FanNation

30 teams. 162 games per team. 2431 total games per season. I picked the right day to watch my first baseball game of the season all the way through.

It's over, people. Move over 1978. Out with the old, and in with the new. The new? The 2007 Colorado Rockies - San Diego Padres one game playoff game played at Coors field that began at 6:37 CT.

Currently, the time is 11:28 PM, and after a 13 inning epic, the Rockies have prevailed in a soon-to-be highly controversial game against the Padres. 

Pitting Jake Peavy against the lowly Josh Fogg, the Padres seemed to be the clear favorite in tonights game, despite the Rockies winning 13 of their last 14. However, the Rockies have played the cando never-say-die spirit to the point of exhaustion this past month, and they eked out its last fragments to overcome the Pads tonight.

As Peavy, not known for big game pitching, collapsed for 5 earned runs, the Padres received a huge boost from 1st baseman Adrian Gonzalas, who launched a grand slam off of Fogg into the right field bleachers, putting the Pads on the board and giving them the lead.

The Rockies, though, with the help of a Todd Helton home run and an RBI single, deadlocked the game at 6, thus starting an epic bullpen battle for the ages. For 6 innings, ranging from the 7th through the 12th, not a single run was let off, save for a lone Padres score caused by a Matt Holliday error.

Fortuanately for all fans, school children, and members of the working class, Jorge Julio, having a terrible season so far, blew up as he came in relief in the top of the 12th. Throwing erratically, he proceeded to walk the first batter, and then give up a home run that barely cleared the left field wall to the youngest of a long line of Hairston boys. This was the sort of thing that gave me goosebumps in remembrance of another relatively unkown player who barely cleared a certain left field wall in this very same situation. Was fate sealing itself in the most ironic of ways, or was the team from the Mile High City going to finish off one of the greatest upsets in regular season history? With the game at 8-6, it was essentially over when the immortal "Hells Bells" began to thunder luminously in the minds of every baseball fan in America. Trevor Hoffman was about to come in.

BUT, there was more seat-gripping drama to come in the bottom half of the 13th. Kaz Matsui lead off with a double, followed by a similar feat from Rookie of the Year candidate Troy Tulowitski. Score: 8-7

Matt Holliday, current billy goat of the night, stepping into the box nearly 4 hours since the game's conception, lined a low and outside ball straight off the right field wall over a leaping Brian Giles and slid safely, headfirst, just 90 feet from home.

As the infield, outfield, and entire Padres and Rockies fanbases moved in, Trevor Hoffman pitched to defensive replacement Jamie Carrol. A short line drive into right was enough to convince Holliday to bolt for the postseason towards catcher Michael Barret and towards baseball immortality. This is where controversy rears its ugly head.

As Holliday slid safely into home, the home plate umpire, already having irked fans with controversial calls that day, hesitated in making the call. After a brief pause and an awkward confusion, he made a slow, unsure gesture that sent 50445 fans into a screaming, elated riot. SAFE.

As video replay shows, Holliday's hand did not in fact touch home plate, so he was not technically safe at the time, and, having injured his face on the slide, appeared unable to crawl back and safely touch home plate before Barret would tag him.

All in all, I'm psyched that the Colorado Rockies, whom I picked to win the NL Wild Card over a month and a half ago, are going to the playoffs this year. Even more so, Todd Helton, faithful servant of a perennially struggling franchise, is finally going to get his first taste of the playoffs on Wednesday against Cole Hamels and the Philadelphia Phillies. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm jumpin' on board the Rockies Express while there's still room on the train.