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Rockies clinch playoff berth when Brewers lose to Cards
Nolan Arenado stood in the Rockies’ clubhouse late Saturday night, soaked in a playoff cocktail of champagne and Coors Light. “This is impossible to explain, the greatest feeling in the world,” the all-star third baseman said, his eyes red, but happy. “When we won the WBC (World Baseball Classic) I wore goggles, but I told myself if I ever made it with the Rockies, I wouldn’t wear goggles. I wanted to feel the burn.” He got his wish.
All around him, teammates, coaches and staff partied like they had won the World Series. That goal is a quantum leap of faith into the future, but the Rockies are going back to the postseason.
The clinching moment came Saturday afternoon as the Rockies watched on TV from their thendry clubhouse as St. Louis rallied from a 6-0 deficit to beat Milwaukee 7-6 at Busch Stadium, eliminating the Brewers (85-76) and landing the Rockies in playoffs for the first time since 2009.
“This is what we have been working so hard for, and for such a long time,” said center fielder Charlie Blackmon, who has set a major-league record with 103 RBIS from the leadoff spot. “This is what you dream about as kids. We were just asking for a chance, and we sneaked in there, just under the wire. I wouldn’t have it any other way, to be honest.”
Under the steerage of first-year manager Bud Black, the Rockies earned the National League’s second wild-card playoff berth, wiping out six consecutive seasons of losing baseball.
Fans at Coors Field who turned out early for the game between the Rockies and Dodgers watched the final outs of the Brewers’ game on the giant video board above the left-field stands. The fans let out a cheer when Cardi-
nals reliever Juan Nicasio, a former Rockies starter, struck out the Brewers’ Brett Phillips on a full-count fastball.
The Rockies (87-74 after losing to the Dodgers 5-3 on Saturday night) will play Arizona in the wild-card game in Phoenix at 6:08 p.m. MDT on Wednesday. The winner of that game will advance to an NL division series against the West champion Dodgers beginning Friday in Los Angeles.
“This is the best year of my life,” right fielder Carlos Gonzalez said, who embraced about every person he came in contact with as the carpet inside the clubhouse soaked up the suds.
Gonzalez is the only member of the current Rockies who played for the 2009 club that lost to Philadelphia in an NLDS.
“Eight years later? That’s crazy,” Gonzalez said. “It shows you it doesn’t matter all the talent you have, it’s all about being on the same page. Everybody has been pulling for each other since Day One.
“We believed we were a really good team. Sometimes, it’s just that simple for some players. You know, ‘Hey, you’re good. You can beat anybody.’ ”
On Wednesday, Colorado will try to do just that. Its likely starter will be right-hander Jon Gray (10-4, 3.67 ERA), who’ll have to match Diamondbacks right-hander Zack Greinke (17-7, 3.20), a former Cy Young Award winner.
It’s not been an easy road for the Rockies.
They got out of the blocks quickly, as they often do, holding down first place in the West as late as June 20 when they had a 47-26 record. But they are only 35-34 since the all-star break. Their season was saved by a six-game winning streak through Los Angeles and Arizona from Sept. 7-12.
Colorado’s charge to the postseason was led by Arenado and Blackmon, each a legitimate NL MVP candidate. They have 37 home runs apiece, and Blackmon has 104 RBIS — including 103, a major- league record, as a leadoff hitter.
This will be the first postseason appearance for Black as a manager.
“I told you guys a long time ago that I thought this was possible,” Black said. “I knew that we had some good young starting pitching to develop. And I tell you what, I felt good about our bullpen in spring training, the veteran aspect of it. And they had to do it for six months, but it came together. ”
General manager Jeff Bridich, the architect of the 2017 team, said: “This is so gratifying for the organization because of the hard work of everybody. We set certain goals, not just for this year, but in years past, that we’ve been able to achieve.
“It’s a step-by-step process, but to see this come to fruition, to see these guys celebrate, to see these guys party like this, that’s what’s most gratifying.”