Best gift each team has ever received

With the vacation season in full swing, it is the proper time to acknowledge the very best present each Major League membership has ever acquired.

And whereas the previous adage says it is higher to offer than to obtain, there is not any query that every crew and its respective fanbase was grateful to be on the receiving finish within the following situations. From touchdown star gamers to benefiting from controversial calls to entrance places of work making the precise choices, here is an inventory of every crew’s finest present all through MLB historical past:

Blue Jays: The José Bautista commerce of 2008
Back in 2008, Bautista was a fringe participant with the Pirates, his fourth MLB group. The Blue Jays swung a minor commerce with the Bucs, sending them catcher Robinzon Díaz, the kind of commerce that’s usually forgotten a yr later. Instead, Bautista went on to turn out to be one of many biggest Blue Jays of all time, starting along with his historic 2010 season. That yr, Bautista set a membership document with 54 house runs, and by the point the postseason runs of ’15 and ‘16 rolled round, the slugger was nonetheless the guts and soul of the crew. There might by no means be a greater commerce for the Blue Jays, however each time a Major League membership rolls the cube on upside, it is dreaming of discovering the subsequent Bautista. — Keegan Matheson

Orioles: Frank Robinson falls into their laps
Sometimes, one commerce can alter the course of a complete franchise’s historical past. The Orioles had been rising into contenders after they acquired Frank Robinson from the Reds on the 1965 Winter Meetings in change for Milt Pappas, Dick Simpson and Jack Baldschun in what’s now thought of one of the lopsided offers in Major League historical past. Robinson was already an MVP and a perennial All-Star on the time, however he bristled at Cincinnati possession’s notion of him as a participant in decline. He arrived in Baltimore at age 30 and he instantly proved that wasn’t the case. Robinson received the AL hitting Triple Crown and led the O’s to their first World Series title in ’66, incomes MVP honors in each the common season and the Fall Classic. He’d anchor the O’s lineup for the subsequent 5 seasons, throughout which Baltimore reached three extra World Series and received one other title. Decades later, Robinson’s affect on the franchise and metropolis stays plain. Both had been lucky the Reds misjudged him after they did. — Joe Trezza

Rays: The Delmon Young commerce tree
Four years after choosing Delmon Young with the primary general decide within the 2003 MLB Draft, the Rays despatched him (together with Brendan Harris and Jason Pridle) to the Twins for a return headlined by starter Matt Garza and shortstop Jason Bartlett. Garza and Bartlett performed key roles within the Rays’ worst-to-first turnaround in 2008, serving to Tampa Bay attain the World Series for the primary time in franchise historical past, in addition to for his or her 2010 AL East championship membership. It was arguably the most important commerce in franchise historical past by itself deserves, nevertheless it didn’t cease there. The Rays went on to deal Bartlett to the Padres in December 2010 for Brandon Gomes, Cesar Ramos, Cole Figueroa and Adam Russell, then they despatched Garza to the Cubs in January 2011 for Chris Archer, Robinson Chirinos, Sam Fuld, Brandon Guyer and Hak-ju Lee. In July 2018, the Rays flipped Archer to the Pirates for Tyler Glasnow, Austin Meadows and Shane Baz. The commerce tree has netted the Rays about 52 Wins Above Replacement over the past 14 years, a complete that may solely develop with time. For Tampa Bay, it’s the present that retains on giving. — Adam Berry

Red Sox: The Twins releasing David Ortiz
When the Twins launched Ortiz on Dec. 16, 2002, no person may have guessed such a non-descript transaction would change the course of Red Sox historical past. Boston took an opportunity on Ortiz with an preliminary deal that was price $1.25 million over one season. Ortiz wore the Red Sox uniform for the ultimate 14 seasons of his profession, main the franchise to its first three World Series championships since 1918. Ortiz helped change the tradition of the Red Sox and the Boston sports activities scene along with his booming bat and gregarious persona. The excellent nickname of Big Papi was bestowed on him from the late, nice Red Sox analyst Jerry Remy on a broadcast in 2004. Only Ted Williams hit extra homers for Boston than Ortiz. In all, Ortiz smoked 541 homers over 20 MLB seasons to go together with 632 doubles and a .931 OPS. Not dangerous for somebody who was an injury-prone platoon participant in Minnesota. — Ian Browne

