Denver, CO (Sports Network) - Matt Holliday was ruled safe on a questionable call at home plate on Jamey Carroll's sacrifice line drive to cap a three- run rally in the 13th inning, as the Rockies clinched the National League wild card spot with a 9-8 win over the San Diego Padres.

Scott Hairston hit a two-run homer in the top of the 13th off Jorge Julio, but Trevor Hoffman, baseball's all-time saves leader blew a chance to lock up a playoff spot for San Diego for the second time in three games as the Padres faltered in a tiebreaker game full of controversy.

The Rockies (90-73) won 14 of their final 15 games to make the playoffs for the second time in team history and the first time since 1995. They advanced to play the NL East champion Phillies in the Division Series, starting Wednesday.

Kaz Matsui doubled to right-center field to lead off the bottom of the 13th. Troy Tulowitzki then doubled to center, and Holliday, who won the NL batting title (.340) and RBI crown (137) hit a ball over the head of a leaping and tumbling Brian Giles at the wall in right field for a triple to tie the game. Todd Helton was intentionally walked to set the stage for the winning play.

Carroll hit a liner to right field and Giles threw home. Catcher Michael Barrett blocked the plate with his foot and Holliday slid head-first with his face hitting the dirt. Replays showed Holliday likely never touched the plate with his left hand, but when Barrett gathered the ball and went to tag Holliday home plate umpire Tim McClelland motioned the safe signal.

Asked after the game if he touched home plate, Holliday exclaimed, "Yeah, the umpire called me safe."

Holliday, who was left with a nasty chin scrape from a facial in the dirt and a bruised thumb from the spikes of Barrett, had to be tended to by trainers as the team celebrated around him.

"We never gave up," said Helton, a member of the team since 1997. "Now look where we're at. It's unbelievable."

The Padres (89-74) were in control of their own destiny on Saturday and Sunday, but lost twice at Milwaukee while the Rockies beat NL West champion Arizona two times to force the one-game tiebreaker. They completed the ultimate thrill Monday night, dealing Hoffman (4-5) the loss.

Ramon Ortiz (1-0), the 10th Colorado pitcher of the night, got the win.

Amazingly, the yellow padding at the top of the outfield wall at Coors Field played a large part in the 163rd game of the regular season.

Colorado's Garrett Atkins hit a ball in the seventh inning that caromed off the top of the wall in left-center, but it looked as if it went over the yellow padding. The Rockies were ahead 6-5 at the time, but they didn't score that inning and the Padres tied the game in the eighth on a Giles RBI double.

Then in the 13th, Julio walked Giles to start the inning. Hairston followed by driving a 1-0 pitch to left-center field, and the ball nearly bounced off the same padding, but cleared the wall.

It seemed the Padres were ready to overcome Hoffman's blown save from Saturday when the Brewers rallied with two outs in the ninth to tie the game before winning in 11 innings. However, it all fell apart in incredible fashion.

Helton and Yorvit Torrealba homered for the Rockies and Tulowitzki had four hits in a game that saw each team leave 13 men on base.

Adrian Gonzalez had three hits, including a grand slam, for the Padres, who were denied a playoff spot after making the postseason the previous two years.

"This hurts, I won't lie," Gonzalez said. "But I go by the philosophy that if you give all you have, you have no reason to put your head down. It definitely doesn't feel good, but I am proud of every single guy in this clubhouse."

Instead the Rockies, who had a franchise-record 11-game winning streak leading to the final week of the season, head to Philadelphia for Games 1 and 2 in the NLDS, Wednesday and Thursday, both at 3 p.m. (et).

Jake Peavy was denied his 20th win of the season as he gave up 10 hits and six runs over 6 1/3 innings. The righty walked four and struck out six,

Josh Fogg was lifted for Colorado after allowing eight hits and five runs through four-plus frames in his start.

The Rockies scored twice in the opening inning on Helton's sacrifice fly and Atkins' RBI single.

Torrealba homered to left leading off the bottom of the second, but the Padres got it all back in the next inning, sending 10 men to the plate and going ahead 5-3. Peavy and Hairston sandwiched singled around a Giles walk to load the bases with nobody out. With one out, Gonzalez smacked the first pitch he saw over the right field wall for his 30th homer of the year.

San Diego proceeded to load the bases again, on a Greene single, Josh Bard double and Geoff Blum intentional walk. It became a two-run lead when Brady Clark beat out a potential double-play grounder, as Kaz Matsui bounced a return throw to first.

Helton's homer to right with one out in the bottom of the inning drew the Rockies within a run, and they tied it in the fifth on Holliday's RBI single to the chants of "MVP! MVP!"

Pinch-hitter Seth Smith tripled to center field with one out in the sixth and scored on Matsui's sacrifice fly for a 6-5 Colorado lead.

Then came the controversy in the seventh with Atkins' double. Carroll entered the game to pinch-run for Atkins, while Rockies manager Clint Hurdle made his case that the hit was a homer, to no avail.

The Padres equaled the score at 6-6 in the eighth on a double from Giles, who got help thanks to a misplayed ball from Holliday. Blum, who singled, earlier in the frame, scored when the ball went over Holliday's head.