2007 National League wild card tie-breaker game
Encyclopedia
The 2007 National League Wild Card tiebreaker game was a one-game playoff
for Major League Baseball
's (MLB) National League Wild Card
. The game took place on October 1, 2007 between the San Diego Padres
and Colorado Rockies
of the National League West
at Coors Field
. It was necessary after both teams finished the season with records of 89–73. The Rockies won a coin flip late in the season which, by rule, awarded them home field in the game.
The Rockies won the game 9-8 in extra innings
on a controversial play at home plate and advanced to the National League Division Series
where they swept the Philadelphia Phillies
. After that they swept the Arizona Diamondbacks
in the National League Championship Series
, winning their first franchise pennant. However, the Rockies were, in turn, swept in the 2007 World Series
by the Boston Red Sox
, ending their season. In baseball statistics
the tie-breaker counted as the 163rd regular season game for both teams, with all events in the game added to regular season statistics.
saw heavy competition between the Padres and the Arizona Diamondbacks
for the National League West
divisional title. The Padres spent 52 days with at least a share of the lead, while the Diamondbacks spent 89 total days atop the division and ultimately won by a game with a record of 90–72. The Rockies spent just three days, last on April 6, with a lead in the division. Notably the Diamondbacks scored 20 fewer runs than their pitchers allowed, one of just five teams in MLB history to make the playoffs despite being outscored during the season.
In addition to the divisional race, the competition over the Wild Card
continued to the last day of the season. The Wild Card is a playoff spot awarded to the team in each league with the best record who does not win their division. Six teams in the 2007 National League finished within five games of one another: the aforementioned Diamondbacks, Padres, and Rockies along with the Philadelphia Phillies
, New York Mets
, and Chicago Cubs
. The Diamondbacks, Phillies, and Cubs won the Western, Eastern
, and Central
divisions respectively. Meanwhile the 2007 Mets
underwent what was described in the New York Times as "one of the biggest collapses in baseball history," becoming the first team with a seven game divisional lead with only 17 games remaining to finish outside of first place, losing the Eastern division to the Phillies on the final day of the season. Also, at 88–74, the Mets finished a single game behind the Rockies and Padres' 89–73 record in the Wild Card race.
While the Padres had been a consistent presence amongst the league's top teams during the 2007 season, the Rockies finished the first half with a .500 record of 44–44. They propelled themselves into the Wild Card race, however, by going 46–29 in the second half of the season including a Rockies' season-best 11-game winning streak from September 16 through September 27 and ultimately tied the Padres regular season record. With the Rockies and Padres holding the best non-division winning records in the league a tie-breaker was necessary to determine the Wild Card winner. A coin flip conducted earlier that September set the Rockies' home park of Coors Field
as the location for the game.
for Monday October 1, 2007—5:37 p.m. (MT
) at Coors Field
in Denver, Colorado
The starting pitcher
matchup saw eventual Cy Young Award
and Major League Baseball Triple Crown winner Jake Peavy
against the Rockies Josh Fogg
, who teammate Matt Holliday
nicknamed "Dragon Slayer" for his strong performances against ace starters
throughout the season. The Rockies opened the bottom of the first inning with a leadoff double
by Kaz Matsui, followed by a Troy Tulowitzki
single
and a walk
to Matt Holliday to load the bases
. Matsui scored on a sacrifice fly
by Todd Helton
and Garrett Atkins
made the game 2–0 with a single which scored Tulowitzki. Yorvit Torrealba
later added to that lead, leading off the bottom of the second inning with a solo home run
. The Padres took the lead in the top of the third, however, loading the bases via singles from Peavy and Scott Hairston
and a walk to Brian Giles
. Adrian Gonzalez
then hit a grand slam
home run, making the score 4–3. This was Gonzalez' first career grand slam. Khalil Greene
then singled, advanced to third base on a double by Josh Bard
, and scored on a ground out by Brady Clark
. Helton homered in the bottom of the inning to close the gap to 5–4 in favor of San Diego.