Yankees: Babe Ruth bought from the Red Sox
Ruth’s exploits on the mound and on the plate had already helped produce three Red Sox championships when proprietor Harry Frazee bought Ruth to the Yankees on Jan. 3, 1920, for $125,000, plus a $300,000 mortgage (opposite to well-liked perception, Frazee didn’t use the proceeds to finance the present “No, No Nanette,” which didn’t attain Broadway till 1925). Ruth propelled the Yankees from an also-ran right into a juggernaut, main the franchise to seven pennants and 4 championships. Attendance swelled as Ruth’s exploits led the membership from the Polo Grounds right into a palatial new house throughout the Harlem River in 1923; Ruth belted a exceptional 60 house runs in 1927, a single-season mark that stood for greater than three many years. Saddled with the “Curse of the Bambino,” the Red Sox did not win one other title till 2004. — Bryan Hoch

Guardians: Jim Thome falls to Round 13 in 1989 MLB Draft
We’ve all heard the underdog tales of gamers turning into superstars after falling to the later rounds of the MLB Draft. While the thirteenth spherical is way from Mike Piazza territory (drafted within the 62nd spherical), it’s onerous to consider a Hall of Famer with 612 homers, 1,699 RBIs and a profession .956 OPS was something however a prime decide. Of each participant in Major League historical past to be chosen within the thirteenth spherical, he owns the second-highest WAR (72.9), trailing solely Albert Pujols. Thome was a harmful bat in Cleveland’s lineup all through the Nineteen Nineties, serving to create one of the memorable many years within the group’s historical past. Thome holds membership information in house runs (337) and walks (1,008), and he ranks second with 937 RBIs. His time in Cleveland was so impactful {that a} statue was in-built his honor on the concourse in middle subject at Progressive Field — simply steps away from a bronze plaque within the concrete that marks the place his 511-foot homer (the longest house run in that ballpark) landed on July 3, 1999. — Mandy Bell

Royals: Don Denkinger’s World Series name
In umpire circles, Denkinger was a star. But due to one name in an important second, he’s an enemy on the japanese facet of Missouri and considerably of a cult hero on the western facet. In Game 6 of the 1985 World Series, with the Cardinals main the Royals, 1-0 — and 3-2 within the sequence — the Royals got here to bat within the backside of the ninth. Pinch-hitter Jorge Orta hit a chopper on the AstroTurf and steamed up the road. Cardinals first baseman Jack Clark fielded the ball in entrance of second baseman Tom Herr as reliever Todd Worrell ran to first, and Clark threw it sidearm to the bag. It’s an in depth play at first look — Denkinger guidelines the runner secure because the Cardinals start arguing. On the replay, it’s clear Orta was out. But there was no prompt replay problem then, and the decision stood. Of course, the Cardinals contributed to their very own demise after that; Clark didn’t catch Steve Balboni’s foul popup, after which Balboni singled. After a handed ball, two males had been in scoring place, and Dane Iorg obtained to be a hero in opposition to his former crew, driving in two runs with a single to proper and sealing the Royals’ victory. And maybe the best present for the Royals was 21-year-old Bret Saberhagen’s stellar efficiency in Game 7, shutting out the Cardinals to offer Kansas City its first World Series title. –Anne Rogers

Tigers: Juan Gonzalez turned down document contract
Late Tigers proprietor Mike Ilitch cast a well-deserved fame for some large contracts, however Detroit additionally had the great fortune of some gamers turning down contracts. One was Gonzalez, whom the Tigers acquired in a commerce from Texas to deliver a big-time slugger into Comerica Park for its inaugural season in 2000. Before the season, he turned down a reported eight-year, $140 million extension that will’ve been the biggest contract in MLB historical past on the time. He was not a fan of the large ballpark, and he left as a free agent at season’s finish. Gonzalez had a bounceback season in Cleveland in 2001, however he battled accidents after that and was out of the Majors by 2006, by which level the Tigers had a World Series crew with assist from free-agent signings Ivan Rodriguez and Magglio Ordonez. — Jason Beck

Twins: Johan Santana left unprotected in Rule 5 Draft
Rule 5 Draft picks are thought of successful for a crew when the chosen participant turns into even a modestly profitable large leaguer who sticks on the roster. Getting a franchise-altering star and one of many biggest gamers in membership historical past could be practically unprecedented — however that’s precisely what the Twins did in 1999. The Astros left a 20-year-old Santana unprotected after the younger left-hander caught the attention of Minnesota scouts, and a pre-arranged deal between the Twins and Marlins introduced Santana to Minnesota, together with $50,000, protecting the price of the decide. Once he was within the fold, the Twins knew they couldn’t let him go throughout a tough 2000 season. Two Cy Young Awards, a pitching Triple Crown and 4 division titles later, the remaining, as they are saying, is historical past. — Do-Hyoung Park

