Rockies within one of World Series

DENVER, Colorado: The Colorado Rockies moved within one game of clinching a World Series berth on Sunday with a 4-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Championship Series.

The Rockies took a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, propelled by Yorvit Torrealba's three-run homer in the sixth inning that broke a 1-1 tie.

Not even a steady, chilly drizzle could cool off the red-hot Rockies, who have won 20 of their last 21 games.

Josh Fogg pitched six strong innings to earn his second win of the playoffs for the Rockies, who will go for a sweep when they host Game 4 on Monday.

The Diamondbacks face a daunting task, as only one team in history has ever come back from a 3-0 hole to win a best-of-seven series.

The Boston Red Sox accomplished the feat in 2004 en route to a World Series title, but Boston, unlike the Diamondbacks, hadn't lost the first two games of their American League Championship Series at home.

"It's one game at a time, until they win four," said Arizona manager Bob Melvin said. "We can't win four all at once. We've got to get one on the board first. That's the way we have to take it."

The Rockies had runners at first and second in the sixth when Torrealba battled Arizona starter Livan Hernandez to a full count. The Rockies catcher then fouled off a curveball to keep the at-bat going, then belted a fastball over the left-field wall to make it 4-1.

"He tried to throw a fastball inside and left it in the middle," Torrealba said. "He threw a fastball inside and I hit it real good."

Torrealba circled the bases with his fist raised as the crowd, undaunted by the rain and wintry temperatures, went wild.

Matt Holliday smacked a solo homer off Hernandez in the first inning. But Hernandez worked out of a jam in the third after giving up a leadoff double to Torrealba and walking Fogg.

Hernandez, who went into the game with a 6-2 record in 11 career playoff games, then fielded a bunt by Willy Taveras and made the throw to third to get Colorado's lead runner.

Hernandez retired the next two batters in the third, and also stranded runners in the fourth and fifth.

Fogg's only blemish was Mark Reynolds' game-tying solo homer in the fourth inning. He allowed at least one base runner in each of his six innings, but induced three double plays in the first three innings as he notched his second playoff victory, the first coming in a relief outing against Philadelphia in the first round.

Relievers Jeremy Affeldt and Brian Fuentes and closer Manny Corpas each tossed a scoreless inning, Corpas making up for his blown save in Game 2.

AFP

(China Daily 10/16/2007 page23)