The score remained the same through the fifth inning. Fogg was relieved by Taylor Buchholz
in the top of the fifth and, following a double by Tulowitzki, Peavy allowed the game-tying run to score on a Holliday single. Seth Smith
, pinch hitting
for the pitcher in the bottom of the sixth, hit a triple
and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Matsui to give the Rockies a 6–5 lead. The Rockies Garrett Atkins
appeared to homer in the bottom of the seventh, extending the Rockies lead, but umpires decided that the ball hit padding on the outfield wall which was still in play and ruled the ball a double. Jamey Carroll
pinch ran
for Atkins, but no runs scored in the inning. The Rockies brought in closer Brian Fuentes
in the top of the 8th, but the Padres re-tied the game when Geoff Blum
singled to lead off the inning, advanced to second base on a wild pitch
, and scored on a double by Brian Giles
. This was Fuentes' seventh blown save of the season.
The game remained tied through nine innings, forcing extra innings
. There too the game stayed tied until the top of the 13th inning when Giles singled off of Jorge Julio
and scored on a home run by Scott Hairston
. Ramon Ortiz
relieved Julio and no further runs scored in the inning, but the Padres entered the bottom of the 13th with an 8–6 lead. The Padres brought in all-time MLB saves leader Trevor Hoffman
to secure the game and a Wild Card victory. However, Hoffman blew the save, allowing doubles to Matsui and Tulowitzki and a triple to Holliday which tied the game 8–8. Hoffman then intentionally walked Todd Helton leaving baserunners at first and third base. Carroll then hit a deep flyball out to right field. Holliday tagged up
at third and slid headfirst on a close play at home plate. Home plate umpire
Tim McClelland
ruled Holliday safe on the sacrifice fly, and the Rockies won the game 9–8.
or if Barrett had successfully blocked him. Several sportswriters, such as Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports and Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post
, said outright that Holliday never touched the plate. Kiszla referred to the moment humorously, saying "When folks retell this story 100 years from now, he still will not have touched home plate." Padres manager
Bud Black
and first base umpire Ed Montague
both agreed with McClelland's safe call. Barrett said he was unsure but "never, ever second-guessed Tim McClelland at home plate." If McClelland had ruled Holliday had not touched the plate during his slide Barrett would have had the chance to tag out Holliday, preventing the winning run.
and the Diamondbacks in the 2007 National League Championship Series
(NLCS) to win the franchise's first National League pennant. This streak, in combination with the Rockies performance at the end of the season, meant the Rockies had won 21 of their last 22 games. The last National League team to win 20 of 21 games at any point in the season were the 1936 New York Giants
. The Rockies also opened the playoffs with seven straight wins, the 1976 Cincinnati Reds
were the only other team in major league history to do so. The Rockies moved on to the 2007 World Series
with their NLCS win, where they were swept by the Boston Red Sox
.
The game counted as a regular season game in baseball statistics
. If Matt Holliday had gone 0 for 5 in the game he would have lost the batting title to Chipper Jones
. However, Holliday went 2 for 6 and won the title with a batting average
of .340. Also, Holliday's triple and run batted in
(RBI) in the 13th gave him 137 RBI in total, winning the RBI crown over Ryan Howard
by 1. Holliday's teammate Tulowitzki believed Holliday was the league's most valuable player, but he ultimately finished a close second to the Phillies' Jimmy Rollins
in the Most Valuable Player Award voting. Also, Padres' starter Jake Peavy increased his earned run average
(ERA) from 2.36 to 2.54 in the game and added six strikeout
s to his season total. Peavy ultimately won the National League wins, strikeout, and ERA titles. These titles combined to give Peavy a pitching Triple Crown and he went on to win the Cy Young Award
unanimously. Finally, despite an error
in the game, the Rockies set the single-season major league record for team fielding percentage
(.98925), breaking the 2006 Boston Red Sox
mark of .9891.
One-game playoff
A one-game playoff, sometimes known as a pennant playoff or play-in game, is a tiebreaker in certain sports—usually but not always professional—to determine which of two teams, tied in the final standings, will qualify for a post-season tournament...
for Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
's (MLB) National League Wild Card
Major League Baseball Wild Card
In Major League Baseball, the wild-card playoff spot is given to the team in each league with the best record among the non-division winners. It was established for Major League Baseball's playoffs in 1994 with the intention of helping the best teams that did not win their division to still have a...
