who won the national league wild-card game today
2012 National League Wild Card Game


The 2012 National League Wild Card Game was a play-in game during Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2012 postseason played between the National League's (NL) two wild card teams, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves. It was held at Turner Field in Atlanta, on October 5, 2012, at 5:07 p.m. EDT. The Cardinals won by a 6–3 score and advanced to play the Washington Nationals in the NL Division Series. In addition to being the inaugural NL Wild Card Game, it is notable
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2015 National League Wild Card Game


The 2015 National League Wild Card Game was a play-in game during Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2015 postseason played between the National League's (NL) two wild card teams, the Chicago Cubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates. In MLB, the two teams with the best record in each league who do not win a division play against each other in the Wild Card Game. The game was held at Pittsburgh's PNC Park on October 7, 2015. This was the third consecutive year that the NL Wild Card
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2013 National League Wild Card Game


The 2013 National League Wild Card Game was a play-in game during Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2013 postseason played between the National League's (NL) two wild card teams, the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was held at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on October 1, 2013. The Pirates won by a 6–2 score and advanced to play the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Division Series. The game was televised on TBS, and was also broadcast on ESPN Radio. The game
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1998 National League Wild Card tie-breaker game


The 1998 National League Wild Card tie-breaker game was a one-game extension to Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1998 regular season, played between the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants to determine the winner of the National League (NL) wild card. The game took place at Wrigley Field in Chicago, on September 28, 1998. The Cubs won the game 5–3, holding the Giants scoreless for the majority of the game until the Giants threatened heavily in the ninth inning and scored all three of their runs
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1999 National League Wild Card tie-breaker game


The 1999 National League Wild Card tie-breaker game was a one-game extension to Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1999 regular season, played between the New York Mets and Cincinnati Reds to determine the winner of the National League (NL) wild card. It was played at Cinergy Field in Cincinnati, on October 4, 1999. The Mets won the game, 5–0, with starting pitcher Al Leiter pitching a two-hit shutout. As a result, the Mets qualified for the postseason and the Reds did
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2007 National League Wild Card tie-breaker game


The 2007 National League Wild Card tie-breaker game was a one-game extension to Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2007 regular season, played between the San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies of the National League's (NL) West Division to determine the NL wild card. It was played at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado, on October 1, 2007. The Rockies won the game 9–8 in thirteen innings on a controversial play at home plate. The game was necessary after both teams finished the season with identical
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2014 National League Wild Card Game


Giants, four games to two. Despite this advantage, the Giants won by a score of 8–0 and advanced to play the Washington Nationals in the NL Division Series. In addition to being the third NL Wild Card Game played, it is notable for the first postseason grand slam hit by a shortstop. The game was televised on ESPN, and was also broadcast on ESPN Radio. In Major League Baseball, the two teams with the best record in each league who do not win a division play against each other in the
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2014 National League Wild Card Game


The 2014 National League Wild Card Game was a play-in game during Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2014 postseason played between the National League's (NL) two wild card teams, the San Francisco Giants and the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was held at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on October 1, 2014, starting at 8:07 p.m. EDT. After both teams finished the regular season with identical records of 88–74, the Pirates were awarded home field for the game, as they won the season series against the
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2011 World Series


], I would have given up a home run and lost the game. This year [2012] I won't let that happen." Both teams would advance again into the postseason in the following year, both as wild cards. The Rangers lost to the Baltimore Orioles in the inaugural American League Wild Card game, and would not make the postseason again until 2015. The Cardinals won the inaugural National League Wild Card game against Atlanta before displaying more comeback magic in defeating the Washington Nationals in the NLDS in five games
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National League Central


teams has won the wild card. In 2012, a second wild card was added to post-season play. * – Defeated the San Francisco Giants in a one game playoff for the Wild Card, 5–3. † – finished with the same record as the Houston Astros, but Houston won the season series vs. the Cardinals that year, and were given the higher seed in the playoffs. ** – Starting with the 2012 season, there are two Wild Card winners in each league. The qualifiers will play a single
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2012 St. Louis Cardinals season


place finish in the NL Central, the aforementioned wild card berth, and their National League-leading 11th World Series championship. In 2012, they finished with an 88–74 (.543) record and second place in the NL Central. By virtue of coming in second to the Atlanta Braves, they won the second National League Wild Card spot, and then beat the Braves in the Wild Card Game. They then played the NL East champion Washington Nationals in the NLDS and beat them in five games to advance to the NL Championship
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National League Division Series


division series, winning ten of the thirteen series in which they have played. The Pittsburgh Pirates (who finished with a losing record from 1993 to 2012) were the last team to make their first appearance in the NL division series, making their debut in 2013 after winning the 2013 National League Wild Card Game. In 2008, the Milwaukee Brewers became the first team to play in division series in both leagues when they won the National League wild card, their first postseason berth since winning the American League East Division title in
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2014 National League Wild Card Game


Diamondbacks – which finished with the worst record in the MLB at 64–98 (.395) – to defeat St. Louis in order to force a tiebreaker. However, this did not come to fruition as the Cardinals narrowly won 1–0 over the D-backs, while the Pirates lost 4–1 to Cincinnati. As a result of Cole starting in Sunday's season finale, he was unable to pitch in the Wild Card Game on Wednesday. For the Wild Card Game, the Pirates started Edinson Vólquez, who had a 13–7 win–loss
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2015 National League Championship Series


