The thrill of victory
DENVER — Hurry up and wait.
That's the latest chapter of the Colorado Rockies' incredible run through postseason.
With their 21st win in 22 games, the relentless Rockies beat the rattled Arizona Diamondbacks 6-4 in Game 4 Monday night to sweep the NL championship series at chilly Coors Field.
With their delirious fans waving brooms and towels, the Rockies joined the 1976 Big Red Machine as the only teams to start a postseason with seven straight wins. Colorado has won 10 in row overall and lost only once since Sept. 16.
"It was fun, this has been a great ride. We're not done yet," said Rockies first baseman Todd Helton, the face of the franchise who cradled the last out in his glove, looked to the heavens and punched his arms into the air as Eric Byrnes splayed out on first base, a tad late to save the D-backs' season.
"We're going to keep it going," Helton said.
The Rockies have a record eight days off before opening the World Series at either Cleveland or Boston on Oct. 24. The Indians lead the ALCS 2-1.
"They're hotter than anything right now," Arizona third baseman Mark Reynolds said. "And if they keep rolling and keep getting big hits from their players, I give them a shot to beat anybody."
Series MVP Matt Holliday hit a three-run homer into the pine-filled rock pile in center field that capped a six-run outburst in the fourth inning, and the wild-card Rockies, born as an expansion team in 1993, were on their way to their first World Series.
"It's unbelievable. I never dreamed I'd have this opportunity," Holliday said. "With this group of guys I'm so excited to be a part of it. This MVP award goes 24 other directions."
Just one strike from postseason elimination on the final weekend of the season, the Rockies have become a charmed team that seemingly cannot lose. This marked the sixth straight year a wild-card club reached the World Series.
"This has been different. They're very, very unselfish, and they kept working together, working together and believing," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said.
Colorado had never won more than 83 games before going 90-73 this season and sneaking into the playoffs with a 9-8, 13-inning win over San Diego in the wild-card tiebreaker — rallying for three runs against career saves leader Trevor Hoffman.
After sweeping Philadelphia in the first round of the playoffs, the Rockies put a purple pummeling on a D-backs club that finished with the best record in the league.
"Once the sting of this subsides, we'll be able to reflect that we did have a great year," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said.
Ahead 6-1, the Rockies withstood Chris Snyder's three-run homer in the eighth. Chris Young doubled with one out in the ninth off closer Manny Corpas, but Stephen Drew popped out on a 3-0 pitch.
"If that's not the tying run, then I obviously don't let him swing," Melvin said. "But right there you know you're going to get a fastball, you know you're going to get a pitch to drive. He just came off it a hair and popped it up."
Byrnes followed with a checked-swing grounder that shortstop Troy Tulowitzki charged. His throw beat Byrnes' headfirst dive, and Helton threw his arms in the air, a decade of disappointment finally forgotten.
"I'm not going to lie, my mind wandered a little bit," Helton said. "You've got to refocus. Sometimes you'd like to be a fan in that situation and sit back and enjoy it. You can't."
The Rockies are the first team since the 1935 Chicago Cubs to win at least 21 of 22 after Sept. 1, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
"There comes a point in time when a team is no longer hot, they're simply good," Arizona's Tony Clark said. "And I think that's what we saw with Colorado."