. The game took place on October 1, 2007 between the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
and Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
of the National League West
National League West
The National League Western Division, or NL West, is one of the three divisions of Major League Baseball's National League. It was created in 1969 when the previously undivided National League expanded its membership to twelve teams, positioning half of them in an Eastern division and the other...
at Coors Field
Coors Field
Coors Field, located in Denver, Colorado, is the home field of Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies. It is named for the Coors Brewing Company of Golden, Colorado, which purchased the naming rights to the park prior to its completion in 1995...
. It was necessary after both teams finished the season with records of 89–73. The Rockies won a coin flip late in the season which, by rule, awarded them home field in the game.
The Rockies won the game 9-8 in extra innings
Extra innings
Extra innings is the extension of a baseball or softball game in order to break a tie.Ordinarily, a baseball game consists of nine innings , each of which is divided into halves: the visiting team bats first, after which the home team takes its turn at bat...
on a controversial play at home plate and advanced to the National League Division Series
National League Division Series
In Major League Baseball, the National League Division Series determine which two teams from the National League will advance to the National League Championship Series...
where they swept the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. After that they swept the Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
in the National League Championship Series
National League Championship Series
In Major League Baseball, the National League Championship Series is a round in the postseason that determines who wins the National League pennant and advances to Major League Baseball's championship, the World Series, facing the winner of the American League Championship Series. The reigning...
, winning their first franchise pennant. However, the Rockies were, in turn, swept in the 2007 World Series
2007 World Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at Fenway Park in Boston, MassachusettsThe Red Sox cruised to a blowout win in Game 1 behind ALCS MVP Josh Beckett, who struck out nine batters, including the first four he faced, en route to his fourth win of the 2007 postseason...
by the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, ending their season. In baseball statistics
Baseball statistics
Statistics play an important role in summarizing baseball performance and evaluating players in the sport.Since the flow of a baseball game has natural breaks to it, and normally players act individually rather than performing in clusters, the sport lends itself to easy record-keeping and statistics...
the tie-breaker counted as the 163rd regular season game for both teams, with all events in the game added to regular season statistics.
Background
The 2007 season2007 Major League Baseball season
The 2007 Major League Baseball season, began on April 1 with a rematch of the 2006 National League Championship Series; the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets played the first game of the season at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, which was won by the Mets, 6–1...
saw heavy competition between the Padres and the Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
for the National League West
National League West
The National League Western Division, or NL West, is one of the three divisions of Major League Baseball's National League. It was created in 1969 when the previously undivided National League expanded its membership to twelve teams, positioning half of them in an Eastern division and the other...
divisional title. The Padres spent 52 days with at least a share of the lead, while the Diamondbacks spent 89 total days atop the division and ultimately won by a game with a record of 90–72. The Rockies spent just three days, last on April 6, with a lead in the division. Notably the Diamondbacks scored 20 fewer runs than their pitchers allowed, one of just five teams in MLB history to make the playoffs despite being outscored during the season.
In addition to the divisional race, the competition over the Wild Card
Major League Baseball Wild Card
In Major League Baseball, the wild-card playoff spot is given to the team in each league with the best record among the non-division winners. It was established for Major League Baseball's playoffs in 1994 with the intention of helping the best teams that did not win their division to still have a...
continued to the last day of the season. The Wild Card is a playoff spot awarded to the team in each league with the best record who does not win their division. Six teams in the 2007 National League finished within five games of one another: the aforementioned Diamondbacks, Padres, and Rockies along with the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
, New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
, and Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
. The Diamondbacks, Phillies, and Cubs won the Western, Eastern
National League East
The National League East Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies are tied for the most National League East Division titles . All of Atlanta's NL East titles came during a record stretch of 14 consecutive division titles...
, and Central
National League Central
The National League Central Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was created in 1994, by moving two teams from the Western Division and three teams from the Eastern Division of the National League...
divisions respectively. Meanwhile the 2007 Mets
2007 New York Mets season
The New York Mets' 2007 season was the 46th regular season for the Mets. The Mets were defending their first divisional championship since 1988. While the Atlanta Braves were counted as possible competition, the Philadelphia Phillies were predicted as the front-runners, albeit by their own star...
underwent what was described in the New York Times as "one of the biggest collapses in baseball history," becoming the first team with a seven game divisional lead with only 17 games remaining to finish outside of first place, losing the Eastern division to the Phillies on the final day of the season. Also, at 88–74, the Mets finished a single game behind the Rockies and Padres' 89–73 record in the Wild Card race.