Arrieta and hitters Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant, the Cubs experienced their best season since 2008 when they also won 97 games. Despite their record, the Cubs only received the second Wild Card bid and had to travel to play the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2015 National League Wild Card Game, where they won 4–0. They then advanced to the NLCS by defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 3 games to 1 in the NLDS. This was the first time the Cubs won a postseason series at Wrigley Field. It is their first appearance
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National League West


the wild-card berth. Had a team from another division won the wild card, a one-game playoff would have decided the division champion. The wild card is given to the team in each league with the best record that did not win its division and was first introduced in 1994. The system, however, was not implemented until the following season, as a player strike prematurely ended the 1994 season. Since its implementation, three different NL West teams have won the wild card, on six different occasions.
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Major League Baseball Wild Card Game


for Wild Card teams in the postseason, Wild Card Game winners have won six of the first twelve Division Series played under the new format. Of the best-of-five Division Series lost by Wild Card Game winners, three lost in five games, two lost in four games, and only one team has been swept. The 2014 postseason featured the first Series sweeps involving Wild Card Game winners, but they were both in favor of the AL Wild Card Kansas City Royals who swept both the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
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2018 National League West tie-breaker game


National League Division Series. The Rockies were hosted by the NL Central runner-up Chicago Cubs in the NL Wild Card Game on October 2. The tie-breaker counted as a regular season game for both teams, with all events in the game added to regular season statistics. The Los Angeles Dodgers entered the 2018 Major League Baseball season having won the last five consecutive National League West division championships. The Colorado Rockies made the Major League Baseball postseason in 2017 as a wild card. Despite this being their fifth postseason appearance
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One-game playoff


divisional play in 1969, the National League broke ties for its league championship with a best-of-three-games playoff - incidentally, all four of these series were ultimately won by the team that won the first game. The American League has always used one-game playoffs. Prior to the wild card playoff system, all five pennant playoffs in the National League had involved the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers (who won the coin toss for home field advantage all five times, yet lost every year except 1959)
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2013 American League Wild Card tie-breaker game


The 2013 American League Wild Card tie-breaker game was a one-game extension to Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2013 regular season, played between the Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays to determine the second participant in the 2013 American League (AL) Wild Card Game. It was played at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on September 30, 2013. The Rays defeated the Rangers, 5–2, and advanced to the AL Wild Card Game against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field, which they won 4–0; the Rangers
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Brian Sabean


) and Tom Haller (five seasons, 1981–85). Sabean had the longest tenure with the same club among active general managers. During his tenure, the Giants won three World Series (2010, 2012, and 2014), four National League pennants (2002, 2010, 2012, and 2014), five National League West Division flags (1997, 2000, 2003, 2010, and 2012), two National League Wild Cards (2002, 2014), and forced a National League Wild Card tie-breaker game
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1999 National League Wild Card tie-breaker game


If Houston had not won that game, the Astros, Reds, and Mets would have instead been in a three-way tie for both the NL Central and the wild card spot. Bob Costas suggested that MLB was lucky to avoid this situation as he believed they had "no reasonable tiebreaker" to deal with it. Had this three-way tie arisen, the Mets would have won the wild card while the Astros and Reds would have played a tie-breaker for the Central division title (as the tiebreaker counts
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2017 National League Wild Card Game


The 2017 National League Wild Card Game was a play-in game during Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2017 postseason that was played between the National League's (NL) two wild card teams, the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies. The game was televised nationally by TBS. The game took place on October 4 at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. with the Diamondbacks winning 11–8, thus eliminating the Rockies from the postseason and advancing the Diamondbacks to the NL Division Series (NLDS) in which they lost to
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2014 American League Wild Card Game


in the 1981 ALDS (Athletics won 3–0). The 12-inning contest tied the then record for the longest (by innings) "winner-take-all" game in postseason history, shared with Game 7 of the 1924 World Series. This record was subsequently broken by the 2018 National League Wild Card Game . The one-game playoff was touted as a duel between the Royals' James Shields and the Athletics' Jon Lester, but neither starting pitcher would earn a decision in the game. Oakland's Brandon Moss homered
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2016 National League Division Series


League Championship Series, in which the Dodgers won the National League pennant over the then-Montreal Expos in five games. The Dodgers defeated the Nationals in five games and reached the National League Championship Series for the first time since 2013. The Cubs and Giants also met for the second time in postseason play after the Giants defeated the New York Mets 3–0 in the National League Wild Card Game. Their last meeting was in the 1989 National League Championship Series, which the Giants won in five games. However, they did meet
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2016 National League Wild Card Game


The 2016 National League Wild Card Game was a play-in game during Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2016 postseason played between the National League's (NL) two wild card teams, the New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants. As both teams finished with identical 87–75 records, a tiebreaker was used to determine the host team. In accordance with MLB tiebreaking rules, the Mets earned the right to host the game by winning their season series against the Giants 4–3. The game was played on October 5,
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2018 National League Wild Card Game


The 2018 National League Wild Card Game was a play-in game during Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2018 postseason between the National League's two wild card teams, the Colorado Rockies and the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs earned home field advantage by virtue of having a better regular season record. The game occurred on October 2, 2018, with the Rockies victorious by a score of 2–1 in 13 innings—the longest winner-take-all game in MLB postseason history. The Rockies advanced to face the Milwaukee Brewers
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Clint Hurdle


of the Year Award in 2013. In 2014, the Pirates would again clinch a playoff berth with a record of 88 wins and 74 losses to make a second straight appearance in the Wild Card game. The Pirates lost the 2014 National League Wild Card Game to the eventual World Series champion San Francisco Giants. In 2015 the Pirates again made the postseason as one of the National League wild card teams with a 98–64 record, the second best record of any team that season. The Pirates lost the 2015 National League Wild Card
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2018 American League Wild Card Game


