ADVERTISEMENT

COLORADO ROCKIES

The greatest moment in Rockies history occurred 18 years ago today

The Rockies swept the Diamondbacks in the NLCS on the way to their one and only World Series appearance; Colorado won a ridiculous 21 of 22 games

Watch: These Three Players Are Turning Heads At Denver Broncos Training Camp - Pat Bryant, Enyi Uwazurike. Red Murdock, Sam Ehlinger, Johnny Walker Jr. | 14 mins

The Colorado Rockies haven’t offered fans many great moments over their entire existence.

In 33 years calling Denver home, the Rockies have made the playoffs only five times and don’t have a single division title. They’ve lost at least 100 games each of the last three seasons, including a franchise record 119 in 2025 that made all kinds of dubious history.

But, for all their faults, we’ll always have “Rocktober.”

ADVERTISEMENT

And 18 years ago today, the greatest moment in Rockies history occurred.

Colorado swept the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLCS to move on to their one and only World Series. The Rockies won a ridiculous 21 of 22 games to reach the biggest stage in baseball.

The final out created an iconic shot of Hall of Fame first baseman Todd Helton raising his hands in the air, after shortstop Troy Tulowitzki flung the ball across the diamond. Coors Field exploded, one of the last times Rockies fans have felt true happiness.

It’s a signature moment not only for Helton, but the franchise as a whole.

Rocktober had so many magical memories, including Helton’s walk-off home run against the Dodgers, a perfect 7-0 postseason run through the National League and Game 163 against the Padres, one of the greatest ever.

ADVERTISEMENT

On one hand, it’s good to remember the past. It’s hard not to watch that clip above and smile.

On the other, it feels like the Rockies are still clinging to what happened 18 years ago. The franchise is directionless, although finally about to hire an external general manager.

Hopefully, and right now it’s just hope, it’s not another 18 years until baseball in this town can bring people joy once again.

Will Petersen Denver Sports Analyst

Will Petersen is a digital sports analyst for denversports.com and a Colorado native. Will earned a broadcast journalism degree from the University of Missouri in 2012 and has spent the past decade covering Denver sports. Follow Will on Twitter:… Read more

Comments

0 Comments