2007 National League wild card tie-breaker game

The 2007 National League wild card tiebreaker game took place on October 1, 2007, after both the San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies finished the regular season with records of 89-73. The Rockies hosted the National League's first wild card playoff since 1999. The Rockies were given home field advantage in one of a series of coin tosses near the end of the season. The Rockies ended the season with a better record against the NL West, and were 10-8 in games against the Padres.

Line score

Linescore
Road=San Diego|RoadAbr=SD
R1=0|R2=0|R3=5|R4=0|R5=0|R6=0|R7=0|R8=1|R9=0|R10=0|R11=0|R12=0|R13=2|RR=8|RH=15|RE=0
Home=Colorado|HomeAbr=COL
H1=2|H2=1|H3=1|H4=0|H5=1|H6=1|H7=0|H8=0|H9=0|H10=0|H11=0|H12=0|H13=3|HR=9|HH=14|HE=1
RSP=|HSP=
WP=Ramón Ortiz (5-4) |LP=Trevor Hoffman (4-5) |SV=
RoadHR= Adrian Gonzalez (30), Scott Hairston (11) |HomeHR= Yorvit Torrealba (8), Todd Helton (17)|

Game details

Jake Peavy, the eventual National League Cy Young Award winner, started for the Padres against Rockies hurler Josh Fogg, who earned the nickname "Dragon Slayer" during the 2007 season after putting up wins against several top pitchers (notably Josh Beckett, Brandon Webb, Curt Schilling, Roy Oswalt, and Mike Mussina).

The Rockies struck first scoring three runs in the first two innings, but the Padres responded with 5 runs in the third – four off a grand slam by first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. The Rockies scored three more times and led 6-5 after the sixth. In the bottom of the seventh, Colorado third baseman Garrett Atkins hit what appeared to be a home run off the top of the left field wall, but was ruled a double by the umpires. With two outs and still down by a run in the top of the 8th inning, the Padres gained new life when Matt Holliday misplayed a Brian Giles fly ball in left field, allowing the tying run to come home.

The score remained deadlocked at 6-6 for the next four innings before San Diego took an 8-6 lead in the top of the 13th on a two-run homer by left fielder Scott Hairston off Rockies' relief pitcher Jorge Julio. Julio was immediately replaced by Ramón Ortiz who finished the inning. Baseball's all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman was then called in to close the game and nail down a playoff spot.

In the bottom of the 13th, Hoffman gave up extra-base hits to the first three batters. Colorado second baseman Kazuo Matsui began the inning with a double. Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki followed with a double of his own, scoring Matsui. Holliday then hit a triple, scoring Tulowitzki. The score was now tied 8-8 with no outs. The Padres then intentionally walked the next batter, first baseman Todd Helton. Jamey Carroll came up to bat, having replaced 3rd Baseman Garrett Atkins earlier in the game. His sacrifice fly to shallow right field allowed Holliday to break from third. Holliday slid into home head-first and to the outside of Padres' backup catcher Michael Barrett, whose left leg extended across the plate. Barrett could not hold on to the throw from right fielder Brian Giles, and the ball dribbled toward the backstop. During the slide, Holliday's right hand wedged under Barrett’s foot, his face hit the dirt hard, and he lay stunned on the ground.

Controversial ending

Some viewers questioned whether Holliday actually touched home plate. If he had not, then arguably Barrett could have retrieved the ball and tagged him out. The Rockies would then have had two outs with Helton still safe on base, and right fielder Brad Hawpe coming to bat.

As Barrett tried to gain control of the ball, home plate umpire Tim McClelland called Holliday safe. That call officially ended the game, and the final score was Rockies 9, Padres 8. Hoffman (4-5) was credited with his 5th loss of the season, and Ortiz (1-0) with his only win.

Long after the game ended, a heated debate lingered regarding the final call at home plate. The passion of several fans regarding the correctness of the call eventually led to the creation of entire web sites and online forums dedicated to proving that video replay of the slide either shows Holliday was clearly out, clearly safe, or that the video is inconclusive.

From an official standpoint, the video is inconsequential, as Major League Baseball had no provision for instant replay review at the time, and even under the system implemented at the end of the by|2008 season (which was partially prompted by Atkins' near-home run in the seventh inning), close calls at home plate or at any base cannot be reviewed.

Impact

Colorado's win clinched the team's second post-season berth in franchise history, and the first for their star first baseman Todd Helton, who had the third-longest active career of any player without post-season experience. Helton played 1,577 games before his first playoff game against the Philadelphia Phillies on October 3, 2007.

Despite an error in the game, the Rockies set the single-season major league record for team fielding percentage (.98925), breaking the 2006 Boston Red Sox mark of .9891.