Most in the crowd probably didn’t know his name until just a few days ago. But that didn’t stop them from chanting “Joe, Joe, Joe” when the Rockies’ Connor Joe came to the plate.

The first time he heard it he had chills. He had to step out of the box and reset. It was the first time a crowd at any level had chanted his name.

“To be embraced like that by the fans so quickly and really feel their support is extremely special to me,” Joe said. “I don’t take any of that for grated.”

Walking up to the smooth sounds of “Redbone” by Childish Gambino, Joe has given the crowd plenty to cheer about so far in his first week with the Rockies.

He’s started five games and made an appearance in seven total. He’s reached base in every outing, either by a hit or walk. On Thursday, Joe advanced on all but one plate appearance as the Rockies held together just long enough to defeat the Reds 13-8. Joe also got his first career RBI.

” There’s going to be a lot of firsts from Connor,” manager Bud Black said.

Joe’s journey to get here was anything but ordinary. After spending time in six different organizations and overcoming a five-month battle with testicular cancer, he signed with the Rockies on a minor league contract in December, 2020.

“I feel like I’ve matured a lot,” he said. “Obviously going through what I went through in 2020 put everything in to perspective and gave me a fresh sense of gratitude. I’m really happy to be out here.”

He impressed in spring training, earning praise from Black. But Joe’s keen eye and sharp plays at first base weren’t enough to crack the opening day roster. It gave him extra motivation as he spent over a month at the alternative site.

“I understand the move that they had to make,” Joe said. “They told me keep working hard and that’s exactly what I did.”

With CJ Cron on the injured list with a strained back and Matt Adams possibly following soon, Joe was given the chance on May 7 that he’d been waiting for. And he hasn’t let the opportunity slide.

Joe hit a double in the first inning on Wednesday as Raimel Tapia scored, Joe’s first career RBI. He walked in the third, and earned two more RBIs in the fourth after a single sent home Yonathan Daza and Alan Trejo. He gave his father the ball from his first hit of the season, and he said he’ll probably keep the one from his first RBI.

Black continues to be impressed with Joe, especially with his patience at the plate. His walk rate is in a good spot — he’s taken eight in 17 at bats — and he’s able to expand the zone. Black believes the power will soon follow.

“He’s got a lot going for him offensively,” Black said. “We saw that in spring training and it’s carried over here in a short period of time.”

Chi Chi Gonzalez put together his best performance of the season, pitching seven scoreless innings. Gonzalez’s game plan was to rely on his secondary pitches more than normal to account for the power in the Reds lineup, and that preparation paid off. He held Jesse Winker, who leads the National League with a .375 batting average, to just one hit. That’s the fourth time in his career that Gonzalez has pitched at least seven innings, and first since June 16, 2015.

“He emptied the tank in the seventh,” Black said of his decision to take Gonzalez out. “He had ran out of gas.”

Gonzalez said that his performance on Thursday was the best he’s felt since joining the Rockies in 2019, and the sharpest overall he’s felt since 2015. The difference, he said, is his control, particularly of his secondary pitches. His goal on Thursday was to throw a different first pitch to every batter.

“Today I was commanding everything and mixing it well,” he said. “That’s what I feel like if I do that well, I’ll have success.”

Black was booed when Gonzalez didn’t come out for the eighth inning, and the bullpen proceeded to almost blow the game. Lucas Gilbreath allowed three of those runs, and Robert Stephenson, pitching against his former team for the first time, allowed four. Mychal Givens also gave up one, but was able to get the last out to close the inning.

On offense, they got contributions from almost every player in the lineup. All but two had at least one hit, with five having multiple. Josh Fuentes — who was the walk-off hero on Wednesday night — had three hits, including a home run, and three RBI.