The Colorado Rockies are just one step away from reaching their first World Series ever, after they managed to take a three-games-to-none lead in the best-of-seven NL Championship Series by beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-1 on Sunday on the rainy Coors Field.

That decisive step will be, of course, the next game against the Diamondbacks scheduled for Monday at their home field in Denver.

Matt Holliday hit a bases-empty home run in the first inning to give Colorado the early lead. The Diamondbacks made it 1-1 in the top of the fourth on a home run to left by Mark Reynolds.

The two teams were tied in the sixth inning, when Venezuela’s Yorvit Torrealba delivered a three-run home run off Arizona pitcher Livan Hernandez of Cuba to make the difference for the Rockies.  

Torrealba, a .255 hitter who recorded just eight HR all year, now has seven RBIs for the series, thus joining Rockies second baseman Kaz Matsui as a favorite to be the series MVP.

Colorado pitcher Josh Fogg, who has a 60-60 career record and a 4.90 ERA, gave up hits in six innings to earn the Rockies’ 20th win of their last 21 games. Fogg, who was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the third round of the 1998 Amateur draft, was aided by three double-plays in the first three innings and managed to improve to 5-0 since Sept. 1.

The early main point of discussion was the conditions on the field. The temperature during the game was announced as 6 C and a cold, steady rain soaked the announced sellout crowd of 50,137.

"I think in this type of forum - with adrenalin going (and a) playoff atmosphere - once you get out there and start playing, (it has) really no effect because both teams have to play in the same conditions," Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin said.

The winner of this series will meet whoever emerges victorious from the Red Sox - Cleveland Indians series. The Red Sox and the Indians are tied, 1-1, in the American League Championship Series.