Best of 2007: The Rockies' Wild Ride

Best story of 2007: undoubtedly the rise of the Colorado Rockies.

I love the Red Sox, but the Rockies were a great story.

It sure started unpromisingly.

On May 31st, it looked like another losing season in Denver. Proof? Last place. Weakest offense and pitching in the division.

June was better, for awhile. Colorado opened 13-5, with five wins coming against Boston and the Yankees. The Rockies went into Fenway and pounded Curt Schilling (6 R, 5 IP) and Josh Beckett (6 R, 5 IP), back-to-back. A week later, they swept the Yanks, beating Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte, and Roger Clemens.

Then suddenly things got ugly.

On June 24th, the Rockies were almost no-hit by Toronto’s Dustin McGowan. That dropped Colorado to just a game over .500 after 75 games.

That loss came in the midst of an eight-game slide, where the Rockies gained notoriety for blowing late-inning leads to open each series, as their closer just imploded.

Rookie shortstop Troy Tulowitzki hit a two-run homer to give Colorado a lead in extras in the opener in Toronto, only to see Brian Fuentes blow it. Four days later at Wrigley, Tulowitzki hit a three-run shot in the ninth, only to see Chicago’s Alfonso Soriano hit a game-winning single off Fuentes. Three nights later in Houston, Tulowitzki again homered in extras to give Colorado the lead; Fuentes again blew it in the Astros’ half-inning.

The next night, Fuentes surrendered another game-winning homer. Eight straight losses. Four blown saves. Eight games behind the Padres for the division lead. Fourth place.

Colorado went 15-9 in July, and the offense came around, averaging 5.75 runs. Manny Corpas (with zero career saves) was the new closer; he was brilliant, collecting seven saves with a 0.96 ERA, 14 Ks, and one walk in 10 appearances.

Colorado was only 3.5 games out on July 31st, despite a 54-51 record.

August. The Rockies, unable to run off more than three straight wins, finished 15-14. That left them five back (in both the Wild Card and the West) heading into September.

Then came the unthinkable. Pitchers Josh Fogg, a.k.a. the "Dragon-Slayer", and Jeff Francis were making headlines. And more importantly, the Padres were about to fade.

On Sept. 21st, the Rockies had a 1-0 lead in San Diego with three outs to go. Corpas came on for the save, but gave up a game-tying homer. Instead of crumbling, the Rockies came back and won.

Colorado stood 3.5 back in the Wild Card (behind San Diego). With only eight games left, it looked like the Rocks were just delaying the inevitable: It was Colorado's sixth straight win, but San Diego was still in great shape, losing for just the first time in eight games.

But the Rockies swept the Padres anyway. Another sweep in L.A. gave Colorado an amazing 11-0 run. With three games left, Colorado was just one behind the Padres.

Colorado won two of its final three to close out the season, including a three-run, eighth-inning outburst in the finale. San Diego, meanwhile, blew its last two in Milwaukee, including a ninth-inning meltdown in its penultimate game in which Trevor Hoffman couldn't finish things off with the Padres one strike away.

After 162, Colorado and San Diego were tied.

Then the one-game playoff in Colorado. The Padres had ace Jake Peavy going. The Padres took a two-run lead in extra innings. Ironically, Colorado came back the same way that it had lost those heartbreakers in June, battering Hoffman for three runs.

And who cares whether Matt Holliday actually touched the plate—the Rockies won.

And they went all the way to the World Series, dusting aside the Phillies and Diamondbacks. Along the way, they went an incredible 21-1. Amazing. Story of the year, hands down.

I root for underdogs; to see a team overcome all odds and win the way they did was awesome to watch.