While the Padres had been a consistent presence amongst the league's top teams during the 2007 season, the Rockies finished the first half with a .500 record of 44–44. They propelled themselves into the Wild Card race, however, by going 46–29 in the second half of the season including a Rockies' season-best 11-game winning streak from September 16 through September 27 and ultimately tied the Padres regular season record. With the Rockies and Padres holding the best non-division winning records in the league a tie-breaker was necessary to determine the Wild Card winner. A coin flip conducted earlier that September set the Rockies' home park of Coors Field
Coors Field
Coors Field, located in Denver, Colorado, is the home field of Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies. It is named for the Coors Brewing Company of Golden, Colorado, which purchased the naming rights to the park prior to its completion in 1995...
as the location for the game.
Game summary
Box scoreBox score (baseball)
In baseball, the statistical summary of a game is reported in a box score. An abbreviated version of the box score, duplicated from the field scoreboard, is the line score...
for Monday October 1, 2007—5:37 p.m. (MT
Mountain Time Zone
The Mountain Time Zone of North America keeps time by subtracting seven hours from Coordinated Universal Time, also known as Greenwich Mean Time, during the shortest days of autumn and winter , and by subtracting six hours during daylight saving time in the spring, summer, and early autumn...
) at Coors Field
Coors Field
Coors Field, located in Denver, Colorado, is the home field of Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies. It is named for the Coors Brewing Company of Golden, Colorado, which purchased the naming rights to the park prior to its completion in 1995...
in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
The starting pitcher
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
matchup saw eventual Cy Young Award
Cy Young Award
The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...
and Major League Baseball Triple Crown winner Jake Peavy
Jake Peavy
Jacob Edward Peavy is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who plays for the Chicago White Sox. He bats and throws right-handed...
against the Rockies Josh Fogg
Josh Fogg
Joshua Smith Fogg is an American professional baseball player who has been a pitcher for nine Major League Baseball seasons. Fogg played college baseball for the University of Florida, and was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the third round of the 1998 Major League Baseball Draft...
, who teammate Matt Holliday
Matt Holliday
Matthew Thomas Holliday , nicknamed "Big Daddy", is an American Major League Baseball left fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. Holliday was originally drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the seventh round of the 1998 Major League Baseball Draft.Holliday is a five-time All-Star and Silver Slugger...
nicknamed "Dragon Slayer" for his strong performances against ace starters
Ace (baseball)
In baseball, an ace is the best starting pitcher of any team and nearly always the first pitcher in his starting rotation. Barring injury or exceptional circumstances, an ace usually always starts on Opening Day...
throughout the season. The Rockies opened the bottom of the first inning with a leadoff double
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
by Kaz Matsui, followed by a Troy Tulowitzki
Troy Tulowitzki
Troy Trevor Tulowitzki , nicknamed Tulo, is a Major League Baseball shortstop for the Colorado Rockies.Tulowitzki's arm, range and instincts at shortstop are highly regarded...
single
Single (baseball)
In baseball, a single is the most common type of base hit, accomplished through the act of a batter safely reaching first base by hitting a fair ball and getting to first base before a fielder puts him out...
and a walk
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
to Matt Holliday to load the bases
Bases loaded
In the sport of baseball, the bases are loaded when there is a runner on each base . This presents a great scoring opportunity for the batting team, but it also presents an easy double play opportunity for the defense. Causing the bases to become loaded is called loading the bases...
. Matsui scored on a sacrifice fly
Sacrifice fly
In baseball, a sacrifice fly is a batted ball that satisfies four criteria:* There are fewer than two outs when the ball is hit.* The ball is hit to the outfield....
by Todd Helton
Todd Helton
Todd Lynn Helton is a Major League Baseball first baseman for the Colorado Rockies. He is a five-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger, four-time National League Player of the Month, and three-time Gold Glove winner....
and Garrett Atkins
Garrett Atkins
Garrett Bernard Atkins is a Major League Baseball first baseman who is currently a Free Agent. He bats and throws right-handed....
made the game 2–0 with a single which scored Tulowitzki. Yorvit Torrealba
Yorvit Torrealba
Yorvit Adolfo Torrealba is a Major League Baseball catcher for the Texas Rangers. He previously played for the San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres. He bats and throws right-handed.-San Francisco Giants:...
later added to that lead, leading off the bottom of the second inning with a solo home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
. The Padres took the lead in the top of the third, however, loading the bases via singles from Peavy and Scott Hairston
Scott Hairston
Scott Alexander Hairston is an outfielder in Major League Baseball. Hairston bats and throws right-handed.-High school years:...
and a walk to Brian Giles
Brian Giles
Brian Stephen Giles is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. During his career he played for the Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres...
