2007 Colorado Rockies season
Encyclopedia
The Colorado Rockies
' 2007 season
started off with the team trying to improve on their 2006
record (76-86). They finished with a franchise record of 90 wins in 163 games
and earned a playoff berth as the National League Wild Card team. The Rockies swept their first seven playoff games en route to winning the 2007 National League Pennant
, which was the franchise's first-ever pennant. September was considered by many to be the best month of all-time for a ball club, after winning 21 of 22 games in the stretch. It is often compared to the 2004 Boston Red Sox season
in October. The Rockies drew 2,376,250 fans for the season, their highest total since 2002
. The average home attendance was 28,978.
for second place in the NL West and first in the NL Wild Card. A tie-breaker game
was played on October 1, 2007, at Coors Field
in Denver to determine which team would continue on to post-season play. The game lasted 13 innings, spanning four hours and 40 minutes. The Rockies won the game with a final score of 9 to 8, sending them to only their second post-season in franchise history. The tie-breaker game counts toward all team and player statistics in the regular season; so, the Rockies' official 2007 win-loss record stands at 90-73.
National League Division Series: vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Colorado started the series with the Philadelphia Phillies
on October 3, 2007 at Citizens Bank Park
. The Phillies were another come-from-behind team who won the NL East division after a monumental collapse by the New York Mets
who had all-but-won the division in early September. The Phillies had a potent offense with NL MVP candidates Ryan Howard
, Jimmy Rollins
and Chase Utley
. The Rockies, swept the series in three games with scores of 4-2 in Game 1 and 10-5 in Game 2 at Philadelphia. In Game 3, with the score tied in the bottom of the 8th and two outs, Jeff Baker singled to bring in the go-ahead run. Manny Corpas pitched a perfect ninth inning to seal the Rockies' first postseason series victory.
National League Championship Series: vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
Colorado started the series with the Arizona Diamondbacks
on October 11, 2007 at Chase Field
in Phoenix
, Arizona
. The Diamondbacks came into the game having swept the Chicago Cubs
out of Wrigley Field
in three games. Colorado took the first two games including a 3-2 extra-inning victory in Game 2.
On Sunday, October 14 the Rockies would play in a cold, wet Coors Field in Denver, the Rockies would find a way to hit the ball over the wall even in the harsh weather with two homers, in both the 1st and the 6th innings one from Matt Holliday and the other from Yorvit Torrealba, Colorado would win 4-1. This win gave the Rockies a 20-1 record over their last 21 games. This made them only the third team in the last half-century, and the first in the National League since the 1936 New York Giants
, to have a 20-1 stretch at any point of a season.
Colorado won its first NL Pennant on Monday, Oct. 15 at home, with the deciding blow, a 3-run HR by Matt Holliday
, to sweep the AZ Diamondacks (6-4) in the midst of an historic 21-1 sprint with only one loss (Sept. 28) since Sept. 15.
Matt Holliday was the 2007 NLCS MVP Award winner.
They are the first team to win their first 7 playoff games in 31 years. They are the first team to do it since MLB added the division series to the playoffs.
World Series: vs. Boston Red Sox
The Rockies lost Game 1 of the 2007 World Series to the Boston Red Sox, 13-1 at Fenway Park in Boston. The 13 runs are the most ever scored by a team in the first game of a World Series. The Rockies lost Game 2 of the 2007 World Series to the Boston Red Sox, 2-1 at Fenway Park in Boston. The Rockies lost Game 3 of the 2007 World Series to the Boston Red Sox, 10-5 at Coors Field in Denver. Then, the Rockies lost in Game 4 to the Boston Red Sox and series 4-3 at Coors Field.
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
' 2007 season
2007 Major League Baseball season
The 2007 Major League Baseball season, began on April 1 with a rematch of the 2006 National League Championship Series; the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets played the first game of the season at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, which was won by the Mets, 6–1...
started off with the team trying to improve on their 2006
2006 Colorado Rockies season
The Colorado Rockies' 2006 season was the 14th for the Rockies. They competed in the National League West finishing with a record of 76-86 and tied for 4th place in the division. Clint Hurdle was the manager...
record (76-86). They finished with a franchise record of 90 wins in 163 games
One-game playoff
A one-game playoff, sometimes known as a pennant playoff or play-in game, is a tiebreaker in certain sports—usually but not always professional—to determine which of two teams, tied in the final standings, will qualify for a post-season tournament...
and earned a playoff berth as the National League Wild Card team. The Rockies swept their first seven playoff games en route to winning the 2007 National League Pennant
2007 National League Championship Series
-Game 1:Thursday, October 11, 2007 at Chase Field in Phoenix, ArizonaThe Rockies took a 1–0 series lead behind a strong innings from starter Jeff Francis. Arizona scored first on a first-inning RBI double by Eric Byrnes, but lost the lead two innings later when Colorado right fielder Brad Hawpe...
