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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Rockies top Cubs 2-1 in 13 innings in epic National League wild-card game

Chicago Tribune

CHICAGO – Colorado catcher Tony Wolters hit an RBI single off Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks in the 13th inning to lift the Rockies to a 2-1 victory over the Cubs in the National League wild-card game on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field.

Hendricks, who pitched 1 1/3 innings of relief, gave up three straight singles with two outs to Trevor Story, Gerardo Parra and Wolters, who knocked a 1-2 changeup up the middle.

Wolters hit .170 during the regular season, but his first postseason hit meant that the Cubs’ run of three consecutive appearances in the National League Championship Series will not be extended to a fourth.

The Rockies advance to the fourth National League Division Series in franchise history, and the first since 2009. They lost to the Diamondbacks in the N.L. wild-card game last year. They will face the Brewers in Milwaukee on Thursday afternoon for Game 1 of the NLDS.

Rockies reliever Scott Oberg struck out Terrance Gore, Javier Baez and Albert Almora Jr. in the bottom of the 13th to seal the victory.

The Cubs won 95 regular-season games, but back-to-back losses to the Brewers in Game 163 on Monday and the Rockies on Tuesday night sealed their early playoff exit.

The Rockies gave the Cubs extra opportunities to extend their postseason. A dropped fly ball in the outfield in the sixth inning. A catcher’s interference call to load the bases in the seventh.

The Cubs couldn’t capitalize until Baez tied the game with an eighth-inning RBI double.

Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon led off the game with a walk against Cubs starter Jon Lester and scored on a sacrifice fly, and the Rockies led 1-0 until the eighth.