It will be one of the defining images of the 2009 baseball season. Late Monday — when even West Coast fans were heading to sleep — the Rockies and Giants played a five-hour, 14-inning thriller.
When Colorado’s Ryan Spilborghs blasted a game-winning grand slam he literally ran around the bases — as fast as he possibly could — and sprinted into a pile of delirious teammates at home plate.
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It was a devastating blow to San Francisco, which entered last night trailing the Rockies by four games in the National League Wild Card race after blowing a 4-1 lead in the 14th.
As fans in the District saw firsthand, this isn’t a fluke. Colorado, which swept a three-game series from the Nats last week, has gone 51-22 since June 3, entering play Tuesday night.
“I feel like I’m in a pretty good place now with a chance to make the playoffs,” said Colorado reliever Joe Beimel, traded by the Nats last month. “I had a lot of fun in Washington, but you play this game to win, and it’s always nice when you can join a contender and get into a playoff race.”
But Beimel isn’t only on a Wild Card contender now. Improbably, the Rockies entered the start of last night’s three games series against the Dodgers just three games out of first in the NL West. Colorado trailed Los Angeles by 15 1/2 games in early June.
