The 2007 National League Championship Series (NLCS), the final round of the 2007 National League playoffs, began on October 11 and ended on October 15. It was a best-of-seven series, with the West Division champion Arizona Diamondbacks facing the divisional rival wild card winner Colorado Rockies. The Rockies swept the series in four games to win their first ever pennant, extending a 17–1 run to 21–1 in the process. The Rockies won the opportunity to play the American League champion Boston Red Sox in the 2007 World Series, where they were swept 4-0. Colorado's NLCS sweep was only the second NLCS sweep since the seven-game format was adopted in 1985, with the first being the Atlanta Braves' sweep in 1995.
The Rockies had swept the Philadelphia Phillies in three games in the NL Division Series, while the Diamondbacks had swept the Chicago Cubs. The Diamondbacks had home-field advantage due to winning the division. The series marked the first time the Rockies ever advanced to the NLCS and the second time for the Diamondbacks, in the first postseason matchup between the two teams; the Rockies' only prior postseason appearance was in 1995. It was the first time that two West Division teams had ever met in the NLCS, only the second to feature expansion franchises (the first being 1986) and the first of only two postseason meetings of any kind between teams that joined MLB in the 1990s (the other meeting being the 2017 NL Wild Card Game between the same two clubs).
The series was telecast on TBS, the first time a League Championship Series was ever shown exclusively on a cable network.
The Rockies took a 1–0 series lead behind a strong 6+2⁄3 innings from starter Jeff Francis. Arizona scored first when Stephen Drew singled with one out in the first and scored on Eric Byrnes's RBI double, but the Rockies tied the game in the second when they loaded the bases off of Brandon Webb on two hits and a walk with no outs and Troy Tulowitzki hit into a double play that scored Todd Helton. Next inning, Willy Taveras singled with one out, stole second, and scored on Kazuo Matsui's RBI single. Matt Holliday then singled before Helton lined out to center. A wild pitch and walk loaded the bases, and Brad Hawpe's two-run single made it 4-1 Rockies. In the seventh, reliever Juan Cruz issued a leadoff walk to Yorvit Torrealba, who moved to second on a wild pitch and then to third on Francis's sacrifice bunt. After Taveras struck out, Diamondbacks first baseman Conor Jackson's fielding error on Matsui's ground ball allowed Torrealba to score to make it 5-1 Rockies. In the bottom of the inning, Francis allowed a leadoff double to Chris Snyder and hit Justin Upton with a pitch, but the Diamondbacks were taken out of a potential rally when a disputed interference call resulted in a double-play groundout for Augie Ojeda. Chase Field patrons responded by throwing objects onto the playing field, briefly stopping play. Though they loaded the bases on Jeff Cirillo's bunt single and Chris Young's walk off of reliever Matt Herges, Jeremy Affeldt got Drew to fly out to right to end the inning. Pinch hitter Miguel Montero singled with two outs in the bottom of the ninth off of Manny Corpas, but was tagged out at second to end the game.
The Rockies struck first in Game 2 off of Diamondbacks' starter Doug Davis when Todd Helton reached on third baseman Mark Reynolds's ground ball fielding error, moved to third on Brad Hawpe's single two outs later, and scored on Yorvit Torrealba's single. The Diamondbacks tied it in the third when Davis hit a leadoff double off of Ubaldo Jiménez and scored on Chris Young's single. Willy Taveras walked to lead off the fifth off of Davis and moved to second on Kazuo Matsui's single. Matt Holliday's fly out moved the runners up one base before Helton's sacrifice fly put the Rockies up 2-1. In the bottom of the ninth, Manny Corpas hit Young with a pitch with one out and subsequently allowed a single to Stephen Drew. Eric Byrnes grounded to third baseman Matsui, who made an errant throw to second, allowing Young to score and tie the game, but unaware of this, Drew wandered off second base, allowing shortstop Troy Tulowitzski to tag him out at third. Tony Clark grounded out to send the game into extra innings. Jose Valverde retired the Rockies in order in the 10th, but in the 11th, allowed a single and two walks to load the bases with two outs before walking Taveras to put the Rockies up 3-2. Doug Slaten in relief got Matsui to line out to right to end the inning, but Ryan Speier, in relief of Corpas, retired the Diamondbacks in order in the bottom of the inning to end the game and put the Rockies up 2-0 in the series shifting to Coors Field.
The Rockies moved to within one win of the World Series for the first time in franchise history by winning Game 3 by a score of 4–1. Matt Holliday gave them a 1–0 lead in the first with a two-out solo home run off Arizona starter Liván Hernández, but Mark Reynolds tied the game in the fourth with a tape measure home run to left off of Josh Fogg. The decisive blow was delivered in the bottom of the sixth when Yorvit Torrealba battled in an eight-pitch at-bat to drive a three-run home run to left field off of Hernandez that sent Coors Field into a frenzy. Memorably, Torrealba pumped his fist in the air while rounding second base. The Rockies now held a 3–0 lead in the series. Despite them eventually sweeping Arizona, this was the only game where they outhit them.
