Five months later and the memories of the Rockies' run to the postseason remain vivid for the men who were a part of the strongest late-season finish in baseball history. The majority of players and coaches chose Todd Helton's home run off Dodgers closer Takashi Saito in the second game of a Sept. 18 doubleheader to give the Rockies a 9-8 victory, the third win in the stretch. Here are selected comments about the stretch run, in which the Rockies won 21 of 22 games:

HELTON'S HOME RUN

RHP Matt Herges

"You can't deny the play-in game with the Padres, but it all started with Helton's home run off Saito. That's what let us know we can do this. Who is better to start it than Todd? It's almost like it was ordained to be him. It would have been exciting if anybody hit that home run, but this was Todd, and then to see him show the emotion."

RHP Aaron Cook

"The momentum took off from there."

LHP Jeff Francis

"I don't know if you realized at the time, but looking back the emotional display by him gave the rest of the team a sense of what was possible."

Pitching coach Bob Apodaca

"It captured the tenacity of this ballcub. That got the ball rolling as far as understanding we could win. It made it clear that if they don't have the final out we have a chance."

Third base coach Mike Gallego

"I had said we hadn't gotten a hit off him (Saito) and then that. I don't think we had even had a foul ball off him."

Bench coach Jamie Quirk

"We hadn't touched the guy. When it happened, you felt things could start rolling."

3B Ian Stewart

"When he jumped into the group of everybody at home plate. I still have goose bumps when I think of that."

RF Brad Hawpe

"He's our guy. He's our leader. He's the Rockies. He's a non-emotional guy and he gets emotional. That was unbelievable."

OF Ryan Spilborghs

"That, and obviously getting into the game of all time, the 163rd game. Todd's home run was huge, though. It got everything going."

OF Cory Sullivan

"It was the catalyst to the whole thing. He's our leader. We all stood in line and followed him."

THE PLAY-IN GAME

LHP Mark Redman

"The 163rd game (Oct. 1 against the San Diego Padres). It was a roller-coaster of a game. We had a future Hall of Famer (Trevor Hoffman) coming in with a two-run lead. Most teams don't play the 163rd game, that counts, and to play one that counts, and continually answer the challenge of that game is special."

C Yorvit Torrealba

"It's crazy. We're facing the Cy Young winner, Jake Peavy, and then we are down two facing the best closer in the game. And we were able to do it. That was amazing."

C Chris Iannetta

"Just the feeling of Hoffman coming in with a two-run lead. Then bang, bang, bang. Realizing if we didn't do something right then and there, the streak didn't matter. As soon as Jamey Carroll hit the (fly)ball you knew we had a chance. Then Matt (Holliday) slides into home and the umpire calls him safe."

3B Garrett Atkins

"Without it we won't have anything to remember. We had so man people play key rolls in that game."

INF Clint Barmes

"Has to be the tiebreaker. That last inning, they score two in the top of the inning and we came back and scored three. It all happened so fast. They are up two and Hoffman is coming in, and we rally."

WINNING THE PENNANT

1B Todd Helton

"That's one goal we sat out to reach and we accomplished it."

OF Seth Smith

"Just one? Probably Todd Helton's picture jumping in the air after the last out of the NLCS. That said it all."

MULTIPLE CHOICES

LF Matt Holliday

"Going to the World Series. Winning the NLCS. Also Todd's home run. That was a huge moment. At the time maybe it was not such a big deal, but it gave life to the team and set the whole thing in motion. And, obviously, I remember the slide, after I came to."

Manager Clint Hurdle

"(Franklin) Morales' matchup with Peavy (in San Diego). (Brad) Hawpe's home run (in the 14th inning of a 2-1 win Sept. 21 at San Diego). But Helton's home run off Saito. He'd been dealing against our club all season. There was a lift."

Bullpen coach Rick Mathews

"There were so many things. There was Hawpe's home run in San Diego. There was Helton's home run off Saito. That was at the start. It gave us that first boost."

INF/OF Jeff Baker

"The road trip where we swept San Diego and Los Angeles (to extend the winning streak to a club record 11 games). I don't think historically we had done well in Los Angeles and the sweep of San Diego was huge. The other would be the day/night doubleheader with the Dodgers that ended with Todd's home run. Todd doesn't show emotion. He did that game."

RHP Ryan Speier

"Helton's walkoff got it started. And (Troy) Tulowitzki's Y.A. Tittle play in Los Angeles, that was ridiculous. And (Brad) Hawpe's home run off the left-hander in the 13th inning at San Diego. Every day there was a special moment."

THE ENTIRE RUN

SS Troy Tulowitzki

"The whole run was a special moment. When it was time to play we would go about our business, determined to get the job done. When you look back on it, the whole stretch was pretty cool."

CF Willy Taveras

"It was all special. Every game counted. ... There was the home run Todd hit. There was the win against the Padres. It was all beautiful."

LHP Brian Fuentes

"To be honest, it seems that the whole stretch meshed together. It seems like it was a blur of games that combined to show how well we are capable of playing.

RHP Ubaldo Jimenez

"For me, it was all so special. To be a part of something like that in your rookie season. ... It was special."

RHP Manny Corpas

"Every game was special. Every moment was exciting."

First base coach Glenallen Hill

"It was all one big moment."

LHP Franklin Morales

"The emotions we had as a team and how everybody was a part of what happened."

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