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.
For most of Sunday, it looked like the Rockies would capture one of their most satisfying victories of the season.
Right-hander Ryan Feltner, the Rockies’ best starter in September, was superb. He blanked the Dodgers for six innings, giving up just two hits. He struck out three and walked two. In five starts this month, he’s posted a 1.78 ERA. His 13 quality starts this season were the most on the team.
Outfielder Sam Hilliard enjoyed a Home Run Derby moment in the second inning to give Colorado a 1-0 lead. Hilliard obliterated right-hander Landon Knack’s 2-0, 94 mph fastball, sending it an estimated 476 feet. Hilliard’s blast didn’t just reach the third deck above right field, it landed on the concourse of the third deck, a place few have ever hit a baseball, even in batting practice.
Hilliard, who’s emerged as a force in a part-time role, finished the season hitting 239 with a .808 OPS and 10 home runs in just 58 games.
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