Rockies play all night to win wild one
Put this game in a time capsule.
When the Rockies’ Scott Oberg struck out Albert Almora Jr. swinging, Nolan Arenado jumped up and down like a Little Leaguer, players streamed out of the visitor’s dugout and the celebration commenced at Wrigley Field.
After 13 innings of baseball, in a game that took 4 hours and 55 minutes and concluded at 12:04 a.m. Wednesday, the Rockies beat the Cubs 21 in the National League Wild Card Game.
Three consecutive twoout singles against Kyle Hendricks in the 13th, the last by catcher Tony Wolters, gave the Rockies a victory in the longest postseason elimination game in MLB history. Trevor Story and Gerardo Parra singled before Wolters’ huge hit on a third consecutive changeup, ending at night of baseball not fit for the feint of heart.
“Kyle Hendricks is one of the best pitchers in the league,” said Wolters, who hit .170 during the regular season. “His stuff is pretty dang good. I was trying to get something up because I knew he has a really good changeup.
“The changeup before the hit, I didn’t even see it, I could have swung twice. The next one, it hung up there and I got a piece of it and it found a hole. It was a good feeling .... That was probably the biggest hit I’ve ever had, that’s for sure.”
Rockies manager Bud Black saw the victory as a testament to his team’s toughness.
“I’ve been saying it all year, this group has been so resilient. Tonight we showed that. I am so proud of these guys.”
Wolters, the unlikely hero, was the main target of the champagnepouring celebration in the cramped visitor’s clubhouse.
“Tony is that guy everybody loves,” Arenado said. “When he got that hit, and we won, I had tears in my eyes for him. I mean it. He’s kind of represents what this team is about, you know? I mean, he does what is asked. For him to get the hit was awesome.”
Not to be forgotten was Kyle Freeland’s night. The lefthander delivered one of the best pitching performances in Rockies history. He was sensational, rising to the moment on the big stage in front of 40,151 screaming Cubs addicts (with a sprinkling of Rockies fans in the mix). Freeland pitched 6M scoreless innings, yielding only four hits, walking one and striking out six.
“I felt good tonight and the adrenaline was really pumping, so I had to control that a bit,” said Freeland, who started on short rest and was making his first postseason appearance. “I did my deep breathing on the mound and just tried to stay calm. The crowd was so loud, but I thought it was great. I love competing in moments like this.”