The 2018 American League Wild Card Game was a play-in game during Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2018 postseason contested between the American League's (AL) two wild card teams, the New York Yankees and the Oakland Athletics. The game took place at Yankee Stadium on October 3, starting at 8:08 pm EDT. The Yankees won, 7–2, and advanced to face the Boston Red Sox in the American League Division Series. As a result of sponsorship agreements with Hankook Tire, the game was formally known as
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2003 National League Championship Series


The 2003 National League Championship Series (NLCS) was a Major League Baseball playoff series played from October 7 to 15 to determine the champion of the National League, between the Central Division champion Chicago Cubs and the wild-card qualifying Florida Marlins. The Cubs, by virtue of being a division winner, had the home field advantage. The Marlins came back from a three games to one deficit and won the series in seven games, advancing to the World Series against the New York Yankees, who they defeat in six games
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Atlanta Braves


their absence. Eight players made their major league debuts for the team in 2011. The Braves led the National League Wild Card standings for much of the 2011 season, with the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies firmly in control of first place in the National League East. The Braves entered the final month of the regular season 25 games above .500 with a record of 80–55 and an -game lead in the Wild Card standings. The nearest team trailing them, the St. Louis Cardinals, who also trailed the National League Central-leading
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Wild card (sports)


won the 2009 US Open, and Lin Dan won the 2013 BWF World Championships. In North American professional sports leagues, "wild card" refers to a team that qualifies for the championship playoffs without winning their specific conference or division outright. The number of wild card teams varies. In most cases, the rules of the league call for the wild card team to survive an extra round or to play the majority of their postseason games away from home. Although the exact rules among the leagues differ, they all generally agree
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Todd Pratt


won the backup job to Piazza. He played in 71 games and batted .293. The Mets finished the season with 96 wins, behind the Braves but tied with the Cincinnati Reds in the Wild Card race. The two teams played a one-game playoff which the Mets won on the strength of a complete game, two-hit shutout by Al Leiter, allowing the Mets to win the National League Wild Card. Piazza injured his thumb in the NLDS against the Arizona Diamondbacks, pressing Pratt into starting duty for the final
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2012 American League Wild Card Game


The 2012 American League Wild Card Game was a play-in game during Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2012 postseason played between the American League's (AL) two wild-card teams, the Texas Rangers and the Baltimore Orioles. It was held at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas, on October 5, 2012, at 8:37 p.m. EDT. The Orioles won by a 5–1 score and advanced to play the New York Yankees in the AL Division Series. The game was televised on TBS. The Orioles scored their
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2013 American League Wild Card Game


The 2013 American League Wild Card Game was a play-in game during Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2013 postseason played between the American League's (AL) two wild card teams, the Cleveland Indians and the Tampa Bay Rays (the latter winners of a one-game tie-breaker against the Texas Rangers). It was held at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 2, 2013. The Rays won by a 4–0 score and advanced to the AL Division Series to face the Boston Red Sox
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2013 American League Wild Card tie-breaker game


Card teams playing in a Wild Card Game in 2012. The tie-breaker counted as the 163rd regular season game for both teams, with all events in the game added to regular season statistics. In Major League Baseball the two teams with the best record in each league who do not win a division play in the Wild Card Game. A number of teams were in competition for these Wild Card spots, along with their divisional competition. The Rangers spent over 80 days leading the American League West and shared the lead as
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2014 American League Wild Card Game


The 2014 American League Wild Card Game was a play-in game during Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2014 postseason played between the American League's (AL) two wild card teams, the Oakland Athletics and the Kansas City Royals. It was held on September 30, 2014. The Royals won by a score of 9–8 in 12 innings, and advanced to play the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the 2014 American League Division Series. This was the second postseason meeting between the Athletics and Royals, having first met
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Major League Baseball Wild Card Game


record three games. The San Francisco Giants and the New York Yankees have won the most Wild Card Games with two each. The addition of a second wild-card team to each league was completed for multiple reasons: With the adoption of MLB's new collective bargaining agreement in November 2011, baseball commissioner Bud Selig announced that a new playoff system would begin within the next two years; the change was ultimately put into place in 2012. Even though one of the stated purposes of the Wild Card game was to create disadvantages
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2007 National League Wild Card tie-breaker game


Diamondbacks scored 20 fewer runs than their pitchers allowed, one of just five teams in MLB history to make the playoffs despite being outscored during the season. In addition to the divisional race, the competition over the wild card continued to the last day of the season. Six teams in the 2007 National League finished within five games of one another: the aforementioned Diamondbacks, Padres, and Rockies along with the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, and Chicago Cubs. The Diamondbacks, Phillies, and Cubs won the Western, Eastern
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1995 Colorado Rockies season


(Walker's former Expos teammate), and Larry Walker, each contributed at least 30 home runs in 1995. The Rockies simultaneously won the first-ever National League wild card berth under the revised postseason format and first playoff appearance in franchise history in just their third season of play. On October 1st for the final regular season game, the Rockies needed a win at Coors Field versus the San Francisco Giants to avoid playing a tie-breaker game with the Houston Astros for the National League Wild Card post-season berth
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Philadelphia Phillies


