The Rockies’ finale was grand.

Until it wasn’t.

The Dodgers beat the Rockies, 2-1, Sunday afternoon, on, of all things, an eighth-inning balk.

The Rockies held a 1-0 lead entering the eighth but couldn’t close the deal. Chris Taylor led off with a homer to right off Victor Vodnik to tie the game.  Austin Barnes and Shohei Ohtani followed with back-to-back singles and then pulled off a double steal.

In came possible future closer Seth Halvorsen, but he was called for a balk when he slipped on the mound while pitching to James Outman and Barnes trotted home with the go-ahead run.

The Rockies’ season ended with a three-game sweep at the hands of the Dodgers, and with a 61-101 record, their second 100-loss season in a row. The Dodgers, winners of the National League West for the 11th time in the last 12 years, finished 98-64 and will enter the playoffs with the National League’s top seed.

The perfect late September afternoon began with a celebration. A sellout crowd of 48,320 showed up at Coors Field to say goodbye to Charlie Blackmon, who played his final game after 14 seasons in a Rockies uniform. Blackmon hit 1 for 2 and left the game to a standing ovation in the third inning.