White Sox: Getting Mark Buehrle within the thirty eighth spherical
A powerful argument may be made for Buehrle as one of many biggest pitchers in franchise historical past. But let’s go one step additional and checklist the southpaw as one of the well-liked and achieved White Sox gamers general. Buehrle arrived within the Majors two years after he was chosen within the 1998 Draft and he posted 11 straight seasons in Chicago with a minimum of 200 innings pitched, 30 video games began and double-digit victories. He began Game 2 of the 2005 World Series and saved Game 3 by recording the ultimate out in a 14-inning victory, having his No. 56 jersey retired in 2017. Buehrle completed 161-119 with the White Sox, whereas mentoring younger hurlers alongside the way in which. He threw a no-hitter in opposition to the Rangers, an ideal recreation in opposition to the Rays, captured three of his 4 Gold Glove Awards in Chicago and completed as a five-time All-Star. Not a foul displaying for a draft-and-follow out of Jefferson College in Missouri. — Scott Merkin

Angels: Mike Scioscia turns into accessible as supervisor
Scioscia performed his total profession with the Dodgers from 1980-1992 and he helped the franchise win the World Series in ’81 and ’88. After his profession, he was being groomed as a future Dodgers supervisor, serving in quite a lot of roles, together with as a catching coordinator, a Major League coach and a Triple-A supervisor. But he stop as Triple-A supervisor on Sept. 20, 1999, as he felt his voice wasn’t being heard throughout the group. It turned out to be the Angels’ acquire, as newly employed normal supervisor Bill Stoneman’s first large transfer was hiring Scioscia as supervisor on Nov. 18, 1999. Scioscia helped change the path of the franchise, main the membership to the group’s first World Series title in 2002 in simply his third yr as supervisor. He went on to handle the membership for 19 seasons from 2000-2018, profitable AL supervisor of the Year honors in ’02 and ’09 and main the membership to 6 AL West division titles. He leads all Angels managers in wins, video games managed and division titles, whereas turning into simply the twenty third supervisor to win a minimum of 1,000 video games with one membership. The Dodgers, in the meantime, had six managers throughout Scioscia’s tenure and by no means received a World Series throughout that stretch. — Rhett Bollinger

Astros: Red Sox commerce Jeff Bagwell to the Astros for pitcher Larry Andersen
Bagwell was a thin third baseman who was blocked in Boston’s system, so the Red Sox traded him to the Astros on Aug. 31, 1990, in change for Andersen, a journeyman reliever. With Ken Caminiti established at third base in Houston, the Astros shifted Bagwell throughout the diamond to first. He was within the Opening Day lineup in 1991 and would stay there for 15 consecutive seasons. Bagwell appeared in 4 All-Star Games, amassed 2,314 hits, 449 house runs and 1,529 RBIs, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017. — Brian McTaggart

Athletics: Yankees ship Rickey Henderson again to Oakland
A 30-year-old Henderson was set to hit free company at season’s finish in 1989 and the Yankees had been unwilling to supply him a long-term extension, as a substitute opting to pursue a commerce for the outfielder. Luckily for Oakland, Henderson reportedly made it clear he would solely settle for a commerce again to his hometown A’s, with whom he’d spent the primary six years of his large league profession. Acquiring Henderson for left-hander Greg Cadaret, right-hander Eric Plunk and outfielder Luis Polonia on June 21, 1989, the A’s went on a run to a World Series title that yr. Henderson performed a starring position on the membership, hitting .474 in a four-game World Series sweep of the Giants earlier than happening to win the AL MVP Award the next season. — Martin Gallegos

Mariners: Front workplace ignoring proprietor George Argyros’ needs to draft Mike Harkey over Ken Griffey Jr.
Argyros, a California native, had his eye on the Cal State Fullerton standout in Harkey, extensively touted as the very best school arm that yr. But scouting director Roger Jongewaard and GM Dick Balderson, who favored Harkey, considered Griffey as a can’t-miss, face-of-the-franchise-type participant regardless of being simply 17 years previous, they usually took him with the No. 1 general decide. Harkey carved out an eight-year profession as a replacement-level participant, whereas Griffey went on to earn 99.3% of the vote to turn out to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, which on the time was the very best in historical past. The Kid and his teammates’ roles within the magical 1995 season additionally helped save baseball in Seattle. Argyros, in the meantime, bought the Mariners two years after that fateful Draft. — Daniel Kramer