September 28, during the final game of the season, the team set a franchise record for victories in a season with 102 by beating the Atlanta Braves in 13 innings, denying their division rivals a potential wild card berth. Yet the Phillies lost in the NLDS to the St. Louis Cardinals – the team that won the National League Wild Card as a result of the Phillies beating the Braves. The Cardinals subsequently beat the Brewers in the NLCS and won the 2011 World Series in 7 games over the Texas Rangers. The 2012
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2018 American League Wild Card Game


team played in a Wild Card Game. The most recent time that a 100-win team had not won their division was the 2001 Athletics. This was Oakland's third playoff appearance as a wild card team. They had previously appeared in one Wild Card Game, a loss in 2014. This was the fourth time the Yankees and A's met in postseason play—the Yankees had won the three prior meetings: the 1981 ALCS (3–0), 2000 ALDS (3–2), and 2001 ALDS (3–2). Luis Severino
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History of the Pittsburgh Pirates


, clinching their first winning season in 21 years. 14 days later, due to a combination of a Pirates win and a Nationals' loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, the Pirates headed to postseason play for the first time in twenty-one seasons. By finishing the season with a three-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds, their chief competition for the NL Wild Card, the Pirates hosted and won their first home playoff game since 1992 in the National League Wild Card Game on October 1, 2013 with a score
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2018 National League Wild Card Game


relegated to this Wild Card Game. This was the first Wild Card Game to require tiebreakers to determine both teams, and the first NL Wild Card Game to require any tiebreaker game, as the only other Wild Card Game to require a tiebreaker was the 2013 AL Wild Card Game. The Cubs and Rockies became the first teams in MLB history to lose tiebreaker games at the end of the regular season yet still enter postseason play, as they played in the first divisional tie-breaker games needed since MLB's addition of a
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2013 American League Wild Card tie-breaker game


three teams won, leaving the Indians definitively in the Wild Card Game at 92–70 and the Rays and Rangers tied at 91–71 for the second spot. The Indians finished the season strong, winning their last 10 games to clinch their Wild Card berth. The Rays were 16–12 in September, winning 8 of their last 10. The Rangers were just 12–15 in September, although they also won eight of their final 10 games. Home field advantage for the tie-breaker game was awarded to the Rangers, as they had won the
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2017 American League Wild Card Game


The 2017 American League Wild Card Game was a play-in game during Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2017 postseason that was played between the American League's (AL) two wild card teams, the New York Yankees and the Minnesota Twins. The game was televised nationally by ESPN. The game took place on October 3 at Yankee Stadium, with the Yankees winning 8–4, thus eliminating the Twins from the postseason and advancing the Yankees to the AL Division Series (ALDS), in which they defeated the Cleveland Indians
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Games behind


In the 1994 MLB season, the American League and National League each split into three divisions, and each added a wild card team to the playoffs. Following this change, it became common for the media to publish an additional set of standings for the wild card race. It included all teams from a league, with the exception of the division leaders, and games behind was calculated with respect to the team with the highest standing in the wild card race. In the 2012 MLB season, both leagues add a second wild
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List of National League Wild Card winners


league would qualify for the playoffs, even if they were in the same division with the team having the best record. Beginning in 2012, a second wild card team was added to each league. The two wild card teams in each league will face each other in a one-game playoff, the winner advancing to meet the number one seed in the Division Series. The Colorado Rockies have been a wild-card qualifier a NL record five times, while the Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, and Washington Nationals are
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National League Central


. This division has been dominated by the Cardinals, who have accounted for ten of the 23 division championships, plus three wild card wins. Aside from the Cardinals, the Cubs have the second most division championships with five, as well as two wild card wins. The Astros have four division titles and two wild card wins. The Reds have three division titles, along with one wild card win. The Brewers have two divisional championships, with one wild card win. The Pirates have not won the division since the division
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2001 St. Louis Cardinals season


head-to-head record, and the Cardinals were seeded as the wild-card. The Cardinals were granted the right to claim the National League Central Division Co-Championship, which they still honor today. In the playoffs the Cardinals lost to the eventual World Champion Arizona Diamondbacks 3 games to 2 in the NLDS. Third baseman/Outfielder Albert Pujols won the Rookie of the Year Award this year, batting .329, with 37 home runs and 130 RBIs. Second baseman Fernando Viña and outfielder Jim Edmonds won Gold Gloves
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Clint Hurdle


by the St. Louis Cardinals over the Washington Nationals, the Pittsburgh Pirates secured their first playoff berth since 1992 as well as their 90th win. Under Hurdle, the Pirates would finish the 2013 season with a record of 94 wins and 68 losses, 3 games behind the NL Central division winning Cardinals. In the playoffs, the Pirates won the 2013 National League Wild Card Game against the Reds but would lose the deciding game 5 against the Cardinals in the 2013 National League Division Series. Hurdle won the National League Sporting News Manager
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Curse of the Billy Goat


inning and losing the game, 8–3. When they were eliminated in the seventh game the next day, the incident was seen as the "first domino" in the turning point of the series. The Cubs won their division in both 2007 and 2008, but were swept in the NLDS both years by the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers respectively. In 2015, the Cubs finished second in the National League Wild Card race and defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Wild Card Game and the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS to
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2005 Philadelphia Phillies season


