Major League Baseball

Regular season means little come playoff time

Published Oct. 4, 2009 7:36 p.m. ET

foxsports

The purple brooms were a nice touch. Just as the Colorado Rockies clinched a playoff berth, their gleeful fans could be seen hoisting them in anticipation of this weekend's series with the Dodgers.

"Sweep L-A!" they cheered.

Back on May 28, when Jim Tracy replaced Clint Hurdle as manager, the Rockies were 14 games back. Now, three more victories will give them the divisional championship. What's more, a Colorado sweep would cap a memorable collapse by Joe Torre's Dodgers, who held baseball's best record though most of the summer, and have been in first place since April 15, the day your 2008 taxes were due. Yes, this series feels like one hell of a story.