At least one person thinks the Rockies owe a World Series share to Tony Gwynn Jr.
“My wife, Alyse, brought that up just last week,” the Milwaukee Brewers outfielder said Wednesday. “She said, ‘They wouldn’t be there without you.”‘
Gwynn laughed when he told the story, but he has certainly played a major role in the Rockies’ wild ride into the fall classic. The Rockies were one out away – one strike, actually – from having their postseason dreams crushed when Gwynn hit a ninth-inning triple off famed Padres closer Trevor Hoffman, baseball’s all-time saves leader.
This was the scene: On the final Saturday of the regular season, the Brewers trailed the Padres 3-2 when Gwynn – son of Hall of Famer and Padres legend Tony Gwynn Sr. – stepped in to face Hoffman, a man he has known since he was a kid.
“You might not believe it, but when I was on deck, I was thinking, if I get a chance here, the Padres might not make it to the playoffs, because nobody was going to beat the Rockies the way they were playing,” Gwynn said.
Facing a 2-2 count, Gwynn dug in and hit one of Hoffman’s famous changeups for a run-scoring triple to right field. The Brewers went on to win 4-3 in 11 innings, denying San Diego the chance to clinch a postseason berth, while assuring Milwaukee of finishing above .500 for the first time since 1992.
The next day, the Rockies won again and the Brewers beat the Padres again, setting up a one-game Monday night tiebreaker game between the Rockies and Padres for a wild-card berth. The Rockies beat the Padres 9-8 in 13 innings, sliding into the postseason on Matt Holliday’s mad dash to the plate.
“I haven’t heard from any of the Rockies, but Todd Helton told my dad to tell me thanks,” Gwynn said.
Last week, Gwynn and his wife welcomed their first child, daughter Makayla, into the world.
With another mouth to feed, that World Series share sure would come in handy.
