October 1, 2007: A Playoff for the National League Wild Card Playoff berth is held at Coors Field in Denver. The Colorado Rockies and the San Diego Padres had both finished with a record of 89-73, 1 game behind the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL Western Division. Since only 1 Wild Card berth was available per League, they would have to play each other for it.
The Rockies had won 13 of their last 14 scheduled games just to get that far, for a shot at only their 2nd Playoff berth ever, after the 1995 NL Wild Card. The Padres had won the NL West the 2 preceding seasons.
Jake Peavy, having won the Triple Crown of Pitching, started for the Padres, and lasted into the 7th inning, bolstered by a 5-run 3rd inning that included a home run by Adrián González. Rockies starter Josh Fogg got knocked out in the 5th inning, but the Rockies still only trailed, 5-4, thanks to home runs by Yorvit Torrealba and Todd Helton.
The Rockies scored runs in the 5th and the 6th to take a 6-5 lead, but the Padres tied it in the 8th. The game went to extra innings. Brian Giles led off the top of the 13th inning with a walk, and Scott Hairston looked like the hero of the game, hitting a home run off Jorge Julio to give the Padres an 8-6 lead. Ramón Ortiz came in to pitch for the Rockies, and he got out of the inning with no further damage.
Counting the postseason, Hall-of-Fame reliever Trevor Hoffman appeared in 914 games for the San Diego Padres. This one, along with Game 3 of the 1998 World Series, when he gave up a game-winning home run to Scott Brosius, is one he'd like to have back. He gave up a double to Kazuo Matsui, an RBI double to Troy Tulowitzki, and an RBI triple to Matt Holliday.
Helton was intentionally walked to set up the double play. But Jamey Carroll hit a fly ball to right field. Giles caught it, and threw home, to try to get Holliday, who had tagged up at 3rd. Home plate umpire Tim McClelland ruled him safe, and the Rockies had won, 9-8.
The Padres lost their minds, sure that catcher Michael Barrett had tagged Holliday. This play is one of the reasons that instant replay review was instituted in Major League Baseball, but it wasn't in use yet. The replay showed that Padre catcher Michael Barrett had dropped the ball. Holliday was safe.
Needing a Playoff for the Playoffs, the Colorado Rockies beat the San Diego Padres in the bottom of the 13th inning, 9-8. Jamey Carroll hits a sacrifice fly, and Matt Holliday scores on a disputed play at the plate.
The Rockies closed the regular season (and this game counts as such, as it's officially not a postseason game) winning 14 of their last 15. They swept the Philadelphia Phillies 3 straight in the NL Division Series, and the Diamondbacks 4 straight in the NL Championship Series. They had won 21 of their last 22, a late-season run unmatched in the history of Major League Baseball.
Which made it all the more stunning when the Boston Red Sox swept them in 4 straight in the World Series. They won the Wild Card again in 2009, but didn't make the Playoffs again until 2017. The Padres didn't make the Playoffs again until 2020, and this play still burns their fans up.
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October 1, 2007 was a Monday. There was 1 other score: On ESPN Monday Night Football, the New England Patriots, in the middle of their almost-unbeaten season, beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 34-13 at Paul Brown Stadium (now Paycor Stadium) in Cincinnati.
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