The 2005 Philadelphia Phillies season was the 123rd season in the history of the franchise. The Phillies finished in second place in the National League East with a record of 88-74, two games behind the Atlanta Braves, and one game behind the NL Champion Houston Astros, who won the NL Wild-Card race for the second consecutive season. The Phillies were managed by their new manager Charlie Manuel, as they played their home games at Citizens Bank Park. First-baseman Ryan Howard was named the National League's Rookie
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List of Milwaukee Brewers seasons


the National League Champion St. Louis Cardinals. The series went to a decisive game seven and resulted in a Brewers World Series loss. After a 26-season postseason drought that remains the third-longest in the expanded-postseason era, in their third appearance the Brewers won the 2008 National League Wild Card, earning them a berth in the 2008 National League Division Series. Milwaukee lost the series, three games to one, against the eventual World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies. Most recently, the Brewers won the 2011 National League Central Division
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2017 National League Wild Card Game


the Los Angeles Dodgers 3–0. This was Arizona's first playoff appearance as a Wild Card team, and their first postseason appearance since the 2011 National League Division Series. This was Colorado's fourth playoff appearance (all as a Wild Card team), and their first postseason appearance since the 2009 National League Division Series. This was the second postseason match-up between the two clubs; previously the Rockies swept the Diamondbacks in the 2007 National League Championship Series. Jon Gray started for the Rockies, and Zack Greinke started for
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2018 National League Wild Card Game


in the National League Division Series. For sponsorship reasons with Hankook Tire the game was formally known as the National League Wild Card Game presented by Hankook Tire. At the scheduled end of the regular season, the NL Central and NL West divisions each had two teams tied for the division lead; Cubs and Brewers in the Central, and Dodgers and Rockies in the West. This resulted in two tiebreaker games being played on October 1 to determine division winners, with the losers of the tiebreaker games—the Rockies and Cubs—
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1990 NFL season


The 1990 NFL season was the 71st regular season of the National Football League. To increase revenue, the league changed the regular season so that all NFL teams would play their 16-game schedule over a 17-week period. Furthermore, the playoff format was expanded from 10 teams to 12 teams by adding another wild card from each conference, thus adding two more contests to the postseason schedule; this format remains in use today (although there are now four division spots and two wild card spots available with realignment in 2002). During four
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2016 Major League Baseball season


TBS televised Sunday afternoon games for the last 13 weeks of the regular season. Fox and ESPN Sunday Night Baseball telecasts will be exclusive; all other national telecasts will be subject to local blackout. TBS will televise the American League Wild Card Game, Division Series, and Championship Series. ESPN will televise the National League Wild Card Game, Fox Sports 1 and MLB Network will televise the National League Division Series, and Fox Sports 1 will televise the National League Championship Series. The World Series will air exclusively on Fox for the
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2018 National League Central tie-breaker game


The 2018 National League Central tie-breaker game was a one-game extension to Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2018 regular season, played between the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs to determine the champion of the National League's (NL) Central Division. It was played at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois on October 1, 2018. The Brewers won, 3–1, and became the top seed in the NL playoffs. The Cubs hosted the NL West runner-up Colorado Rockies in the NL Wild Card Game on
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2015 National League Wild Card Game


were slotted into the wild card game. The Cubs won the game 4–0, and advanced to play the Cardinals in the NL Division Series. Chicago's Jake Arrieta pitched a complete-game shutout, striking out eleven batters while allowing only five hits. The Cubs were paced offensively by Dexter Fowler and Kyle Schwarber, both combining for five hits in seven at bats, each with a home run in the fifth (a two-run home run) and third innings (solo home run), respectively. Fowler also singled
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Major League Baseball Wild Card Game


with the best record in the league to face each other before the League Championship Series for the first time since 1997, if the wild card winner has the second-best record only to its own division's champion. From 1995 to 1997 the matchups for the division series were determined by annual rotation between the west, central and east divisions. Nineteen of the thirty MLB franchises have appeared in a Wild Card Game. The New York Yankees of the American League and the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League have appeared in a
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2013 American League Wild Card tie-breaker game


failed to qualify for the postseason. The tie-breaker game was necessary after both teams finished the season with win–loss records of 91–71 and thus tied for the second Wild Card position in the AL. The Rangers were awarded home field for the game, as they won the regular season series against the Rays, 4–3. The game was televised on TBS. It was the fourth tie-breaker in MLB history for a Wild Card spot, although it was the first since MLB adopted its current format of two Wild
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Ryan Howard


. Howard's final 2007 season totals were a .268 average, with 47 home runs and 136 runs batted in, helping the Phillies win the National League East title on the final day of the season to earn their first postseason berth since the 1993 World Series. The Phillies were swept by the Colorado Rockies (who had won a one-game playoff against the San Diego Padres for the NL Wild Card) in the 2007 National League Division Series; Howard homered off Jeremy Affeldt in Game Two, but struck out seven times
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2009 World Series


had successful years, finishing 3rd and 8th in the balloting respectively. The Phillies finished the season with a record of 93–69 (.574), six games above the second-place Florida Marlins in their division. The Phillies defeated the wild card Colorado Rockies in the National League Division Series (NLDS), three games to one, advancing to the National League Championship Series (NLCS). Facing the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Phillies won the NLCS, four games to one, becoming the first team to repeat as National League
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1999 National League Wild Card tie-breaker game


Danny Graves entered for them to pitch the sixth inning. Graves walked Rey Ordóñez to leadoff the inning, Mets starter Al Leiter sacrifice bunted Ordóñez to second, and following an out he scored on a double by Alfonzo. Graves remained in the game until Mark Lewis pinch hit for him in the eighth and Dennys Reyes relieved him in the ninth. Graves and Reyes held the score steady after the sixth but the Reds' offense did not score against Al Leiter and the Mets won the game, and with it the Wild Card
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2012 National League Division Series


