Rockies first baseman Todd Helton celebrates after making the last out against the Arizona Diamondbacks to clinch the National League Championship and advance to the World Series.

AP / David Zalubowski

BOSTON - Who are these guys and what are they doing in the World Series, the only obstacle between the Boston Red Sox and their second world championship in four years?

They are the Colorado Rockies.

They play their home games a couple of time zones removed from the East Coast, keeping them under the radar in the major media markets.

Their players are basically anonymous, able to move about even in their home city without being recognized and mobbed by fans, unlike the Red Sox, who are followed by a constant spotlight in Boston and around the league.

The Rockies also happen to be the hottest team that has ever zoomed into the World Series. They have won 21 of their last 22 games, including a special playoff game against San Diego that sent the Rockies into the postseason and then playoff sweeps of Philadelphia and Arizona in earning the right to face the Red Sox for the World Series crown.

The Rockies’ unprecedented hot streak has a down side. They will have gone eight days between games since polishing off the Diamondbacks and taking the field tonight against Boston.

Not only will they be shaking off the rust tonight, but in many ways they’ll be introducing themselves to a national baseball audience, underdogs to the better-known Red Sox.

Their most recognizable player may be 34-year-old Todd Helton, a superstar first baseman for many years who supplies power (17 homers, 91 RBI) and outstanding defense. Helton was the subject of trade rumors with Boston in the spring.

Then there’s left fielder Matt Holiday, a prime contender for the Most Valuable Player Award after hitting .340 with 36 homers and 137 RBI this season. Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, a Rookie of the Year candidate, batted .291 with 24 homers and 99 RBI.

The solid offense also includes power-packed right fielder Brad Hawpe (29 homers, 116 RBI) and third baseman Garrett Atkins (25, 111), while the Rockies also boast speed at the top of the order in second baseman Kazuo Matsui and center fielder Willy Taveras.

The Rockies’ defense was the best in baseball and, with tonight’s starter Jeff Francis (17-9, 4.22 ERA) leading the way, Colorado features decent starting pitching and Brian Fuentes (20 saves) and Manny Corpas (19 saves) to close out games.

“A lot of people are household names over there and we’re not,” conceded Rockies third baseman Atkins. “Some people may know a little more about us because of what we have done [lately], but we like the underdog role.”

So could they become America’s team, the Little Engine That Could against the Big Bad Boston Red Sox? Will people around the country who aren’t citizens of Red Sox Nation begin rooting for the Rockies?

“I have no idea. I haven’t asked them,” joked Helton before the Rockies worked out yesterday at Fenway Park. “I know my mom, my dad and my brother will be rooting for us.”

“I welcome all of America to get behind us and root for us. I hope we stay the underdogs,” added Tulowitzki.

It comes as no surprise to starter Aaron Cook, who is slated to start Game Four in Colorado on Sunday, that the Rockies have a low profile nationally.

“People have always kind of taken us lightly,” said Cook. “I understand that. We play in [the] Mountain time [zone] so it’s tough to get coverage in the East. But, hey, we play where we play. Our guys don’t dwell on that.”

The Rockies know, however, that they are not anonymous to the Red Sox.

The Red Sox are very familiar with them. The Rockies came into Fenway Park in mid-June and won two games out of three, outscoring Boston by a 20-5 margin.

“They kind of remind me a little bit of an American League team,” said Josh Beckett, Boston’s starting pitcher tonight. “They’ve got some really good bats at the bottom of the lineup. They can hit.”

They certainly were able to come up with the key hits in the sizzling late-season stretch that vaulted them from seeming also-ran status in early September to the franchise’s first World Series berth.

But, the media is wondering, how will their long layoff affect them tonight? Has the magic worn off?

“I think the layoff was positive for anyone who was nicked up a little bit,” said Holliday. “And the pitchers should be fresh.”

“I think we would rather have kept playing, but once the first pitch is thrown, it doesn’t matter,” said Hawpe.

It also doesn’t matter to them if they are under the radar as the World Series begins.

“Outside of Helton and Holliday, no one’s going to know who we are,” said Game Three starter Josh Fogg. “And that’s fine with us.”

“If you had said before the season started that the Rockies would be in the World Series, they would have laughed at you,” said Tulowitzki. “But here we are.”

Facing the Rockies will be no laughing matter for the Red Sox. They know it. And starting tonight, the Rockies hope to begin making a name for themselves on a national stage.

skrasner@projo.com