The Rockies won their first pennant in franchise history with a 6–4 win in Game 4, completing a sweep of the number one seed Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks struck first when Micah Owings singled to lead off the third off of starter Franklin Morales, moved to second two outs later on a walk, and scored on Conor Jackson's single. The Rockies struck back with a six-run fourth inning. Owings walked Brad Hawpe and Troy Tulowitzski with one out. Yorvit Torrealba's ground out moved them one base each before pinch hitter Seth Smith's two-run bloop double down the left-field line one out later put the Rockies up 2-1. Arizona first baseman Jackson's fielding error allowed Willy Taveras to reach base and move Smith to third. Kazuo Matsui's single scored Smith before NLCS MVP Matt Holliday's three-run home run to deep center put the Rockies up 6-1. Juan Cruz and Brandon Lyon held them hitless for the rest of the game. Brian Fuentes allowed a leadoff single to Stephen Drew in the eighth, then another single to Jackson one out later before Chris Snyder cut the Rockies lead to 6-4 with a two-out, three-run home run to left that stayed just fair. After Justin Upton tripled, Manny Corpas then came on and struck out Tony Clark to end the inning. Corpas allowed a one-out double to Young in the ninth, but got Drew to pop out to second and Eric Byrnes, the center of controversy before Game 3, to hit a check-swing roller to Troy Tulowitzki, who fired to Todd Helton at first to retire the diving Byrnes and send Colorado to the 2007 World Series against the Boston Red Sox. No team had ever swept their way to the World Series since the Division Series began in 1995. Colorado was also the first team to have a 7–0 start to a postseason since the 1976 Cincinnati Reds finished the playoffs 7–0 sweeping both the LCS and World Series. Colorado also became the fourth 2nd place team to beat the team that won their division in the playoffs, joining the ‘97 Florida Marlins, ‘04 Boston Red Sox, and the ‘05 Houston Astros. In subsequent years, the ‘11 St. Louis Cardinals, ‘15 Chicago Cubs, ‘20 Houston Astros, and ‘23 Texas Rangers would join this list.
Over the course of 29 days in September through the middle of October, the Rockies won 21 games and lost just once, shocking the baseball world en route to the World Series. The Red Sox swept the Rockies in the World Series, but that did not tarnish the players' fond memories. Although the Rockies had talented players, led by team veteran Todd Helton, MVP candidate Matt Holliday, and rookie of the year candidate Troy Tulowitzki, what stood out about the team was their chemistry and togetherness. “Our winning streak, in a lot of ways, was the end product of our team chemistry,” starting pitcher Josh Fogg said during the ten-year anniversary in 2017. “I mean, we’d have an off day on the road and 18 or 20 guys would go out to dinner together. That just doesn’t happen. Baseball is kind of a cutthroat game. And some people will root against their teammates so they can get themselves ahead in the game. I don’t think that played out at all in 2007. Everyone knew their job and knew their role. They were comfortable in it.”[5] The Rockies run in 2007 was nicknamed “Rocktober” — a play off the Rockies team name and October.
The 2007 Diamondbacks and Rockies proved to be a one-season anomalies. From 2003-2010, the Diamondbacks made the postseason just once. The Diamondbacks led the NL West most of the 2008 season, but a late season collapse saw them miss the postseason entirely. They would bottom out at 65-97 in 2010 before making the postseason again in 2011, with practically a brand new team compared to the 2007 squad. Meanwhile, the Rockies made the playoffs in 2009, but were defeated by the Phillies in the NLDS in a re-match of the 2007 NLDS. From 2008–2016, the Rockies were a cumulative 120 games under .500. 2007 was also the last NL Championship Series appearance for either the Rockies or Diamondbacks until 2023, when Arizona beat Los Angeles in the NLDS, and would go on the knock off Philadelphia in the NLCS, before losing to the Texas Rangers in the World Series.
The Diamondbacks and Rockies met again in the postseason during the 2017 National League Wild Card Game, with the Diamondbacks winning by a score of 11–8. To date, 2007 was the only time the Diamondbacks and Rockies finished 1–2 in the standings of the National League West. This was also the first time two NL West teams met in an NLCS, and as of 2023, it is the only time this has occurred.
The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Field, which is located in the Lower Downtown area of Denver. The club is owned by the Monfort brothers and managed by Bud Black.
Yorvit Adolfo Torrealba is a Venezuelan former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays and Milwaukee Brewers. He bats and throws right-handed.
