A decade of doubles for Helton
For Colorado fans and all lovers of an underdog story, the 2007 Rockies are affectionately remembered for their historic late-season surge and magical playoff run.
In September, the club went from fourth place in the National League West to the franchise’s first playoff berth, winning 14 of their final 15 regular season games while walking off the Padres in a dramatic, 13-inning Wild Card tiebreaker. The Rockies would sweep through the NLDS and NLCS, besting the Phillies and Diamondbacks before falling to the Red Sox in the Fall Classic.
Among the authors of “Rocktober” was Colorado first baseman Todd Helton. A franchise mainstay in his 11th of 17 seasons with the club, Helton compiled five All-Star selections, four Silver Slugger Awards and a trio of Gold Glove Awards during his first decade in Colorado.
“Todd Helton was the staple of the franchise, that rock that everybody could lean on,” said left fielder Matt Holliday, who finished as runner-up in NL Most Valuable Player voting during the Rockies’ 2007 campaign. “We really felt pride in being the team that got Todd to the postseason.”
Helton recorded a productive 2007 season in what became his first playoff appearance, posting a .320 batting average with 178 hits, 91 RBI, 86 runs and 116 walks – complemented by his record 10th straight season with 35-or-more doubles, which he secured in a September game against the Padres.
The Padres and Rockies, foreshadowing the epic Game 163 that punched the Rockies’ ticket to the postseason, met at Coors Field on Sept. 9. Helton’s first hit of the day came in the first inning with an RBI single that scored Holliday, putting the Rockies up 1-0. Helton would be next to touch home when third baseman Garrett Atkins launched a home run into left field.
After hitting into a double play in the bottom of the third, Helton’s next at-bat in the bottom of the sixth would begin a new – and never matched – chapter of big league history. Facing a fresh Padres arm in Joe Thatcher, Helton knocked a line drive deep into center field, reaching second and putting the cap on an MLB record he spent 10 seasons assembling.
Tallying his 35th double of the season, Helton became the first big leaguer to notch 10 consecutive seasons of 35-or-more doubles. As the Rockies inched toward their historic postseason run, Helton would continue his own pursuit of history; he finished 2007 with 42 doubles, extending his streak while erasing Hall of Famer Tris Speaker’s 80-year-old record of nine consecutive 35-double seasons.
“It’s a great honor,” the first baseman told the Denver Post. “Anytime you do something in this game that nobody has ever done, it’s a huge accomplishment.”
Rockies manager Clint Hurdle emphasized just how exclusive Helton’s club was: “You think of the names that have played this game, and Helton’s the only one to have ever done it.
“He’s in a very, very special place.”
Helton finished his career with 592 doubles, which still ranks in the Top 25 on the all-time list. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2024.
Abbey Dempsey was the 2026 communications intern in the Frank and Peggy Steele Internship Program for Leadership Development