Rangers: Astros fail to re-sign Nolan Ryan throughout the 1988 offseason; Rangers swoop in
Ryan appeared poised to complete his profession in Houston, the place he had performed since 1980, however a contract dispute between himself and the entrance workplace induced Ryan to open his free company to different gives. He finally determined to remain in Texas, signing a two-year cope with the Rangers, the place he finally completed his Hall of Fame profession. Ryan was the primary participant to enter the Hall of Fame carrying a Rangers cap on his plaque regardless of having spent extra time with each the Astros and Angels. He spent 5 of his 27 seasons in Arlington, posting a 51–39 document and a 3.43 ERA with 939 strikeouts in 840 innings, whereas additionally tossing his seventh no-hitter. –Kennedi Landry

Braves: Todd Van Poppel’s reluctance
Van Poppel was extensively predicted to be the highest decide within the 1990 MLB Draft. But each time Bobby Cox, Hank Aaron or anyone from the Braves group spoke to the 6-foot-5 highschool pitcher, Van Poppel mentioned he deliberate to pitch on the University of Texas. This led Atlanta to as a substitute use the primary general choice on Chipper Jones, who spent the next twenty years turning into one of many franchise’s most beloved icons. Jones and Ken Griffey Jr. are the one gamers to be elected to the Hall of Fame after being taken with the primary decide of any MLB Draft. Van Poppel produced a destructive WAR (-0.3) and was used primarily as a reliever whereas producing a 5.58 ERA over 11 large league seasons (907 innings). — Mark Bowman

Marlins: The Steve Bartman play
Many followers desires of catching a memento when attending a baseball recreation. Unfortunately for Bartman, his probability went down in infamy. With the underdog Marlins 5 outs away from being eradicated by the Cubs in Game 6 of the NLCS, Luis Castillo despatched a pitch towards foul territory in left subject. In a sea of spectators, Bartman deflected the ball out of a leaping Moises Alou’s attain. The Marlins would go on to attain eight runs on 5 hits within the inning, erasing a 3-0 deficit with the assistance of a Mark Prior wild pitch and an Alex Gonzalez error. Eleven days later, the Marlins had been topped World Series champions. — Christina De Nicola

Mets: Bill Buckner’s error in 1986 World Series Game 6
The Mets’ second (and most up-to-date) championship may not have occurred if Buckner had fielded Mookie Wilson’s two-out grounder up the first-base line cleanly. At finest, the Mets would have gone to an eleventh inning susceptible to elimination. As it was, the play was a present for the ages; the ball trickled by Buckner’s legs, the Mets pressured Game 7 in opposition to the Red Sox and the remaining is, fairly actually, historical past. — Anthony DiComo

Nationals: Mariners sweep Athletics in closing sequence of ‘08
As the Nationals had been swept by the Phillies of their closing sequence of the 2008 season to complete 59-102, the outcomes of a matchup throughout the nation had main implications on the franchise for years to come back. That similar weekend, on the West Coast, the Mariners — who had misplaced 14 of 15 video games heading into their closing sequence — swept the Athletics to complete the season 61-101. With that, the Nats had the worst document in baseball and acquired the No. 1 decide within the 2009 MLB Draft. Washington chosen Stephen Strasburg with the primary general choice and Seattle selected Dustin Ackley at No. 2. — Jessica Camerato

Phillies: Steve Carlton’s pay dispute with Busch sends him to Philly
Carlton went 20-9 with a 3.56 ERA with St. Louis in 1971, making his third NL All-Star crew in his seventh large league season. Carlton needed a increase, so he requested for $65,000 per yr. Cardinals proprietor Gussie Busch informed Carlton he would pay him not more than $60,000. The events reached an deadlock and Carlton held out, so St. Louis dealt Carlton to Philadelphia in late February 1972 for Rick Wise, who was the Phillies’ personal holdout. Carlton went 27-10 with a 1.97 ERA with the Phillies in 1972, profitable his first of 4 NL Cy Young Awards. He completed his profession 329-244 with a 3.22 ERA, 4,136 strikeouts and 10 NL All-Star appearances. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1994 in his first yr of eligibility. — Todd Zolecki

