No team had come from two games back with two to play to make the World Series. No team had ever won 21 of 22 heading into the Fall Classic. But among the wonderful numbers is a statistic that makes you wonder: .222.
That was the Rockies’ batting average in the four-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Championship Series. It’s hard to imagine them winning the World Series if their offense doesn’t ramp up, right?
“Well, you can’t expect us to necessarily hit .300 because in the playoffs you are usually facing the best pitching,” slugger Matt Holliday said Thursday. “But I would be surprised if we don’t hit better. Maybe we won’t. But I expect us to, given the hitters we have.”
Among the Rockies’ hitters, Holliday was the most consistent against Arizona. After a difficult first game, he finished as the MVP of the NLCS, batting .333 with four RBIs. That Colorado has breezed to the World Series is the result of nasty pitching (2.08 ERA) and timely hitting (21 of the team’s 34 runs have come with two outs when the team owns a .333 average).
Still, Todd Helton, Garrett Atkins and Troy Tulowitzki, standouts this season, haven’t gotten on track, going a combined 14-for-81 in the playoffs with 19 strikeouts.
Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said he is confident they will improve, citing the calming influence of hitting instructor Alan Cockrell.
“He has their trust. That’s the most important thing,” Hurdle said.
Power of 64. His hair wet from an ice-water shower, his smile wide as his players celebrated Monday night, Hurdle reflected after the game how much it meant to have Kyle Blakeman’s family at the game. Kyle, 15, died of a rare form of cancer in August. Hurdle had become close to Kyle, visiting him frequently in a hospital.
“The family being there was probably as special to me as anything that (went on Monday). To see (their daughter) Macie go out there and throw out the first pitch, with her poise and the way she handled it. … I was in the hospital room with them just over a month ago,” Hurdle said. “You talk about strength and faith. That family has it.”
Before Kyle died, Hurdle asked him for something for luck. Kyle told Hurdle he always wore No. 64 in football. So Hurdle began writing it on the Rockies’ lineup card. It was brought to the manager’s attention Tuesday that the Rockies won 6-4 in the NLCS clincher and that they scored six runs in the fourth inning.
“It gave me goose bumps,” Hurdle admitted.
Tulo says easy does it. Troy Tulowitzki has gone from being a hard name to pronounce to a shortstop compared to some of baseball’s greats. Tulowitzki appreciates the praise, but when it comes to linking him to Cal Ripken, his idol who he met this week, the 23-year- old rookie reminds people to slow down a bit.
“It means everything that (Ripken) likes how I play. People start throwing out comparisons to Ripken, and it’s cool, but come on now. I haven’t done anything yet,” Tulowitzki said. “You are talking about a guy who was one of the greatest. For him to compliment me on anything was amazing.”
Break out the calculator. Even before the season, even before the streak, former Gov. Bill Owens was a huge Rockies fan. He sat behind home plate at Coors Field for the NLCS- clinching win Monday. Watching the Rockies’ improbable run from a near .500 team to the hottest finish in big-league history got him to thinking.
What was the likelihood of a 21-1 streak? Owens enlisted the help of friends who directed him to Michael Olinick, a mathematics professor at Middlebury College in Vermont.
The odds of a team winning 21 of 22 games during the season: try 1 in 190,649. Consider it an icebreaker at a cocktail party this week.
Footnotes. Matt Holliday’s uncle, Dave Holliday, a national cross checker and special assignment scout for the Rockies, has surfaced as a candidate for the Pirates’ scouting director position. Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell is quickly becoming the favorite as Pittsburgh’s next manager and he has ties to Holliday from their days together at Oklahoma State. … Speaking of OSU, Jackson Holliday, Matt’s 3-year-old son, wowed the audience in an appearance on Fox’s “Best Damn Sports Show” with his “I am a man, I’m 40” imitation of Cowboys football coach Mike Gundy. … Aaron Cook remains hopeful of making the Series roster. He expects to pitch today and Sunday in the scrimmage games. “Like I have been saying, I feel good. I’m ready to go and will do what they ask.”
Staff writers Patrick Saunders and Mike Klis contributed to this report. Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
