Rockies, Padres tied 6-6

The NL wild-card tiebreaker was tied after 12 innings Monday night.

DENVER (AP) — Appropriately, the NL wild-card tiebreaker game between San Diego and Colorado was tied after 12 innings Monday night.

Of the seven one-game playoffs in major league history, this was the first to go extra innings.

The Rockies and Padres were tied 6-6 in the 163rd game of the season for each team, the first play-in game since the New York Mets beat Cincinnati 5-0 for the 1999 NL wild card. The winner gets a trip to Philadelphia for the first round of the playoffs.

San Diego threatened in the 10th off Matt Herges, who walked Terrmel Sledge. Mike Cameron, his injured right thumb heavily bandaged, pinch ran and took second on Michael Barrett’s two-out single to left. But Brian Giles grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the threat.

In the bottom half, Doug Brocail sent the Rockies down in order.

Big double play

In the 11th, third baseman Jamey Carroll booted Scott Hairston’s grounder but made up for it with a spectacular double play to end the inning.

Todd Helton drew a two-out walk in the bottom half and Carroll followed with a single to right. The Padres brought in lefty Joe Thatcher, who struck out Brad Hawpe to end the threat.

The Rockies had a 6-5 lead in the eighth when MVP candidate Matt Holliday misplayed Giles’ flyball into an RBI double off Brian Fuentes that scored Geoff Blum from second base.

In the bottom half of the inning, Holliday stranded the go-ahead run at second when he whiffed against Health Bell, who relieved ineffective Padres ace Jake Peavy.

Manny Corpas went 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth, and Bell sent the game into extra innings by retiring the side in the bottom half, stranding the potential winning run at first base by striking out pinch-hitter Joe Koshansky on three pitches.

The big hit for Colorado came from September callup Seth Smith, who tripled in the sixth and scored on Kaz Matsui’s shallow sacrifice fly to give Colorado a 6-5 lead.

Colorado took an early 3-0 lead only to watch Adrian Gonzalez erase it with his first career grand slam in the third inning, which Peavy ignited a five-run rally with a single.

The Rockies came back to tie on Helton’s 17th homer in the bottom half and batting champ Holliday’s RBI single in the fifth off Peavy, who looked little like the Cy Young Award candidate he’s been this season.