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Rockies clinch wild card

With only brief respites, the sellout crowd at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado, spent all 13 innings of Monday's National League wild card tie-breaker game clapping, chanting and cheering on the Colorado Rockies as they completed a breathtaking burst to their first playoff berth since 1995 as they beat the San Diego Padres 9-8.

After San Diego took a two-run lead on a homer by Scott Hairston in the top of the inning, the Rockies rallied for three runs off Trevor Hoffman, the career saves leader, for a 9-8 victory, sending the crowd into an ear-splitting frenzy.

Back-to-back doubles by Kazuo Matsui and Troy Tulowitzki to start the inning cut the lead to 8-7 and Matt Holliday, to chants of "MVP!," tripled off the scoreboard in right to tie it.

With the infield in and the outfield shallow, Jamey Carroll lifted a fly ball to Brian Giles in right. The throw appeared to beat Holliday to the plate, but catcher Michael Barrett could not handle it and Holliday barreled in headfirst to score.

It completed a stunning finish by the Rockies, who won 14 of their last 15 games to overtake San Diego and earn the wild card. Colorado opens its NL division series today in Philadelphia.

Meanwhile, the one victory that would have clinched the wild card for San Diego eluded them for the third straight day, with Hoffman blowing saves in two of them. They lost in Milwaukee on Saturday and Sunday. The Padres had cases of champagne ready to celebrate with at Miller Park, but left it with visiting clubhouse attendants when they flew to Denver on Sunday night.

Tulowitzki and San Diego's Adrian Gonzalez each missed hitting for the cycle by one hit. Tulowitzki lacked a homer among his four hits and Gonzalez -- whose grand slam in a five-run third inning wiped out a 3-0 Colorado lead -- fell a triple shy.

San Diego had plenty of chances to win it in extra innings, putting two men on in the 10th and the 11th, and one on in the 12th against reliever Matt Herges, but could not score. The Rockies stranded two in the 11th when lefty Joe Thatcher struck out Brad Hawpe, the Rockies' hottest hitter the last two weeks, whom the Padres had already intentionally walked twice.

Colorado could have avoided extra innings, but was victimized for the second time in less than a month by a questionable call on an apparent home run.

With the Rockies leading by 6-5 in the seventh, an apparent home run to left by Garrett Atkins was ruled a double, though it appeared to carom off an empty wheelchair in the stands and back onto the field. Colorado did not score and San Diego tied the score at 6-6 on a Giles double in the eighth.

The Rockies had seen this before. On Sept. 10 in Philadelphia, Yorvit Torrealba's deep drive to right with the bases loaded was touched by a fan in the front row and ruled a ground-rule double instead of a grand slam. Only two runs scored instead of four and the Rockies went on to lose in 10 innings, 6-5. Winning that game would have avoided this one.

Mike Cameron (torn thumb ligament) made his first appearance for San Diego since Sept. 23, pinch-running in the 10th and staying in to play center field. The Padres had played the last week without Cameron and Milton Bradley (torn knee ligament).

The Rockies, who were in fourth place and six-and-a-half games back in the NL West as late as Sept. 16, forced this game with a remarkable stretch during the final two weeks of the season, when Colorado began an 11-game winning streak.

Peavy pitched well for seven innings in that game, allowing a run and three hits, but the loss was the first of four straight for the Padres, tightening the wild card race even further.

Holliday had an outstanding month last month, batting .367 with 12 homers, 30 RBIs and 29 runs scored. Hawpe was equally effective, hitting .467 with 4 homers and 20 RBIs in the last 11 games. On Monday, he went 2 for 6 to clinch the NL batting title.
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