Thursday, 18 October 2007

Rockies october classic

21 of 22 - what an incredible run, clinching the wild card spot by one game, it beats the run of the Broncos in Elway's 97/98 went they went 18-1. Now before the Rockies clinched their first pennant in their 15th season with their 7th consecutive playoff win, 21st in LoDo was named Rockies Road.

When I was going to see the Rockies when Coors field opened, it was the Blake Street bombers - Andres Galarraga (the cat), Larry Walker, Vinny Castilla and Dante Bichete, the later nearly winning a triple crown in 95. Now, in a so called hitters ballpark, Coors Canaveral even, the Rockies have a team ERA of 1.77, that's one of the lowest in MLB history for a postseason. In reality since the introduction 5 years ago of a humidor for baseball storage, it's relatively average in terms of long ball hitting. Even before that though, pitchers could do well - I was there when the LA dodgers visited on 17 Sep 1996 and Hideo Nomeo threw a no-hitter. We were all on our feet for that, back then you could buy a ticket on the day for a $1 to get into the Rockpile (centre field bleachers).

Todd Helton is the only survivor from when I last saw the Rockies in 98. After blowing big wads of cash on 2 pitchers who got injured in the early naughties the Rockies started building from within, and now the majority of the roster are homegrown, In game 4 against the diamondbacks they were 1-0 down when Seth Smith, a 1 month major league veteran, stepped up for a pinch hit and doubled a fastball for 2 runs. But it's been pitching & defence that has brought the pennant, Willy Taveras diving full length catch in the NCLS games 2 was a prime example.

I fancy the red sox nation to take the indians to 7 sunday night but regardless on who goes to the series they will be meeting one of the hottest teams in baseball postseason history, who hopefully will not have gone cold with the eight day layoff. After the Broncos and the Avalanche it could be a 3rd major sports championship for Denver in 10 years. What other cities have managed that? Print this post
Posted by board tc at 21:49
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2 comments:

wwinfrey said...

3rd major sports championship for Denver in 3 years

Of course, you mean 3rd major sports championship for Denver in 10 years :-)

Don't forget that the Nuggets made it to the playoffs last year, too.

To put the Rockies amazing run in even more perspective, allow me to quote from this article by Jayson Stark:

Don't ask how a team on life support can suddenly start winning and winning and winning some more -- until it looks up a month later, amidst the dripping Domaine Ste. Michelle, to find it has just won 21 of its last 22 games.

Don't ask how a team that was a mere four games over .500 on Sept. 15 could make it here from where this team came from.

From nine games under .500 (18-27) in May.

From six games out in the wild-card race in September.

From 4½ games back in that wild-card race with only nine games to play.

From two games behind with two games to play, and having to watch that Padres team they were trying to catch get within one strike of clinching.

From two runs behind in the 13th inning of the 163rd game of the year, a game they never should have had a chance to play in the first place.

He goes on with some more amazing stats:


Clearly, they had to believe, or they couldn't have done this, right?

Couldn't have become the fifth team in the last 70 years to go 21-1 in any stretch of any season.

Couldn't have become the first team to do that in the middle of one of these mad charges to, and through, October.

Couldn't have become the second team in history (along with the 1976 Big Red Machine) to sweep its first two postseason series in any given October.

Couldn't have become the fifth team of all time to make it from last place one year to the World Series the next.

Couldn't have become the sixth team in history to fall nine games under .500 and still climb out of that canyon to make it to the World Series.

And, finally, couldn't have become the first team ever to find itself two games out of a playoff spot with two games to play and somehow survive to scramble into the World Series.

Thursday, October 18, 2007 10:31:00 pm
board tc said...

Thanks for 3 years typo fix Wally - fixed in post.

Thursday, October 18, 2007 10:57:00 pm

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