There must be a wild-card clinching in the air. How do we know? Because Todd Helton doesn’t get as excited as he got in the third inning Wednesday night.
As his 15th home run sailed into the right-field seats, Helton, ever the stoic one, let loose with a real, live fist pump as he flew across first base. The scene was reminiscent of the modern-day miracle commonly known as Rocktober.
With their magic number standing at one, the Rockies are all but assured of making the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. But if they’re going to make something happen once they get there, they’ll need a hot Helton. And lo and behold, he’s emerging at just the right time.
Helton’s two-run, go-ahead homer off Milwaukee’s Jeff Suppan was his 13th hit in 28 at-bats during the Rockies’ final regular-season homestand. Earlier in the homestand, he whacked his 508th career double to move ahead of Babe Ruth for 43rd place on the all-time list.
But what about the fist pump? Helton was gone by the time the media entered the Rockies’ clubhouse, but it was just as well. His clenched fist had already made the loudest statement on a night when the Rockies beat the Brewers 10-6 to move within whispering distance of the third playoff appearance in franchise history.
Believe it or not, Troy Tulowitzki, standing near the on-deck circle, didn’t see it, making him perhaps the only person at Coors Field to miss the moment. So, Tulo, surprised that Helton has so much energy this late in the season after undergoing offseason back surgery?
“No, not at all,” Tulowitzki said. “I saw him in spring training and I knew he was ready to go. There aren’t too many people who could have come back from what he’s been through. Talk about a tough guy, talk about a baseball player. As a young guy . . . that’s who you look at and want to be one day. You want to be known around baseball as someone who came to the field ready to play, and that’s what he does.”
Not that the season has been an easy one for Helton. He’s on the verge of his ninth .320-plus batting average in 12 full seasons, but he hasn’t been as productive at times as he wanted to be. Case in point: He hit 10 home runs and drove in 57 runs before the all-star break. Since then, he’s at five and 29.
If the swing he put on the home run was any indication, Helton is in a good place with the playoffs right around the corner. And if the dog days of the season are catching up to him, there’s always the adrenaline rush of the postseason to keep him going.
“Let me tell you something,” Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. “You know that taste that you get when you’ve had an opportunity to participate in the postseason? . . . This is a future Hall of Fame player who obviously wants to go back very, very bad.”
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com