. Adrian Gonzalez
Adrián González
Adrian Gonzalez is an American professional baseball first baseman with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball.Gonzalez was the first overall pick in the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft by the Florida Marlins. He was traded to the Texas Rangers, and later to the San Diego Padres, where he...
then hit a grand slam
Grand slam (baseball)
In the sport of baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners , thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play. According to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of contract bridge, in which a grand slam involves...
home run, making the score 4–3. This was Gonzalez' first career grand slam. Khalil Greene
Khalil Greene
Khalil Thabit Greene is a Major League Baseball shortstop who is currently a free agent. He bats and throws right-handed.-High school and college:...
then singled, advanced to third base on a double by Josh Bard
Josh Bard
Joshua David Bard is an American professional baseball catcher and designated hitter who is a free agent. Bard is a switch-hitter who throws right-handed....
, and scored on a ground out by Brady Clark
Brady Clark
Brady William Clark is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. Brady is a class of 1991 graduate of Sunset High School in Portland, Oregon and 1996 graduate of the University of San Diego...
. Helton homered in the bottom of the inning to close the gap to 5–4 in favor of San Diego.
The score remained the same through the fifth inning. Fogg was relieved by Taylor Buchholz
Taylor Buchholz
Taylor Buchholz is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent.-Biography:...
in the top of the fifth and, following a double by Tulowitzki, Peavy allowed the game-tying run to score on a Holliday single. Seth Smith
Seth Smith
Garry Seth Smith is a Major League Baseball corner outfielder for the Colorado Rockies.-Amateur career:...
, pinch hitting
Pinch hitter
In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead ; the manager may use any player that has not yet entered the game as a substitute...
for the pitcher in the bottom of the sixth, hit a triple
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Matsui to give the Rockies a 6–5 lead. The Rockies Garrett Atkins
Garrett Atkins
Garrett Bernard Atkins is a Major League Baseball first baseman who is currently a Free Agent. He bats and throws right-handed....
appeared to homer in the bottom of the seventh, extending the Rockies lead, but umpires decided that the ball hit padding on the outfield wall which was still in play and ruled the ball a double. Jamey Carroll
Jamey Carroll
Jamey Blake Carroll is an American professional baseball infielder for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball.Carroll was born in Evansville, Indiana. In 1992, he graduated from Castle High School in Newburgh, Indiana. He later attended and graduated from the University of Evansville...
pinch ran
Pinch runner
A pinch runner is a baseball player substituted for the specific purpose of replacing a player on base. In the typical case, the pinch runner is faster or otherwise more skilled at base-running than the player for whom the pinch runner has been substituted...
for Atkins, but no runs scored in the inning. The Rockies brought in closer Brian Fuentes
Brian Fuentes
Brian Christopher Fuentes is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher who currently plays for the Oakland Athletics. Previously, he played for the Seattle Mariners, the Colorado Rockies, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and the Minnesota Twins...
in the top of the 8th, but the Padres re-tied the game when Geoff Blum
Geoff Blum
Geoffrey Edward Blum is a Major League Baseball infielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks. During his major-league career, he has also played for the Montreal Expos, Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox...
singled to lead off the inning, advanced to second base on a wild pitch
Wild pitch
In baseball, a wild pitch is charged against a pitcher when his pitch is too high, too short, or too wide of home plate for the catcher to control with ordinary effort, thereby allowing a baserunner, perhaps even the batter-runner on strike three or ball four, to advance.A wild pitch usually...
, and scored on a double by Brian Giles
Brian Giles
Brian Stephen Giles is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. During his career he played for the Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres...
. This was Fuentes' seventh blown save of the season.