Brewers: Judge guidelines Seattle Pilots can transfer to Milwaukee
Bud Selig was at house on March 31, 1970, when the cellphone rang at 10:15 p.m. Milwaukee Sentinel sports activities editor Lloyd Larson barked three phrases by the road earlier than hanging as much as chase deadline: “You got it.” The subsequent day, the news was official. Judge Sidney Volinn had dominated in a federal courtroom that the Seattle Pilots had been bankrupt and ought to be bought to a bunch led by Selig in Milwaukee, the place Opening Day was lower than per week away. The last-minute drama birthed the Brewers, ending a five-year saga for Selig and a bunch of civic leaders who had run into roadblocks of their effort to deliver a Major League Baseball crew again to County Stadium following the 1965 departure of the Braves. “It had been five and a half years of disappointment after disappointment,” Selig mentioned. “I remember that night I took a walk, thinking, ‘Who would have dreamed after all these years of wanting to own a Major League Baseball team, and now we do? Wow.’” — Adam McCalvy

Cardinals: A heist of legendary proportions
One of the extra lopsided trades within the Expansion Era — and by far probably the most one-sided deal in Cardinals historical past — the acquisition of Lou Brock by the Cards stays one of the fruitful transactions pulled off by the franchise. In touchdown the stolen-base king of his time within the midst of the 1964 season, the Cardinals gave up three gamers whose primes had been nicely previous. Ernie Broglio was a stable participant, however he went on to place up a 5.40 ERA in three seasons for the Cubs; Doug Clemens was out of the league inside 5 years; and Bobby Shantz was within the closing yr of his admittedly nice profession, although he didn’t even end the yr with the Cubs. But the Cards? They merely obtained one of the legendary gamers of their historical past, setting the then-record with 118 stolen bases in 1974 on the age of 35. Even extra necessary: A World Series triumph within the first yr of the deal, in addition to one other in ’67. — Zachary Silver

Cubs: Landing Sandberg
There was a field left below the tree in January 1982, when then-Cubs normal supervisor Dallas Green used his prior information of the Phillies’ system to his benefit. In buying veteran shortstop Larry Bowa, whose contract dispute with Philadelphia made a commerce inevitable that winter, Green additionally requested for a participant the Chicago Tribune referred to as an “untested Minor Leaguer.” That participant was Ryne Sandberg, who was included within the Jan. 27 deal that despatched Ivan de Jesus to the Phillies. Once regarded as a future utility man, Sandberg spent 15 seasons with the Cubs, making 10 All-Star groups, profitable 9 Gold Glove Awards at second base and finally having a house within the Hall of Fame. Sandberg received the NL MVP Award in 1984, when he helped the Cubs win the NL East, marking Chicago’s first playoff berth since 1945. Ryno was the present that stored on giving for Cubs followers, who had a generational celebrity to name their very own for elements of twenty years on the North Side. — Jordan Bastian

Pirates: The 1954 Rule 5 Draft
The Dodgers signed a Puerto Rican participant named Roberto Clemente for a deal reported to be price $5,000, with a $10,000 signing bonus, in February 1954. However, they didn’t add Clemente to their Major League roster, and he was despatched to play with the Montreal Royals within the Minor Leagues. Since Clemente was signed for greater than $4,000, guidelines on the time stipulated he needed to play a minimal of two years on the Major League roster with the Dodgers or threat being unprotected within the offseason’s Rule 5 Draft. Despite Brooklyn’s connections to then-Pirates GM Branch Rickey, the Bucs took Clemente — arguably Pittsburgh’s most revered baseball legend — with the primary decide of the Rule 5 Draft that November. — Jake Crouse

Reds: Hiring an unknown Sparky Anderson
At age 35 — however along with his trademark white hair already sprouted — Anderson was plucked from relative obscurity when Reds normal supervisor Bob Howsam employed him after Dave Bristol was fired following the 1969 season. Anderson lacked a distinguished taking part in profession, however he managed within the Minor Leagues for 5 seasons within the Nineteen Sixties. In ‘69, he was a coach on the Padres’ Major League workers and he had departed there to take a training job with the Angels for the ‘70 season when the Reds referred to as. Anderson inherited a loaded, however skeptical, Big Red Machine roster with future Hall of Famers like Johnny Bench and Tony Perez and eventual all time hits chief Pete Rose, and he instantly helped information them to a different degree of success. Cincinnati received 102 video games and the NL pennant in 1970. Under Anderson, the Reds went to the postseason 5 occasions in his 9 seasons with 4 NL pennants and back-to-back World Series titles in 1975-76. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000. — Mark Sheldon