The 2012 National League Division Series were two best-of-five game series to determine the participating teams in the 2012 National League Championship Series. The three divisional winners and a fourth team—the winner of a one-game Wild Card playoff—played in two separate series. This series with the Washington Nationals was their first playoff berth since moving to Washington D.C. and the first franchise playoff berth since 1981 when they were the Montreal Expos. TBS carried most of the games, with some on TNT. The Wild Card
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2007 National League Division Series


The 2007 National League Division Series (NLDS), the opening round of the 2007 National League playoffs, began on Wednesday, October 3 and ended on Saturday, October 6, with the champions of the three NL divisions and one wild card team participating in two best-of-five series. They were: Colorado earned the wild card after winning a one-game playoff with San Diego. Although the division winner with the best record normally plays the wild card team, the Diamondbacks played the Cubs, rather than the
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Atlanta Braves


also stayed on top of the National League Wild Card race. Washington ended up winning their first division title in franchise history, but the Braves remained in first place of the NL wild card race. Keeping with a new MLB rule for the 2012 season, the top two wild card teams in each league must play each other in a playoff game before entering into the Division Series. The Braves played the St. Louis Cardinals in the first ever Wild Card Game. The Braves were behind 6–3 in the bottom of the eighth inning
1848247
2015 St. Louis Cardinals season


hits with a strikeout and no walks. He had returned from injury at least four months ahead of schedule. In the second game, the Cardinals won their 100th game of the season while clinching their third consecutive National League Central division title by an 11–1 score. The Pirates, who had kept close with the Cardinals for nearly the entire season, had won their 96th game of the season earlier in the day. They already qualified as one of two wild card entrants, along with the Cubs. Heyward hit a grand slam
295042
One-game playoff


seed in the postseason. The other team (the 2001 Cardinals, 2005 Red Sox, and 2006 Dodgers) entered the postseason as the wild card. Since 2012, when the Wild Card Game was introduced, if two teams are tied atop the Wild Card standings, both would qualify for the Wild Card Game and no tiebreaker game would be necessary. The team who won the regular season series would host the Wild Card game. This has occurred in 2012 (Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers were both 93–69, Texas was awarded
92232
List of Arizona Diamondbacks seasons


the National League Division Series. Post season baseball did not return to the desert until the 2007 season when Arizona lost to the Colorado Rockies in the National League Championship Series. The following season, Arizona narrowly missed the playoffs, when they finished 2 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2011, the Diamondbacks won their division but were ousted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Division Series. In 2017, the Arizona Diamondbacks finished 2nd in the NL West, and they played in the National League Wild Card Game against
12573917
2018 National League Division Series


The 2018 National League Division Series were two best-of-five-game series to determine the participating teams of the 2018 National League Championship Series. The three divisional winners (seeded first through third) and a fourth team—the Wild Card Game winner—played in two series. These matchups were: Under sponsorship agreements with Doosan, the series was formally known as the National League Division Series presented by Doosan. The Brewers and the Dodgers won their respective series to advance to the Championship Series. The Brewers entered the
18533021
2004 National League Championship Series


The 2004 National League Championship Series (NLCS) was a Major League Baseball playoff series played from October 13 to 21 to determine the champion of the National League, between the Central Division champion St. Louis Cardinals and the wild-card qualifying Houston Astros. This marked the first time in either Major League that two teams from the Central Division met in a Championship Series. In a series in which all seven games were won by the home team, the Cardinals won 4–3 to advance to the World Series against the American League champion
3869868
1998 National League Division Series


League champion, and lost to the American League champion New York Yankees in the 1998 World Series. Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia The Braves faced the Chicago Cubs, who made it into the playoffs by beating the San Francisco Giants in a tiebreaker for the Wild Card spot and though the Cubs won the season series 6-3 including a three game sweep in Wrigley Field without NL MVP Sammy Sosa, and a two game sweep in Turner Field, the Braves proved that the post season would be different. John Smoltz pitched
1529502
2018 Major League Baseball season


on Saturdays both during the afternoon and night. ESPN televised games on its flagship telecast "Sunday Night Baseball" as well as Monday and Wednesday Nights. TBS televised Sunday afternoon games for the last 13 weeks of the regular season. Fox and ESPN Sunday Night Baseball telecasts were exclusive; all other national telecasts were subject to local blackout. TBS televised the American League Wild Card Game, Division Series and televised the Championship Series. ESPN televised the National League Wild Card, along with the National League West and Central tie-breaker
16493328
2015 Major League Baseball season


and ESPN Sunday Night Baseball telecasts will be exclusive; all other national telecasts will be subject to local blackout. TBS will televise the National League Wild Card Game, Division Series, and Championship Series. ESPN will televise the American League Wild Card Game, Fox Sports 1 and MLB Network will televise American League Division Series, and Fox and Fox Sports 1 will televise the American League Championship Series. The World Series will air exclusively on Fox for the sixteenth consecutive year. All postseason games will air on ESPN Radio. 2015 was
19375528
Major League Baseball postseason


The Major League Baseball postseason is an elimination tournament held after the conclusion of the MLB regular season. As of 2012, the playoffs for each league—American and National—consist of a one-game wild-card playoff between two wild card teams, two best-of-five Division Series (LDS) featuring the wild-card winner and the winner of each division, and finally the best-of-seven League Championship Series (LCS). The winners of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) and
8226354
National League West


