DENVER — Former Colorado Rockies face-o’-franchise outfielder Matt Holliday held court in the visitors’ dugout for the first time in his career, dutifully answering questions about his first trip back to Coors Field, what being back feels like and how Albert Pujols is the best player ever.

Yes. That’s what he said. Pujols: Best. Player. Ever.

Actually, “all-time” may have been his exact words.

Asked to clarify the statement, Holliday didn’t take the the chance to equivocate.

“I’ve never seen Babe Ruth play in person,” Holliday said. “You can look at the numbers. But getting a chance to see him play every day, it’s hard not to say that. I appreciate it more now. Now getting a chance to watch him every day, watch what he does. He’s really, really good.”

The question that prompted Holliday’s pronouncement was about how Pujols carries the St. Louis Cardinals in the same fashion that Holliday propelled the Rockies on their playoff run in 2007. That was the year that Holliday led the league in hits, doubles, batting average and RBI. (But he finished second in the MVP race because he didn’t promise his team would win the division in spring training. Silly, Rocky.) Holliday was trying to make the point that it’s different.

Pujols is too good for him to make that comparison.

He also explained how he knows, as the Cardinals speed toward the playoffs, that it’s likely teams won’t give Pujols the chance to show how good he is the postseason.

“We all know what Albert can do,” Holliday said. “Given a (big) spot in the game, we know they’re going to walk him. So it falls to us. … We know that when it comes down to it, they are going to walk him. That means it’s up to the rest of us.”

Holliday’s agent Scott Boras is at Coors Field for the series. He represents plenty of players here: Rick Ankiel, Kyle Lohse and Carlos Gonzalez, to name three others. Boras talked with GM John Mozeliak for a bit. Boras said he’s here to take in some “playoff-like” baseball. He added that he can watch any game and he’s set up with his tickets in the LA area, but this was a series “to see in person.”

Holliday chatted with the Denver media a few hours before first pitch.

He described the Rockies as “good friends and a lot of friends who I will have forever”, even as he said his rooting for them stops when they play each other in the playoffs.

A moment of levity came when Holliday was asked, now that he’s no long with the Rockies, can he come clean about his defining play with the Rockies: The slide that won the one-game playoff against San Diego back in 2007.

It’s possible Holliday never touched the plate on his chin-skinning slide.

It’s possible that game never actually ended.

“The umpire called me safe,” Holliday grinned. “I still don’t know if I did anything. It’s inconclusive. I sold it pretty good.”

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