The Rockies , who had such a rabid following in the beginning, were beginning to lose the interest of their fans, many of whom had championship expectations after that 1995 wild card campaign.Hope was quickly rekindled in the Rocky Mountains for the start of the 1999 season as Jim Leyland was brought in to manage the Rockies, after leading Pittsburgh to the playoffs 3 times and Florida to a 1997 world title. The Leyland era began in Monterrey , Mexico as Colorado and San Diego became the first teams to open a regular season outside of the United States with Mexican Vinny Castilla going 4-5 with a home run in Colorado 's 8-2 win. Unfortunately Colorado finished 70-92 and Leyland retired at season's end in frustration and failure.In 2000 without Leyland, or departed fan favorites Bichette and Castilla, interest in the team and attendance plummeted, despite a return to respectability with an 82-80 season, which was Colorado 's last winning campaign. Todd Helton replaced his teammate Walker as NL batting champ but Walker recaptured the prize the following year.Walker was dealt away in 1994 and Colorado has been plagued by free agent failures on   the  mound at hitter's paradise Coors Field.