D-backs: Luis Gonzalez commerce
Looking so as to add to his outfield, then-D-backs GM Joe Garagiola Jr. made arguably probably the most lopsided commerce in franchise historical past when he acquired Gonzalez from the Tigers on Dec. 28, 1998, in change for outfielder Karim Garcia. Gonzalez would go on to slash .298/.391/.529 over eight seasons in Arizona. In 2001, he hit 57 homers and drove house 142 runs throughout the common season, however will without end be remembered for a bloop single that introduced house the profitable run within the backside of the ninth inning because the D-backs walked off the Yankees in Game 7 of the World Series. Garcia lasted two seasons in Detroit and hit simply .236 for the Tigers. He spent 10 years within the large leagues, ending with 66 homers and a .241 batting common. — Steve Gilbert

Dodgers: Kirk Gibson’s heroics
Gibson gave Dodger followers — and baseball followers, usually — one of the memorable moments in MLB historical past in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series in opposition to the A’s. Despite barely with the ability to stroll, Gibson took Dennis Eckersley deep to assist the Dodgers win the sport. They would go on to win the World Series, and the picture of Gibson limping across the bases is among the most iconic moments in Dodgers historical past. — Juan Toribio

Giants: Landing Christy Mathewson from the Reds
The New York Giants initially bought Mathewson’s contract from the Virginia-North Carolina League in 1900, however they despatched him again to Norfolk after six poor appearances within the Majors. That offseason, the Reds drafted the 20-year-old Mathewson earlier than buying and selling him again to the Giants for a declining Amos Rusie, leading to one of the lopsided offers in baseball historical past. Armed along with his well-known “fadeaway” pitch and exact management, Mathewson developed into one of the dominant pitchers of all-time, going 372-188 with a 2.12 ERA over 17 seasons with the Giants. Rusie, one other future Hall of Famer, pitched solely three video games for the Reds and logged an 8.59 ERA over 22 innings earlier than saying his retirement. — Maria Guardado

Padres: Tony Gwynn within the third spherical
Every crew handed on Tony Gwynn within the 1981 Draft. Then, each crew handed on him once more. It wasn’t till the third spherical (No. 58 general) that the Padres took an opportunity on the scrawny outfielder from hometown San Diego State. They thought they’d gotten a steal on the time, however even they couldn’t have envisioned that he’d turn out to be a 20-year large leaguer and one of many biggest hitters who ever lived. Gwynn posted some gaudy numbers in school, however he was largely unheralded as a draft prospect after splitting his time between basketball and baseball for the Aztecs. In truth, Gwynn nonetheless stands because the all-time assists chief at SDSU, and — in a enjoyable twist — he was drafted by each the Clippers within the NBA and Padres on the exact same day in 1981. Gwynn selected baseball. Worked out for him. Worked out for the Padres, as nicely. — AJ Cassavell

Rockies: No vacation like September and October
On Sept. 16, 2007, the Rockies shook off a three-game dropping streak by beating the Marlins, 13-0, at Coors Field. Impressive because the win might have been — with Garrett Atkins, Chris Iannetta, Matt Holliday and Todd Helton knocking homers — the broader baseball neighborhood, if it paid any consideration in any respect, handed it off as an also-ran crew having a giant evening in its favorable ballpark. Very few exterior Denver paid consideration the subsequent evening, when the Rockies swept a doubleheader from the Dodgers, their longtime tormentors, with Helton blasting the profitable homer within the nightcap. Well, virtually a month later, on Oct. 15, the Rockies had been going to the World Series. Between the blowout of the Marlins and the NLCS-clinching victory, the Rockies misplaced simply as soon as — to the D-backs on Sept. 28. But that loss made the run much more exceptional. It plunged the Rockies right into a tie for the NL Wild Card spot, which solely offered the chance for a basic 9-8, 13-inning victory over the Padres within the tie-breaking Game 163. They then swept the Phillies within the NLDS and gained revenge over the D-backs by sweeping them within the NLCS. — Thomas Harding