PHOENIX – It started with a few bottles of water. Then beer containers. Before the fans at Chase Field were done Thursday night, they lost their dignity and their Arizona Diamondbacks lost control of the National League Championship Series.
During this improbable stretch, the Rockies have trumped aces, crushed closers and squashed dreams of three teams. On a warm desert night, they tiptoed through the seventh-inning litter and deposited the Diamondbacks in the trash with a 5-1 victory in Game 1.
This win brought an emotion previously absent over the past three weeks: anger. While the national media is quick to portray the Rockies as Cinderella, she never acted like this. The Rockies didn’t just beat the Diamondbacks, they took off their glass slipper and pounded them between the eyes, shoving back after Justin Upton’s hard seventh-inning slide spurred fans to fire debris onto the field.
“I understand why their fans got mad that (Upton was called for interference). But they don’t know the rules,” Rockies catcher Yorvit Torrealba said. “It was a dirty play.”
The Rockies, with tempers flaring, had no problem bowing their backs. Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki exchanged words with Upton, furious that the rookie stared down starting pitcher Jeff Francis after getting hit with a pitch. Kazuo Matsui, his right knee red after the game from an ice pack, hung in on the kid’s slide, refusing to give in.
It was another wrinkle to this run: talent and toughness. The Rockies won’t say this game was more significant. They are too humble to hint that they just might have demoralized the Diamondbacks. But the graffiti is on the wall. The Rockies have won 18 of their past 19 games. Catch ’em if you can.
“It’s crazy, it really is,” said Francis, who frustrated the Diamondbacks with his ability to change speeds. “It’s hard to explain.”
Colorado won by slugging Arizona’s Brandon Webb, the only starting pitcher who has beaten them since Sept. 15. This can’t be overstated. The Diamondbacks were at home. They had swept the Chicago Cubs in their division series. This was their chance to make a statement that this was going to bare-knuckle, drawn-out brawl.
Instead, Webb weeble-wobbled and staggered through the first three innings.
“Anytime you beat Webb, it’s huge,” third baseman Garrett Atkins said.
By the time the sellout crowd finally arrived, the Rockies led 4-1 after three innings. Right fielder Brad Hawpe delivered the critical hit, scoring two runs with a single to right field.
The cushion, Francis admitted, helped tremendously, allowing him to pitch with more freedom. He permitted just a single run in 6 2/3 innings.
It was during an ugly seventh inning that Arizona fans brought shame to the game.
It played out like this: The Diamondbacks had runners on first and second. Augie Ojeda hit a groundball to Atkins that he flung to second baseman Matsui. Mad about getting hit by a 79 mph changeup, Upton slid late, then delivered a right forearm into Matsui’s leg, upending him. First baseman Todd Helton immediately signaled that the double play be should enforced because of interference.
Second-base umpire Larry Vanover agreed. Embarrassment followed. Arizona manager Bob Melvin argued. Fans flung debris as the Rockies were ordered off the field. The eight-minute pause only delayed the inevitable. The Rockies haven’t lost in a visiting park since Sept. 13, a streak spanning nine games.
The trash, in the end, amounted to a bug on the Rockies’ windshield.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
