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Third time’s not the charm as Rockies lose apparent home run

Paul Willis, Special to the Rocky

Published October 2, 2007 at midnight

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If Garrett Atkins' seventh-inning blast to left field should have been ruled a home run Monday night — and indications are it should have — it isn't the first time Rockies have had a would-be homer reduced to a double.

The Rockies have been embroiled in the homer-double debate three times this season, and they appear to have a strong case in all three. None was as vital as Atkins' would-be homer in a one- game playoff against the San Diego Padres at Coors Field, although the Rockies overcame the controversy and won 9-8 in 13 innings.

The Rockies held a 6-5 advantage when Atkins led off the seventh inning with a line drive to left-center field that ricocheted back onto the field.

From the naked eye, and even from replays, it was difficult to discern whether the ball hit the top of the wall or a wheelchair behind the wall.

"I thought it was a home run, but I don't know," Atkins said. "You guys have all the best angles up there in the booth."

Fourteen-year season-ticket holder Inez Selby had the best vantage point, sitting one seat from where the ball was headed.

Selby indicated the ball did not leave the park but hit the fence above the yellow outline, which would make it a homer.

"It was a home run," said Selby, pointing to a spot on the barrier where the green paint was chipped. "It hit right here where these markings are."

A Rockies club official said park ground rules indicate if a ball hits above the yellow line, it is a home run.

As it turned out, Jamey Carroll came into the game as a pinch runner for Atkins, and the run never came home. The Padres tied it 6-6 in the eighth, and the game eventually went to extra innings.

"Either way, we won the game, so it doesn't really matter, at this point," Atkins said. "It's more fun to celebrate at home plate than it is the pitcher's mound anyway."

The Rockies are no strangers to the scenario. On May 5, an Atkins hit that cleared the wall in Cincinnati was ruled a double, but the Rockies ended up scoring four in the inning.

Two days later, in St. Louis, the same thing happened to shortstop Troy Tulowitzki in the ninth inning of a tie score, but he scored later in the inning on a bases-loaded walk to Brad Hawpe.

On Sept. 10, in Philadelphia, it happened again. This time, Yorvit Torrealba's would-be grand slam was ruled a double, and the Rockies eventually lost 7-5.

Incidentally, the Rockies' first loss at Coors Field featured the same controversy. On May 5, 1995, Larry Walker lined what should have been a two-run homer that ricocheted off the left-center-field seats and back onto the field.

Umpire Randy Marsh ruled it a double and the Rockies lost to the Dodgers 6-4.