, which was the franchise's first-ever pennant. September was considered by many to be the best month of all-time for a ball club, after winning 21 of 22 games in the stretch. It is often compared to the 2004 Boston Red Sox season
2004 Boston Red Sox season
The Boston Red Sox 2004 season was the 103rd Major League Baseball season for the Boston Red Sox franchise. Managed under Terry Francona, the team finished with a 98–64 record...
in October. The Rockies drew 2,376,250 fans for the season, their highest total since 2002
2002 Colorado Rockies season
The Colorado Rockies' 2002 season was the 10th for the Rockies. They tried to win the National League West. Buddy Bell and Clint Hurdle were the managers, the latter replacing the former after the former was fired. They played home games at Coors Field...
. The average home attendance was 28,978.
Offseason
- December 5, 2006: LaTroy Hawkins was signed as a Free Agent by the Colorado Rockies.
- December 12, 2006: Jason Jennings was traded by the Colorado Rockies with Miguel Asencio to the Houston Astros for Willy Taveras, Taylor Buchholz, and Jason Hirsh.
- January 30, 2007: Choo Freeman was released by the Colorado Rockies.
- February 18, 2007: Matt Herges was signed as a Free Agent by the Colorado Rockies.
- February 24, 2007: Steve Finley was signed as a Free Agent by the Colorado Rockies.
Transactions
- May 13, 2007: Byung-Hyun Kim was traded by the Colorado Rockies to the Florida Marlins for Jorge Julio.
- June 13, 2007: Steve Finley was released by the Colorado Rockies.
- August 15, 2007: Ramon Ortiz was traded by the Minnesota Twins to the Colorado Rockies for Matt Macri.
- August 19, 2007: Mark Redman was signed as a Free Agent by the Colorado Rockies.
Major League debuts
- Batters:
- Sean Barker (Jun 6)
- Edwin Bellorín (Aug 7)
- Ian Stewart (Aug 11)
- Joe Koshansky (Sep 1)
- Seth Smith (Sep 16)
- Pitchers:
- Zach McClellan (Apr 16)
- Alberto Árias (May 1)
- Darren Clarke (May 18)
- Franklin Morales (Aug 18)
- Josh Newman (Sep 12)
Roster
| 2007 Colorado Rockies | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers |
Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders |
Manager Coaches (pitching) (hitting) (third base) (first base) (bullpen) (bench) (bullpen catcher) |
||||||
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Yorvit Torrealba Yorvit Torrealba Yorvit Adolfo Torrealba is a Major League Baseball catcher for the Texas Rangers. He previously played for the San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres. He bats and throws right-handed.-San Francisco Giants:... |
113 | 396 | 101 | .255 | 8 | 47 |
| 1B | Todd Helton Todd Helton Todd Lynn Helton is a Major League Baseball first baseman for the Colorado Rockies. He is a five-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger, four-time National League Player of the Month, and three-time Gold Glove winner.... |
154 | 557 | 178 | .320 | 17 | 91 |
| 2B | Kazuo Matsui Kazuo Matsui is a Japanese second baseman for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball. Matsui is a switch-hitter... |
104 | 410 | 118 | .288 | 4 | 37 |
| SS | Troy Tulowitzki Troy Tulowitzki Troy Trevor Tulowitzki , nicknamed Tulo, is a Major League Baseball shortstop for the Colorado Rockies.Tulowitzki's arm, range and instincts at shortstop are highly regarded... |
155 | 609 | 177 | .291 | 24 | 99 |
| 3B | Garrett Atkins Garrett Atkins Garrett Bernard Atkins is a Major League Baseball first baseman who is currently a Free Agent. He bats and throws right-handed.... |
157 | 605 | 182 | .301 | 25 | 111 |
| LF | Matt Holliday Matt Holliday Matthew Thomas Holliday , nicknamed "Big Daddy", is an American Major League Baseball left fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. Holliday was originally drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the seventh round of the 1998 Major League Baseball Draft.Holliday is a five-time All-Star and Silver Slugger... |
158 | 636 | 216 | .340 | 36 | 137 |
| CF | Willy Taveras Willy Taveras Willy Taveras is a Major League Baseball center fielder.-Houston Astros:Taveras played in 10 games at the end of the Astros season, mostly as a pinch runner.... |
97 | 372 | 119 | .320 | 2 | 24 |
| RF | Brad Hawpe Brad Hawpe Bradley Bonte Hawpe is an American professional baseball outfielder and first baseman.-High school and college:... |
152 | 516 | 150 | .291 | 29 | 116 |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 97 | 264 | 79 | .299 | 11 | 51 | |
| 108 | 227 | 51 | .225 | 2 | 22 | |
| 67 | 197 | 43 | .218 | 4 | 27 | |
| 85 | 144 | 32 | .222 | 4 | 12 | |
| 72 | 140 | 40 | .286 | 2 | 14 | |
| 43 | 94 | 17 | .181 | 1 | 2 | |
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | 215.1 | 17 | 9 | 4.22 | 165 | |
| 25 | 166.0 | 8 | 7 | 4.12 | 61 | |
| 30 | 165.2 | 10 | 9 | 4.94 | 94 | |
| 19 | 112.1 | 5 | 7 | 4.81 | 75 | |
| 15 | 82.0 | 4 | 4 | 4.28 | 68 | |
| 14 | 79.1 | 5 | 4 | 4.42 | 43 | |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | 93.2 | 6 | 5 | 4.23 | 61 | |
| 35 | 48.2 | 5 | 1 | 2.96 | 30 | |
| 8 | 39.1 | 3 | 2 | 3.43 | 26 | |
| 26 | 25.2 | 0 | 0 | 4.91 | 10 | |
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78 | 4 | 2 | 19 | 2.08 | 58 | |
| 75 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3.51 | 46 | |
| 64 | 3 | 5 | 20 | 3.08 | 56 | |
| 62 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 3.42 | 29 | |
| 58 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3.93 | 50 | |
Wild card tie-breaker
The Rockies ended the 162-game regular season with 89 wins and 73 losses. They were tied with the San Diego PadresSan Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
for second place in the NL West and first in the NL Wild Card. A tie-breaker game
2007 National League wild card tie-breaker game
The 2007 National League Wild Card tiebreaker game was a one-game playoff for Major League Baseball's National League Wild Card. The game took place on October 1, 2007 between the San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies of the National League West at Coors Field. It was necessary after both teams...
