The postseason has a unique quality that I love: there is always an unexpected October hero. We all expect the superstars to shine at this time of year, but it’s often an “under-the-radar” player who serves up an unforgettable moment and writes himself into baseball history.
Remember Cody Ross, the outfielder who was the hero of the ’70s? Giants in 2010 to such an extent that broadcaster Duane Kuiper started calling him “Babe Ross”? Or how about shortstop Juan Uribe (in 2010) and first baseman Travis Ishikawa (in ’10 and ’14)? When the Giants won World Series titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014 they were loaded with stars — from Buster Posey to Tim Lincecum to Madison Bumgarner — and yet we were still talking about Ross, Uribe and Ishikawa just as much during those postseasons.
How about 2006, when David Eckstein — not Albert PujolsOder Yadier Molina — was named World Series MVP for the Cardinals? Everyone remembers Luis Gonzalez’s walk-off hit against Mariano Rivera in the 2001 World Series, but Craig Counsell was the NLCS MVP who helped the DiamondbacksHe did it, and also struck a homer in the first inning against Mike Mussina in Game 1.
What about the homers that Steve Pearce made in the?
