How about the Colorado Rockies bullpen in October? The Rockies relievers have allowed just two earned runs over 23 innings, and secured three of the club’s six postseason victories.

The only important run the pen has allowed was the ninth-inning tally scored on closer Manny Corpas Friday night, but after the blown save, the Rockies came through in the 11th. Colorado’s bullpen has given up just 13 hits and five walks, good for a .163 OBA and 0.78 ERA.

Surprisingly, there is another bullpen with a better postseason ERA and OBA than the Rockies’. Arizona’s relievers have allowed just a single earned run in six games, posting a 0.46 ERA and .134 OBA over 19.2 innings. They held the Cubs scoreless over 8.1 innings in the Diamondbacks’ first-round sweep.

That sole run given up by Arizona’s pen was a costly one, however, as the Rockies scored the winning run in the 11th inning Friday off closer Jose Valverde. No Colorado batter reached by hitting a ball beyond the infield, as Valverde allowed an infield single and two walks before coughing up a four-pitch walk to Willy Taveras for the winning run.

Although the Diamondbacks are on the brink of elimination, their 0.46 bullpen ERA currently is the lowest since the Texas Rangers pen didn’t allow a run in the 1998 playoffs. Of course, those Rangers went three and out in the Division Series to the New York Yankees, and the pen was called on to work just five innings.

Only two bullpens in the last 25 years have worked at least 10 innings and posted a better ERA than Arizona’s.

In 1997, Braves relievers held their opponents scoreless over 13.2 innings, though the club was bounced from the playoffs by the surprising Florida Marlins in the NLCS. The Diamondbacks’ fate, despite the work of the bullpen, doesn’t look much better.

In 1990, Cincinnati's pen allowed a single earned run over 31.1 innings, good for a 0.29 ERA. Those Reds, with Lou Piniella as their manager, swept Oakland in the World Series. Piniella was on the other end of a sweep this fall, as the Diamondbacks pen shut down the Cubs in Arizona's three victories.

While we’re giving shout outs to October bullpens, how about the work by Cleveland relievers Rafael Betancourt and Tom Mastny on Saturday night?

Both Boston and Cleveland were piling up runs in the early going, but Betancourt put an end to the Red Sox’s scoring with 2.1 innings of dominant work. With the score 6-6, the tide seemed to turn Boston’s way when Betancourt departed after the ninth inning, as David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez and Mike Lowell were due up in the 10th.

The Indians called on Mastny, who worked a 1-2-3 10th inning before his teammates put the game away with a touchdown and an extra point in the 11th. The 26-year-old rookie, who pitched brilliantly in stretches this season and poorly in others, turned in the biggest inning of his professional career.