* The Colorado Rockies played the San Diego Padres in a wild card tie-breaker game after both teams finished the season with the same record, 89–73. The Rockies defeated the Padres, 9–8, in 13 innings. A wild card tie-breaker game is still considered part of the regular season, and thus, the Rockies' win made it their 90th victory of the season. ** – Starting with the 2012 season, there will be two Wild Card winners in each league. The qualifiers will play a single
17490244
1996 American League Championship Series


Cleveland Indians three games to one. The Orioles were the first wild card team to advance to the LCS. The Yankees won the series four games to one to become the American League champions, and won against the National League champion Atlanta Braves in the 1996 World Series. Wednesday, October 9, 1996, at Yankee Stadium (I) in Bronx, New York The Yankees struck first in Game 1 when Tim Raines doubled to lead off the first off Scott Erickson, moved to third on a groundout, and scored on
4360177
Colorado Rockies


The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team's home venue is Coors Field, located in the Lower Downtown area of Denver. The Rockies won their first National League championship in 2007, after having won 14 of their final 15 games in order to secure a Wild Card position. In the World Series they were swept by the American League (AL)
6814675
2007 National League Wild Card tie-breaker game


the season, meant the Rockies had won 21 of their last 22 games. The last National League team to win 20 of 21 games at any point in the season were the 1936 New York Giants. The Rockies also opened the playoffs with seven straight wins, the 1976 Cincinnati Reds were the only other team in major league history to do so. The Rockies moved on to the 2007 World Series with their NLCS win, where they were swept by the Boston Red Sox. The game counted as a regular season game in
14680027
2014 National League Wild Card Game


Houston Astros and the Braves). Although the Nationals won the next game against Bumgarner – ending the Giants' NL record of 10 consecutive postseason games won – San Francisco triumphed in Game 4 to clinch the series 3–1 and advance to the NL Championship Series (NLCS). The NLCS was played between Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals in a rematch of the NLCS two years before. The Giants won the series 4–1, attaining the NL pennant and advancing to the World Series for the third time in five years. They faced
20495664
2016 National League Division Series


in a Wild Card tiebreaker in 1998 where the Cubs advanced, beating the Giants 5–3. The Cubs won the Division Series three games to one and advanced to the NLCS for the second consecutive year. The Cubs began postseason play with starter Jon Lester on the mound facing Johnny Cueto for the Wild Card Game-winning Giants. In the pitching duel, Lester scattered five hits in eight innings of work, shutting out the Giants. Cueto also blanked the Cubs allowing only two hits until the eighth inning, when Javier Baez's
16964989
2013 Pittsburgh Pirates season


on September 9, ensuring the team's first winning season since 1992 and ending the longest stretch of losing seasons—20—in North American professional sports history. Although the St. Louis Cardinals won the NL Central Division, the Pirates clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 1992 in one of two NL Wild Card spots on September 23. In the Wild Card Game, the Pirates secured their first postseason win since Game 6 of the 1992 National League Championship Series by defeating the Cincinnati Reds. In doing so, the team advanced to the
3548815
1989 World Series


the Division Series and Wild Card Games to the postseason.) The San Francisco Giants won the NL West division by three games over the San Diego Padres, then defeated the Chicago Cubs four games to one in the National League Championship Series. The Oakland Athletics won the AL West division by seven games over the Kansas City Royals, then defeated the Toronto Blue Jays four games to one in the American League Championship Series. It was the Giants' first World Series appearance since , while the Athletics were playing in their second straight
387322
David Cone


a 9-2 record as the Yankees won the wild card in the first season of the new three division, wild card format. In his third post-season, Cone won the first game of the 1995 American League Division Series against the Seattle Mariners, and left game five with the score tied at four. The Mariners won the game in extra innings to eliminate the Yankees from the playoffs. The Yankees re-signed Cone in the offseason to a three-year contract worth $19.5 million. Cone was 4–1
15324209
ESPN Major League Baseball


National League Wild Card tie-breaker game between the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants. Jon Miller and Joe Morgan were on the call. In , ESPN broadcast the National League Wild Card tie-breaker game (this time between the New York Mets and Cincinnati Reds) once again with Jon Miller and Joe Morgan once again on the call. ESPN and ESPN2 had contracts (which were signed in and ran through ) to show selected weeknight and "Sunday Night Baseball" games, along with Opening Day and holiday games and
11392026
Dusty Baker


better chance of getting some speed with Latin and African-Americans," also generated controversy. Baker said of the comments, "I'm not being racist. That's just how it is." Baker has never won the World Series as a manager and has been criticized as a poor postseason manager. In 1998, the Giants finished the season tied for the Wild Card playoff position, but lost the National League Wild Card tiebreaker game to the Chicago Cubs. The 2002 postseason was the only time in his managerial career
17733290
1998 National League Wild Card tie-breaker game


and losing the Cubs the game. This loss gained notoriety for announcer and former-Cub Ron Santo's call of the final play, yelling "Oh, no!" as the final runs scored. The Mets were tied with the Cubs and Giants in the wild-card race as late in the season as September 25 at 88–72. However, the Mets lost their remaining two games and finished their season one game back of the Cubs and Giants who ended tied at 89–73. This record was also the best non-
18317801
Major League Baseball Wild Card Game


