Revenge At Last

After taking a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the eighth inning the Colorado Rockies closer blew yet another save. The Phillies scored 3 runs in the top of the 9th and now have a chance to defend their world championship against them bums- the LA Dodgers.

This felt good today.

Not because I am a Phillies fan but because I still remember October 2007 and the one game playoff between the Padres and the Rockies and the same heartbreak us Padres fans were feeling then as the fans in Denver are at this moment.

I was watching on the big screen at the park in the park at PETCO PARK..that's a hell of a sentence. Anyhow here is what happened...according to a wikipedia page.

San Diego took an 8-6 lead in the top of the 13th on a two-run homer by left fielder Scott Hairston off Rockies' relief pitcher Jorge Julio. Julio was immediately replaced by Ramón Ortiz who finished the inning. Baseball's all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman was then called in to close the game and nail down a playoff spot.

In the bottom of the 13th, Hoffman gave up extra-base hits to the first three batters. Colorado second baseman Kazuo Matsui began the inning with a double. Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki followed with a double of his own, scoring Matsui. Holliday then hit a triple, scoring Tulowitzki. The score was now tied 8-8 with no outs. The Padres then intentionally walked first baseman Todd Helton.

Jamey Carroll then came up to bat, having replaced third baseman Garrett Atkins earlier in the game. Carroll flied out to shallow right field, prompting Holliday to tag up from third. Holliday slid into home plate head-first and to the outside of Padres backup catcher Michael Barrett, whose left leg extended across the plate. Barrett could not hold on to the throw from right fielder Brian Giles, and the ball dribbled toward the backstop. During the slide, Holliday's right hand wedged under Barrett’s foot, his face hit the dirt hard, and he lay stunned on the ground.

After pausing momentarily, home plate umpire Tim McClelland slowly and emphatically gave the "safe" signal, indicating Holliday had scored the game-winning run. Hoffman (4-5) was credited with his 5th loss of the season, and Ortiz (1-0) with his only win.

Some viewers and sportswriters questioned whether Holliday actually touched home plate. If he had not, then arguably Barrett could have retrieved the ball and tagged him out. The Rockies would then have had two outs with Helton still safe on base, and right fielder Brad Hawpe coming to bat.

Long after the game ended, a heated debate lingered regarding the final call at home plate. The passion of several fans regarding the correctness of the call eventually led to the creation of entire web sites, such as the now defunct www.hollidaynevertouchedtheplate.com, and online forums dedicated to proving that video replay of the slide either shows Holliday was clearly out, clearly safe, or that the video is inconclusive.

From an official standpoint, the video is inconsequential, as Major League Baseball had no provision for instant replay review at the time, and even under the system implemented at the end of the 2008 season (which was partially prompted by Atkins' near-home run in the seventh inning), close calls at home plate or at any base cannot be reviewed.

SO APOLOGIES TO ANY COLORADO ROCKIES FANS THAT FINDS THIS PAGE BUT JUSTICE HAS FINALLY BEEN SOMEWHAT SERVED.

A SURE WIN WAS RIPPED AWAY AND IN THIS GAME THERE WAS YET ANOTHER BLOWN UMPIRE CALL THAT MAY HAVE JUST MADE THE DIFFERENCE IN THE GAME!

I will do another post during the week about who I want to win in each league.