SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- The San Diego Padres ended their 35-year run at Qualcomm Stadium - and any chance Todd Helton had at winning the National League batting title.
Charles Johnson, pinch hitter Greg Norton and Jay Payton homered in a five-run seventh inning as the Colorado Rockies spoiled the final game at Qualcomm Stadium by holding on for a 10-8 victory over the Padres.
Helton had two hits in his first four at-bats and trailed St. Louis' Albert Pujols by one percentage point as he battled for his second batting crown. With Colorado leading 10-7 in the eighth and San Diego manager Bruce Bochy already ejected, Padres reliever Rod Beck intentionally walked Helton with first base open and two outs.
"Obviously, I wasn't pleased about that last at-bat," said Helton, who finished at .358 in the closest batting race in National League history. "(Bochy) apologized for walking me in that situation, I just wish he hadn't got thrown out of the game."
Bochy was tossed an inning earlier for arguing a play at first base.
"Yeah, I did (apologize)," he said. "I feel terrible for him. That at-bat was the deciding factor in the batting race. I was out of the game and the coaching staff didn't know. ... Nobody on this side had any idea of the magnitude of that at-bat."
"I knew he and Pujols were within percentage points when I came into the game," Beck said. "I'm not out there to spoil anybody's chances or whatever. I'm just out there trying to win a ballgame."
Beck and the Padres did not win, finishing with a 1,366-1,401 record at the ballpark formerly known as Jack Murphy Stadium. They move into Petco Park next season.
Justin Speier struck out Gary Bennett to end the game, but San Diego closer Trevor Hoffman was brought back during postgame ceremonies to throw the unofficial final pitch.
"It definitely felt different knowing it's the last time we'll play in here," said Hoffman, a member of the Padres' all-time team. "You wonder what it's going to be like in the new ballpark. We had a nice ceremony for the fans, and that's a good way to close out the stadium."
After the game, home plate was dug up and driven to the new stadium. In an emotional moment, Padres teammates Phil Nevin and Gary Matthews Jr. carried 7-year-old Michael Darr Jr. out to right field. Darr's father, a San Diego prospect, was killed in a spring training car accident in 2002.
Juan Uribe also homered for the Rockies, who closed with back-to-back wins for a 74-88 record - a one-game improvement over last season.
"It's always nice to win on the road and battle back the way we did," Colorado manager Clint Hurdle said. "To win a road series means more to me than 74 wins vs. 73 wins."
The seventh-inning rally made a winner of Javier Lopez (4-1), who pitched a scoreless frame. Speier struck out the side in the ninth for his ninth save after Brian Fuentes put two men on.
Jay Witasick (3-7) served up the home runs to Johnson and Norton and absorbed the loss.
Xavier Nady and Bennett delivered RBI singles in the bottom of the fifth to give San Diego a 5-3 lead. But Johnson greeted Witasick with a leadoff homer in the seventh and Norton connected with one out to tie it.
Ron Belliard singled but was erased on a fielder's choice by Chris Stynes. Mike Matthews replaced Witasick and gave up a single to Helton before Payton homered off Scott Linebrink for an 8-5 cushion.
At 64-98, the Padres were two games worse than last season.