The Major League Baseball Wild Card Game is a play-in game which was added to the Major League Baseball postseason in 2012. The addition keeps the playoff format similar to the three-tiered postseason format used from 1995 through 2011, but adds a second wild-card team. Two wild-card teams in each league play each other in a single-game playoff after the end of the regular season. The winner of the game advances to face the 1st seeded team in the Division Series. The home team for
11976806
2018 Major League Baseball season


National League West divisions ended the 162-game regular season schedule with two teams tied for first. Both games were played on October 1, with the winning teams advancing to the 2018 National League Division Series and the losers facing off in the Wild Card Game. The Brewers beat the Cubs for the NL Central division title, and the West was won by the Dodgers over the Rockies. section begin=Bracket / section end=Bracket / The Detroit Tigers modified the Olde English 'D' on the home jersey to match the '
16493317
2004 American League Championship Series


a seven-game series. The Red Sox, who had won the AL wild card, defeated the Anaheim Angels in the American League Division Series to reach the ALCS, while the Yankees, who had won the AL East with the best record in the AL, defeated the Minnesota Twins. In Game 1, Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina pitched a perfect game through six innings, while the Red Sox recovered from an eight-run deficit to close within one run before the Yankees eventually won. A home run by John Olerud
1935118
Braves–Mets rivalry


go back to the Braves. The Braves collapsed in a similar way in 2011, for the National League Wild Card, blowing a lead for the National League Wild Card in September and losing the wild card by one game to the eventual champion St. Louis Cardinals. The Mets took two out of three in a late September series at Turner Field to contribute to the collapse. In 2004, Chipper Jones named his child "Shea" after the Mets' home Shea Stadium, citing his great success and memories of playing there.
806642
2005 National League Championship Series


The 2005 National League Championship Series (NLCS), the second round of the 2005 National League playoffs, matched the Central Division champion and defending league champion St. Louis Cardinals against the wild card qualifier Houston Astros, a rematch of the 2004 NLCS. The Cardinals, by virtue of having the best record in the NL during the 2005 season, had the home-field advantage. The Astros won the series four games to two, and became the National League champions; they faced the American League champion Chicago White Sox in the
1648848
2019 Major League Baseball season


flagship telecast "Sunday Night Baseball" as well as Monday and Wednesday nights. TBS will televise Sunday afternoon games for the last 13 weeks of the regular season. Fox and ESPN Sunday Night Baseball telecasts will be exclusive; all other national telecasts will be subject to local blackout. TBS will televise the National League Wild Card Game, Division Series, and the Championship Series. ESPN will televise the American League Wild Card. FS1 and MLB Network will televise the American League Division Series. Fox and FS1 will televise the American League
159638
2010 World Series


franchise's seventh NL West championship. In the Division Series, the Giants faced the wild card-winning Atlanta Braves, who had also clinched a postseason berth on the last day of the regular season. Each game was decided by one run, with the Giants winning the series three games to one. The Giants won behind Lincecum's 14 strikeouts in Game 1 and earned come-from-behind wins in Games 3 and 4. In the NLCS, the Giants were heavy underdogs to the two-time defending National League
3713072
2011 Atlanta Braves season


8, the Braves had lost their lead in the Wild Card. The Braves and Cardinals entered the final scheduled day of the regular season with the Wild Card standings tied between the two clubs. The situation was one familiar to the Braves, who were tied with the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card standings on the final day of the 2010 season. Starting one hour before the Cardinals-Astros game, the Braves tossed veteran ace Tim Hudson against a Phillies pitching staff that was preparing for the 2011 National League Division Series
2407601
2014 Pittsburgh Pirates season


a victory on September 23. Also for the second consecutive season, however, the Pirates finished in second in their division behind the defending National League champion St. Louis Cardinals. The team secured one of two NL Wild Card spots, as well as home field advantage for the 2014 National League Wild Card Game. However, they lost the October 1 playoff game to the San Francisco Giants, thus eliminating them from the 2014 postseason. Three members of the 2014 Pirates were selected to represent the National League in the All-Star
3404549
2007 National League Wild Card tie-breaker game


as the 163rd regular season game for both teams, with all events in the game added to regular season statistics. The 2007 season saw heavy competition between the Padres and the Arizona Diamondbacks for the National League West divisional title. The Padres spent 52 days with at least a share of the lead, while the Diamondbacks spent 89 total days atop the division and ultimately won by a game with a record of 90–72. The Rockies spent just three days, last on April 6, with a lead in the division. Notably the
14680014
Todd Helton


doubleheader against the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 18, 2007. In the bottom of the ninth inning, with two outs and two strikes, Helton hit an emotional two-run walk-off home run off Dodgers closer Takashi Saito. The home run kept the Rockies alive in the bid to win the wild card or National League West title. The Rockies eventually clinched the National League wild card, in a 9–8 extra innings victory over the San Diego Padres in a wild card tiebreaker game, allowing Helton to appear in the
19763982
2007 National League Wild Card tie-breaker game


determine the wild-card winner. A coin flip conducted earlier that September set the Rockies' home park of Coors Field as the location for the game. The starting pitcher matchup saw eventual Cy Young Award and Major League Baseball Triple Crown winner Jake Peavy against the Rockies Josh Fogg, who teammate Matt Holliday nicknamed "Dragon Slayer" for his strong performances against ace starters throughout the season. The Rockies opened the bottom of the first inning with a leadoff double by Kaz Matsui, followed by a Troy Tulowitzki single and a walk
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