Steven James Kline is an American college baseball coach for the IUP Crimson Hawks. He is also a former professional relief pitcher who pitched for the Cleveland Indians, Montreal Expos, St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles, and San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB) over an 11-year career. Kline attended West Virginia University, where he played college baseball for the Mountaineers.
Matthew Thomas Holliday is an American former professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2004 to 2018 for the Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics, St. Louis Cardinals, and New York Yankees. A World Series champion in 2011 with the Cardinals, Holliday played a key role in seven postseasons, including the Rockies' first-ever World Series appearance in 2007 and Cardinals' playoff success in the 2010s. His distinctions include a National League (NL) batting championship, the 2007 NL Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award, seven All-Star selections, and four Silver Slugger Awards. Other career accomplishments include 300 home runs, more than 2,000 hits, and batting over .300 eight times.
The 2001 National League Division Series (NLDS), the opening round of the 2001 National League playoffs, began on Tuesday, October 9, and ended on Sunday, October 14, with the champions of the three NL divisions—along with a "wild card" team—participating in two best-of-five series. The teams were:
The 2007 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2007 season. The 103rd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion Colorado Rockies and the American League (AL) champion Boston Red Sox; the Red Sox swept the Rockies in four games. It was the Rockies' only appearance in a World Series. The Red Sox's victory was their second World Series championship in four seasons and their seventh overall; it also marked the third sweep in four years by the AL champions. The series began on Wednesday, October 24 and ended on Sunday, October 28.
The Colorado Rockies' 2007 season started off with the team trying to improve on their 2006 record (76-86). They finished second in the National League West with a franchise record of 90 wins in 163 games and earned a playoff berth as the National League Wild Card team. The team would go on to lose the World Series to the Boston Red Sox, four games to none.
The 2007 National League Division Series (NLDS), the opening round of the 2007 National League playoffs, began on Wednesday, October 3 and ended on Saturday, October 6, with the champions of the three NL divisions and one wild card team participating in two best-of-five series. They were:
Garry Seth Smith is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles. He was the Rockies' 2nd round pick in the 2004 MLB draft.
The 2007 National League Wild Card tie-breaker game was a one-game extension to Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2007 regular season, played between the San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies of the National League's (NL) West Division to determine the NL wild card. It was played at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado, on October 1, 2007. The Rockies won the game 9–8 in thirteen innings on a controversial play at home plate.
The 2009 National League Division Series (NLDS) consisted of two concurrent best-of-five game series that determined the participating teams in the 2009 National League Championship Series. Three divisional winners and a "wild card" team played in the two series. The NLDS began on Wednesday, October 7 and ended on Monday, October 12. TBS televised all games in the United States. The matchups were:
The 2011 National League Division Series were two best-of-five playoffs comprising the opening round of the Major League Baseball postseason, played to determine the participating teams in the 2011 National League Championship Series. Three divisional winners and a fourth team—a wild card—played in two series. TBS televised all games in the United States. The regular season finished on September 28, with the National League playoffs beginning October 1.
The History of the Colorado Rockies began in 1991 when a Major League Baseball (MLB) expansion franchise for Denver, Colorado was granted to an ownership group headed by John Antonucci. In 1993, the Colorado Rockies started play in the National League (NL) West division. Since that date, the Rockies have reached the MLB postseason four times, each time as the National League wild card team. Twice they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. In 2007, the Rockies advanced all the way to the World Series, only to be swept by the Boston Red Sox.
The 2014 National League Championship Series was a best-of-seven playoff pitting the St. Louis Cardinals against the San Francisco Giants for the National League pennant and the right to play in the 2014 World Series. The series was the 45th NLCS in league history with Fox airing Game 1 and Fox Sports 1 airing Games 2–5 in the United States. Game 1 was simulcast on Fox Sports 1 and was hosted by Kevin Burkhardt, Gabe Kapler and C.J. Nitkowski, who offered sabermetric analysis of the game.
The 2017 National League Wild Card Game was a play-in game during Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2017 postseason that was played between the National League's (NL) two wild card teams, the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies. The game was televised nationally by TBS. The game took place on October 4 at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. with the Diamondbacks winning 11–8, thus eliminating the Rockies from the postseason and advancing the Diamondbacks to the NL Division Series (NLDS) in which they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers 3–0.
The 2001 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 2001 season. The winners of the League Division Series would move on to the League Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in the World Series.
The 2007 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 2007 season. The winners of the Division Series would move on to the League Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in the World Series.
The 2023 National League Division Series (NLDS) were the two best-of-five playoff series in Major League Baseball (MLB) that determined the participating teams of the 2023 National League Championship Series (NLCS). These matchups were:
The 2023 National League Championship Series was the best-of-seven playoff between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Arizona Diamondbacks for the National League (NL) pennant and the right to play in the 2023 World Series.
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