The game remained tied through nine innings, forcing extra innings
Extra innings
Extra innings is the extension of a baseball or softball game in order to break a tie.Ordinarily, a baseball game consists of nine innings , each of which is divided into halves: the visiting team bats first, after which the home team takes its turn at bat...
. There too the game stayed tied until the top of the 13th inning when Giles singled off of Jorge Julio
Jorge Julio
Jorge Dandys Julio Tapia is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. He previously played for the Baltimore Orioles from 2001–2005, New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks in 2006, and the Florida Marlins in 2007 before being traded...
and scored on a home run by Scott Hairston
Scott Hairston
Scott Alexander Hairston is an outfielder in Major League Baseball. Hairston bats and throws right-handed.-High school years:...
. Ramon Ortiz
Ramón Ortiz
Ramón Diógenes Ortiz is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher. He has previously pitched in Major League Baseball for the Anaheim Angels, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals, Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs as well as the Orix...
relieved Julio and no further runs scored in the inning, but the Padres entered the bottom of the 13th with an 8–6 lead. The Padres brought in all-time MLB saves leader Trevor Hoffman
Trevor Hoffman
Trevor William Hoffman is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. During his 18-year career from 1993 to 2010, he pitched for the Florida Marlins, San Diego Padres, and the Milwaukee Brewers, spending years of his career with the Padres. A long-time closer, he is the Major...
to secure the game and a Wild Card victory. However, Hoffman blew the save, allowing doubles to Matsui and Tulowitzki and a triple to Holliday which tied the game 8–8. Hoffman then intentionally walked Todd Helton leaving baserunners at first and third base. Carroll then hit a deep flyball out to right field. Holliday tagged up
Tag up
In baseball, to tag up is to retouch or remain on the runner's time-of-pitch base until the ball either lands in fair territory or is first touched by a fielder. A runner must, by rule, tag up only when a batted ball is caught by a fielder . After a legal tag up, even if the ball was caught in...
at third and slid headfirst on a close play at home plate. Home plate umpire
Umpire (baseball)
In baseball, the umpire is the person charged with officiating the game, including beginning and ending the game, enforcing the rules of the game and the grounds, making judgment calls on plays, and handling the disciplinary actions. The term is often shortened to the colloquial form ump...
Tim McClelland
Tim McClelland
Timothy Reid McClelland is an umpire in Major League Baseball who has worked in the American League from 1983 to 1999 and throughout both leagues since 2000. He has called many important games, from post-season games to the George Brett "Pine Tar" game in...
ruled Holliday safe on the sacrifice fly, and the Rockies won the game 9–8.
Controversy
During the final play Padres catcher Michael Barrett attempted to block home plate from Holliday's slide while receiving the ball on a throw from Brian Giles. Holliday arrived at the plate before the ball did and the ball bounced away from Barrett. Some controversy arose after the game as to whether Holliday had actually touched home plateHome Plate
Home Plate is the fifth album by Bonnie Raitt, released in 1975 .-Track listing:#"What Do You Want the Boy to Do?" – 3:19#"Good Enough" – 2:56#"Run Like a Thief" – 3:02...
or if Barrett had successfully blocked him. Several sportswriters, such as Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports and Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post
The Denver Post
-Ownership:The Post is the flagship newspaper of MediaNews Group Inc., founded in 1983 by William Dean Singleton and Richard Scudder. MediaNews is today one of the nation's largest newspaper chains, publisher of 61 daily newspapers and more than 120 non-daily publications in 13 states. MediaNews...
, said outright that Holliday never touched the plate. Kiszla referred to the moment humorously, saying "When folks retell this story 100 years from now, he still will not have touched home plate." Padres manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
Bud Black
Bud Black
Harry Ralston "Bud" Black is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher and current manager of the San Diego Padres.-College:Black played two years at Lower Columbia College in Longview...
and first base umpire Ed Montague
Ed Montague (umpire)
Edward Michael "Ed" Montague is a former umpire in Major League Baseball. He worked in the National League in 1974 and from 1976 to 1999, and officiated throughout both leagues between 2000 and 2009. The most senior active umpire in the major leagues at the time of his retirement, he wore uniform...
both agreed with McClelland's safe call. Barrett said he was unsure but "never, ever second-guessed Tim McClelland at home plate." If McClelland had ruled Holliday had not touched the plate during his slide Barrett would have had the chance to tag out Holliday, preventing the winning run.