was played on October 1, 2007, at Coors Field
Coors Field
Coors Field, located in Denver, Colorado, is the home field of Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies. It is named for the Coors Brewing Company of Golden, Colorado, which purchased the naming rights to the park prior to its completion in 1995...
in Denver to determine which team would continue on to post-season play. The game lasted 13 innings, spanning four hours and 40 minutes. The Rockies won the game with a final score of 9 to 8, sending them to only their second post-season in franchise history. The tie-breaker game counts toward all team and player statistics in the regular season; so, the Rockies' official 2007 win-loss record stands at 90-73.
Playoffs
| 2007 Post-Season | |
|---|---|
National League Division Series: vs. Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia PhilliesThe Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
Colorado started the series with the Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
on October 3, 2007 at Citizens Bank Park
Citizens Bank Park
Citizens Bank Park is a 43,647-seat baseball park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, and home of the Philadelphia Phillies. Citizens Bank Park opened on April 3, 2004, and hosted its first regular season baseball game on April 12 of the same year, with the...
. The Phillies were another come-from-behind team who won the NL East division after a monumental collapse by the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
who had all-but-won the division in early September. The Phillies had a potent offense with NL MVP candidates Ryan Howard
Ryan Howard
Ryan James Howard is a Major League Baseball first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies. Nicknamed "The Big Piece", Howard stands and weighs . He bats and throws left-handed....
, Jimmy Rollins
Jimmy Rollins
James Calvin "Jimmy" Rollins , nicknamed "J-Roll", is an All-Star and former MVP shortstop, who most recently played for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball's National League....
and Chase Utley
Chase Utley
Chase Cameron Utley is a second baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball. A native of the Greater Los Angeles area, he was raised in the city of Long Beach. He was a star baseball player at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, before moving on to UCLA...
. The Rockies, swept the series in three games with scores of 4-2 in Game 1 and 10-5 in Game 2 at Philadelphia. In Game 3, with the score tied in the bottom of the 8th and two outs, Jeff Baker singled to bring in the go-ahead run. Manny Corpas pitched a perfect ninth inning to seal the Rockies' first postseason series victory.
National League Championship Series: vs. Arizona DiamondbacksArizona DiamondbacksThe Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
Colorado started the series with the Arizona DiamondbacksArizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
on October 11, 2007 at Chase Field
Chase Field
Chase Field is a baseball stadium located in downtown Phoenix, Arizona and is the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball. It opened in , just in time for the Diamondbacks' first game as an expansion team...
in Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. The Diamondbacks came into the game having swept the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
out of Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
in three games. Colorado took the first two games including a 3-2 extra-inning victory in Game 2.
On Sunday, October 14 the Rockies would play in a cold, wet Coors Field in Denver, the Rockies would find a way to hit the ball over the wall even in the harsh weather with two homers, in both the 1st and the 6th innings one from Matt Holliday and the other from Yorvit Torrealba, Colorado would win 4-1. This win gave the Rockies a 20-1 record over their last 21 games. This made them only the third team in the last half-century, and the first in the National League since the 1936 New York Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
, to have a 20-1 stretch at any point of a season.
Colorado won its first NL Pennant on Monday, Oct. 15 at home, with the deciding blow, a 3-run HR by Matt Holliday
Matt Holliday
Matthew Thomas Holliday , nicknamed "Big Daddy", is an American Major League Baseball left fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. Holliday was originally drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the seventh round of the 1998 Major League Baseball Draft.Holliday is a five-time All-Star and Silver Slugger...
, to sweep the AZ Diamondacks (6-4) in the midst of an historic 21-1 sprint with only one loss (Sept. 28) since Sept. 15.
Matt Holliday was the 2007 NLCS MVP Award winner.
They are the first team to win their first 7 playoff games in 31 years. They are the first team to do it since MLB added the division series to the playoffs.