolo sits nearby Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Hilo, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Members of Youth With A Mission read under a palm tree as Hurricane Nolo sits nearby Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Kona, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Ryanna and Jim Fry, of Kona, Hawaii, look out at clouds as Hurricane Nolo sits nearby Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Kona, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Sheila, of Hilo, Hawaii, plays with her grandchildren as clouds from nearby Hurricane Nolo blanket the skies Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Hilo, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Austin, left, and Darren Montalvo load sand bags to help keep water out of their restaurant as Hurricane Nolo sits nearby Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Hilo, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Darren Montalvo carries sand bags he will use to help keep water out of his restaurant as Hurricane Nolo approaches in Hilo, Hawaii, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Members of Youth With A Mission read under a palm tree as Hurricane Nolo sits nearby Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Kona, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Members of Youth With A Mission read under a palm tree as Hurricane Nolo sits nearby Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Kona, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
This satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Tropical Storm Gonzalo in the Atlantic Ocean, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. (NOAA via AP)
This satellite image provided by NOAA shows Tropical Storm Nolo, left, south of Hawaii; Hurricane Odalys, middle, and Hurricane Polo, right, off the coast of Mexico, in the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (NOAA via AP)
This satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Tropical Storm Gonzalo in the Atlantic Ocean, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. (NOAA via AP)
This satellite image provided by NOAA shows Hurricane Polo off the southwestern coast of Mexico and Hurricane Odalys, left, on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (NOAA via AP) CORRECTION: Changes to Hurricane Odalys, not Tropical Storm Nolo.
This satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Tropical Storm Nolo in the Pacific Ocean, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (NOAA via AP)
This photo provided by NOAA shows Hurricane Polo moving away from the southwestern coast of Mexico on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (NOAA via AP)
This satellite image provided by NOAA shows Tropical Storm Nolo, left, south of Hawaii; Hurricane Odalys, middle, and Hurricane Polo, right, off the coast of Mexico, in the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (NOAA via AP)
