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The Colorado Rockies celebrate after defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks to sweep the National League championship series on Monday and earn a trip to the World Series for the first time.

D-Backs right-hander Micah Owings got two strikes on Smith, and then it happened. Smith blooped a broken-bat opposite-field pop fly that landed a few feet inside the left-field foul line for a go-ahead, two-run double.

Owings should have gotten out of the inning trailing 2-1, but Conor Jackson’s error on Taveras’ routine groundball set up four crucial unearned runs on Kaz Matsui’s line-drive single to center and Matt Holliday’s three-run, 452-foot bomb to dead center — a blast that went a long way to earning him the series MVP award.

“I don’t think there is anybody in (the clubhouse) that has not contributed,’’ Hurdle said. “And I mean that — from top to bottom, everybody we have brought into play.

“Ramon Ortiz (not on the postseason roster) might have thrown only one 1-2-3 inning while he was here, and it happened to be in the top of the 13th inning against the Padres after we already were two runs down. So that has been something that the players are aware of, they count on, and they know going in they can beat anybody.’’

And now the Rockies will wait, and wait and wait — nine days in all — before they will open the World Series in either Cleveland or Boston. The long delay could be damaging to a record-setting hot team.

But on the other hand, the Rockies could get their Opening Day starter back. Aaron Cook almost was activated for the NLCS, but club officials decided at the last minute to hold him back. Now, Cook may become yet another player who can contribute — another trick up the Rockies’ sleeves.

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