Aftermath
Colorado's win clinched the team's second post-season berth in franchise history, and the first for their first baseman Todd Helton. Prior to the 2009 playoffs Helton had had the third-longest active career of any player without a playoff appearance (1577 games). The Rockies swept the Phillies in the 2007 National League Division Series2007 National League Division Series
-Philadelphia Phillies vs. Colorado Rockies:-Game 1, October 3:Chase Field in Phoenix, ArizonaEighteen-game winners Carlos Zambrano and Brandon Webb matched each other pitch for pitch in the opening game of the series. Stephen Drew's fourth-inning home run stood as the game's only run until Ryan...
and the Diamondbacks in the 2007 National League Championship Series
2007 National League Championship Series
-Game 1:Thursday, October 11, 2007 at Chase Field in Phoenix, ArizonaThe Rockies took a 1–0 series lead behind a strong innings from starter Jeff Francis. Arizona scored first on a first-inning RBI double by Eric Byrnes, but lost the lead two innings later when Colorado right fielder Brad Hawpe...
(NLCS) to win the franchise's first National League pennant. This streak, in combination with the Rockies performance at the end of the season, meant the Rockies had won 21 of their last 22 games. The last National League team to win 20 of 21 games at any point in the season were the 1936 New York Giants
1936 New York Giants season
The 1936 New York Giants season was the twelfth season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Standings:-See also:*List of New York Giants seasons...
. The Rockies also opened the playoffs with seven straight wins, the 1976 Cincinnati Reds
1976 Cincinnati Reds season
The Cincinnati Reds season was a season in American baseball. The Reds won their second consecutive National League West title with a record of 102-60, 10 games ahead of the runner-up Los Angeles Dodgers...
were the only other team in major league history to do so. The Rockies moved on to the 2007 World Series
2007 World Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at Fenway Park in Boston, MassachusettsThe Red Sox cruised to a blowout win in Game 1 behind ALCS MVP Josh Beckett, who struck out nine batters, including the first four he faced, en route to his fourth win of the 2007 postseason...
with their NLCS win, where they were swept by the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
.
The game counted as a regular season game in baseball statistics
Baseball statistics
Statistics play an important role in summarizing baseball performance and evaluating players in the sport.Since the flow of a baseball game has natural breaks to it, and normally players act individually rather than performing in clusters, the sport lends itself to easy record-keeping and statistics...
. If Matt Holliday had gone 0 for 5 in the game he would have lost the batting title to Chipper Jones
Chipper Jones
Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones, Jr. is a Major League baseball player for the National League's Atlanta Braves. Although initially a shortstop, he has spent most of his career as the starting third baseman for the Braves...
. However, Holliday went 2 for 6 and won the title with a batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of .340. Also, Holliday's triple and run batted in
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
(RBI) in the 13th gave him 137 RBI in total, winning the RBI crown over Ryan Howard
Ryan Howard
Ryan James Howard is a Major League Baseball first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies. Nicknamed "The Big Piece", Howard stands and weighs . He bats and throws left-handed....
by 1. Holliday's teammate Tulowitzki believed Holliday was the league's most valuable player, but he ultimately finished a close second to the Phillies' Jimmy Rollins
Jimmy Rollins
James Calvin "Jimmy" Rollins , nicknamed "J-Roll", is an All-Star and former MVP shortstop, who most recently played for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball's National League....
in the Most Valuable Player Award voting. Also, Padres' starter Jake Peavy increased his earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
(ERA) from 2.36 to 2.54 in the game and added six strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s to his season total. Peavy ultimately won the National League wins, strikeout, and ERA titles. These titles combined to give Peavy a pitching Triple Crown and he went on to win the Cy Young Award
Cy Young Award
The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...
unanimously. Finally, despite an error
Error (baseball)
In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...
in the game, the Rockies set the single-season major league record for team fielding percentage
Fielding percentage
In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball...
(.98925), breaking the 2006 Boston Red Sox
2006 Boston Red Sox season
The Boston Red Sox' 2006 season was a season in American baseball. It included the Boston Red Sox attempting to win the American League East division...
mark of .9891.