Arizona Diamondbacks' Wacky Ride to the Playoffs #4: Miracle Finish Against Rockies, May 5

One of the greatest moments of the 2011 season came at Chase Field in early May against the Colorado Rockies. We were about to leave after the 7th inning with the D-Backs down 2-0 and stinking up the joint offensively, but decided to stick it out until the end--sure glad...

By Paul Rubin

September 30, 2011

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One of the greatest moments of the 2011 season came at Chase Field in early May against the Colorado Rockies.

We were about to leave after the 7th inning with the D-Backs down 2-0 and stinking up the joint offensively, but decided to stick it out until the end--sure glad we did.

The Rockies' ace reliever Huston Street came in to try to seal the deal as he had in eleven straight games going back to the previous season.

Then things got a little crazy, make that a lot crazy.

Here is the just-the-facts-ma'am Colorado version, which of course in no way reflects the sheer excitement of the event:

First, Gerardo Parra hit a homer in the bottom of the ninth to bring the D-Backs within one.

Then, with Arizona down to its last out, Chris Young hit a bomb to left field to tie it.

The smallish crowd erupted. We didn't see much of this last year, not at all.

The game wasn't won yet, just tied.

But in the bottom of the 11th, Justin Upton blooped a ball to right, the proverbial "Texas Leaguer," and it somehow dropped in, scoring Young (whom had doubled) with the winning run.

The 3-2 victory was important on a lot of levels:

Colorado at the time was leading the division with an 18-10 record. Arizona was still three games below .500 and about to go on a nine-game road trip.

Talk about a lift. This was a big one, however you cut it, and it easily holds up as one of our Top 20 for 2011.

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