DENVER — In a season that needed an extra day, Matt Holliday and the Colorado Rockies needed extra innings to pull off the most dramatic comeback yet.

Holliday raced home on Jamey Carroll's shallow fly ball, capping a stunning, three-run rally in the 13th inning against Trevor Hoffman and leading the Rockies over the San Diego Padres, 9-8, last night in a tiebreaker for the NL wild card.

"It's been an incredible run from game 1 to game 163," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "This is just a snapshot of what we've been through."

After Scott Hairston's two-run homer put the Padres ahead in the top of the 13th, Colorado came back against baseball's career saves leader.

The Rockies, who won for the 14th time in 15 games, took the longest one-game tiebreaker in major league history. They advanced to play Philadelphia in the first round starting tomorrow.

Kaz Matsui and Troy Tulowitzki, who had four hits, lined back-to-back doubles off Hoffman, making it 8-7. Then Holliday tripled off the wall in right to tie it.

After Todd Helton was intentionally walked, Carroll lined out to right fielder Brian Giles.

Giles' throw home bounced in front of catcher Michael Barrett, who couldn't hold on as Holliday swiped the plate. Holliday then lay face-down after cutting his chin with his headfirst slide. Umpire Tim McClelland made a delayed safe call, and replays were inconclusive on whether Holliday touched the plate with his left hand or was blocked by Barrett's left foot.

"I don't know. He hit me pretty good," Holliday said. "I got stepped on and banged my chin. I'm all right."

Said Padres manager Bud Black: "It looked to me like he did get it."

Carroll entered the game as a pinch-runner in the seventh inning and stayed in to play third base. He got one hit before finding himself in position to hit the sacrifice fly that won it.

"I was just trying to get a ball up in the zone," Carroll said. "Had a guy at third. Matty did a great job. Matty ran his butt off. I am so happy that we get this opportunity to go on."

Hoffman (4-5), who has 524 career saves, blew his seventh chance in 49 tries. On Saturday, he was one strike away from clinching a playoff spot when Tony Gwynn Jr. hit a tying triple for Milwaukee, which went on to win 4-3 in 11 innings.

"I'm having a hard time expressing myself right now," Hoffman said. "I wish I could, but I can't after what happened tonight."

The Rockies won the longest game at Coors Field this season behind Holliday, the MVP candidate who clinched the NL batting title at .340. His triple also gave him the league RBI crown with 137, one more than Philadelphia's Ryan Howard.