The Colorado Rockies will squeeze into the cramped and creaky clubhouse at Wrigley Field on Tuesday, the third leg of a trip they hope is just beginning. They won on Sunday in Denver to force a tiebreaker for the National League West title on Monday in Los Angeles. They lost there against the Dodgers, setting up an elimination game with the other wild-card team, the Chicago Cubs, on Tuesday.
If they win, they can exhale, then wind their way to Milwaukee for a division-series opener on Thursday.
With all of that travel, and so much at stake, the Rockies will probably not reflect on the significance of Tuesday’s setting.