stood in the Rockies clubhouse late Saturday night, soaked in a playoff cocktail of champagne and Coors Light.
“This is impossible to explain, the greatest feeling in the world,” the all-star third baseman said, his eyes red, but happy. “When we won the WBC (World Baseball Classic) I wore goggles, but I told myself if I ever made it with the Rockies. I wouldn’t wear goggles. I wanted to feel the burn.”
He got his wish.
We're in! Now we celebrate! 🏔
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies)
All around him, teammates, coaches and staff partied like they had won the World Series. That goal is a quantum leap of faith into the future, but the Rockies are going back to the postseason.
The clinching moment came Saturday afternoon as the Rockies watched on TV from their then-dry clubhouse as St. Louis rallied from a 6-0 deficit to beat Milwaukee 7-6 at Busch Stadium, eliminating the Brewers (85-76) and landing the Rockies in playoffs for the first time since 2009.
“This is what we have been working so hard for, and for such a long time,” said center fielder , who has set a major-league record with 102 RBIs from the leadoff spot. “This is what you dream about as kids. We were just asking for a chance, and we sneaked in there, just under the wire. I wouldn’t have it any other way, to be honest.”
Under the steerage of first-year manager Bud Black, the Rockies earned the National League’s second wild-card spot, wiping out six consecutive seasons of losing baseball.
Fans at who turned out early for the game between the Rockies and Dodgers watched the final outs of the Brewers’ game on the giant video board above the left-field stands. The fans let out a cheer when Cardinals reliever Juan Nicasio, the former Rockies starter, struck out the Brewers’ Brett Phillips on a full-count fastball.
The Rockies (87-74) will now play at Arizona (92-69) at 6:08 p.m. (MDT) Wednesday at Chase Field. The winner of the Rockies-Diamondbacks one-game playoff will advance to the NL division series against the Dodgers beginning Friday in Los Angeles.
The Rockies lost 5-3 to the Dodgers on Saturday night, but it didn’t matter.
“This is the best year of my life,” right fielder said, who embraced about every person he came in contact with as the carpet inside the clubhouse soaked up the suds.
Gonzalez is the only member of the current Rockies who played for the 2009 club that lost to Philadelphia in the NLDS.
“Eight years later? Thatap crazy,” Gonzalez said. “It shows you it doesn’t matter all the talent you have, itap all about being on the same page. Everybody has been pulling for each other since Day One.
“We believed we were a really good team. Sometimes, itap just that simple for some players. You know, ‘Hey, you’re good. You can beat anybody.’ ”
has arrived! 🏔
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies)
On Wednesday, Colorado will try to do just that. It’s likely starter will be right-hander (10-4, 3.67 ERA), who’ll have to match Diamondbacks right-hander Zack Greinke (17-7, 3.20), a former Cy Young Award winner.
The 2017 season has not been an easy road for the Rockies.
They got out of the blocks quickly, as they often do, holding down first place in the NL West as late as June 20 when they had a 47-26 record. But are only 35-34 since the all-star break. Their season was saved by a six-game winning streak through Los Angeles and Arizona from Sept. 7-12.
Colorado’s charge to the postseason was led by Arenado and Blackmon, both legitimate NL MVP candidates. They have 37 home runs apiece, and Blackmon has 104 RBIs — including 103, a major- league record, as a leadoff hitter.
This will be the first postseason appearance for Black, who managed San Diego from 2007 into part of 2015.
“I told you guys a long time ago that I thought this was possible,” Black said. “I knew that we had some good young starting pitching to develop. And I tell you what, I felt good about our bullpen in spring training, the veteran aspect of it. And they had to do it for six months, but it came together.”
When Black was introduced as the seventh manager in Rockies history last Nov. 7, he said: “I’m excited about this group of players and this franchise and where itap headed. There’s a couple of teams we need to chase down, which I think we’re gonna.”
The Rockies didn’t do that, finishing behind both the Dodgers and the Diamondbacks in the division, but they made huge strides, particularly on the mound.
The Rockies had a 4.91 ERA in 2016, tied with Cincinnati for 13th out of 15 National League teams. Arizona, with a 5.09 ERA, was the only club that pitched worse.
Colorado’s bullpen was its Achilles’ heel. The Rockies blew 28 saves and their 5.13 bullpen ERA was the worst in baseball and the worst for the Rockies since 2004.
This season, behind a corps of rookie starters that included German Marquez, Kyle Freeland, Antonio Senzatela and , Colorado’s starters entered Saturday with a 4.58 ERA, ninth in the NL.
The bullpen, anchored by new closer Greg Holland and his 41 saves, through Friday had whittled its ERA down to 4.37 and blew only 14 saves.
Gray, who will be counted on to quiet Arizona’s potent lineup Wednesday, has come into his own. He has made 13 consecutive starts allowing three runs or fewer, the second-longest such-streak in franchise history.
General manager , the architect of the 2017 team, said: “This is so gratifying for the organization because of the hard work of everybody. We set certain goals, not just for this year, but in years past, that we’ve been able to achieve.
“Itap a step-by-step process, but to see this come to fruition, to see these guys celebrate, to see these guys party like this, thatap whatap most gratifying.”
