CBI_2
10-22-2009, 08:07 PM
I found this list on another site and thought the baseball fans here would enjoy it.
No.10 - John Smoltz
After joining the Cardinals late in the season, John Smoltz looked ahead to postseason play. “I love the playoffs,” he told FOXSports.com. “I think my resume speaks for itself.”
Indeed it does. He appeared only briefly in the 2009 National League Division Series, but his career postseason mark (15-4 with a 2.67 earned-run average) is exceptional. He is 7-0 with three saves and a 2.67 ERA in division series games and 6-2 with one save and a 2.83 ERA in NL Championship Series. His ERA for World Series games is even better, 2.47.
During his glorious run with the Braves, he won five pennants and one Series. He switched from starting to relieving and back to starting in his career, excelling at both roles in the biggest games.
No.9 - Mickey Mantle
The Mick did not like to lose. “In 1960, when Pittsburgh beat us in the World Series, we outscored them 55-27,” he once said. “It was the only time I think the better team lost. I was so disappointed I cried on the plane ride home.”
In that World Series, Mantle batted .400 for the Yankees with three homers, 11 RBI and 8 runs scored. Overall, Mantle hit 18 homers and drove in 40 runs in 65 World Series games -- setting records in both categories. His career slugging percentage in the Fall Classic was .535. In 18 seasons in New York, he won seven World Series rings.
His signature moment was a walk-off homer off Barney Schultz in Game 3 of the 1964 World Series.
No.8 - Paul Molitor
In Game 6 of the 1993 World Series, the Blue Jays trailed 6-5 in the bottom of the ninth inning. With a runner at first base, Molitor roped a single to bring up slugger Joe Carter.
On first base, Molitor reflected upon his 1982 Series experience, when his Brewers blew a three-games-to-two lead over the Cardinals. Toronto had a 3-2 edge in this series, but the Jays could feel it slipping away.
Then, Carter ripped a three-run homer and Toronto celebrated. “The last 180 feet were as close as I ever came to moonwalking,” Molitor said afterward.
He delivered 12 hits in 24 bats in that series and earned MVP honors. Overall, he hit .368 in postseason play with a .615 slugging percentage and 22 RBI in 29 games.
No.7 - Sandy Koufax
When the 1965 World Series opened, Dodgers ace Sandy Koufax refused to pitch Game 1. He celebrated Yom Kippur instead. This, of course, caused a stir.
But Koufax pitched Game 2, 5 and 7 -- throwing complete-game shutouts in the latter two to lead Los Angeles to the championship. He won the clinching game on two days’ rest, pitching on fumes.
“He pitched like it was going to be his last breath,” Dodgers coach Danny Ozark recalled.
Koufax pitched in four Series, posting a 0.95 ERA with 61 strikeouts in 57 innings. He twice earned MVP honors in the Fall Classic, in 1963 and ’65.
No.6 - Mariano Rivera
Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain offered his teammate the highest possible praise: “I don't think you can put into words how valuable he is to this team,” Chamberlain recently said to the Los Angeles Times. “When we get to the postseason, he gets better. It's scary to say that, but it's true.”
Through the 2009 American League Division Series, Rivera was 8-1 in postseason play with a 0.72 ERA and 36 saves -- the most in major league history. In 1999, he was named World Series MVP and in 2003 he was MVP of the AL Championship Series.
He has earned three world championship rings in New York and is shooting for his fourth.
No.5 - Bob Gibson
During the 1967 World Series, he earned three complete-game victories (while striking out 26 batters) to lead the Cardinals past the Red Sox in an epic seven-game battle.
“He was everywhere,” his catcher, Tim McCarver, recalled in a New York Times interview. “He just dominated the Series, much more than in 1964. He was just coming into the consciousness of baseball then, but in 1967 he had something to prove. He had missed eight weeks when he got his leg broken on a grounder by Roberto Clemente. I'm not too sure we thought he could make three starts in the Series.”
Gibson earned his second Series MVP award for his effort. Overall, he was 7-2 with a 1.89 ERA in the Fall Classic with a stretch of eight consecutive complete games.
No.4 - Lou Gehrig
He played in the shadow of Babe Ruth on the dynastic Yankees, which was fine by him. “I'm not the headline guy,” he once said. “I know that as long as I was following Ruth to the plate I could have stood on my head and no one would have known the difference.”
But how he played made a difference. He played in seven World Series in New York, winning six of them. He drove in 35 runs in 34 games. His career Series average was .361 and his career slugging percentage was .731.
In the 1928 sweep of the Cardinals, he swatted four homers, drove in nine runs and posted an on-base percentage of .706 and a slugging percentage of 1.727.
No.3 - Curt Schilling
He is best known for pitching through an ankle injury for the Red Sox in the 2004 postseason, with the help of an unusual medical procedure. This produced the legendary bloody sock in Game 6 of the ALCS and Game 2 of the World Series.
He won both games for Boston, contributing to his 11-2 record and 2.23 ERA in 19 postseason games. Overall, Schilling won two Series in Boston and one in Arizona, where he shared a Series MVP award with Randy Johnson in 2001.
“He was consistently dominant, and never more so than when it mattered most,” Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein noted after Schilling retired. “Not only for what he did -- but for when and how he did it -- Curt deserves to be remembered with the all-time greats.”
No.2 - Derek Jeter
Twins manager Ron Gardenhire was hardly surprised when Derek Jeter whacked a homer -- his 18th in postseason -- in Game 1 of the 2009 ALDS. “Jeter does what he does best,” Gardenhire said, according to the New York Daily News.
Through this series, he has a .311 postseason battering average and 53 RBIs. He reins baseball’s all-time leader in postseason hits and games played. He was the MVP of the 2000 World Series, when he hit .409 with two homers, two RBI and six runs scored in five games.
No.1 - Reggie Jackson
He became the first position player to win two World Series MVP trophies, doing it with the A’s and then the Yankees. He won 11 division titles in his career. He won six pennants and five world championships. He hit .357 in 27 Series games and his .755 slugging percentage is best ever.
In Game 6 of the 1977 Series, he slugged three homers against the Dodgers to drive the Yankees to their clinching victory. Only Babe Ruth had hit three homers in a World Series Game.
The New York media gave him the nickname he relished.
"Mr. October, it's the best, better than Say Hey Kid or the Mick,” Jackson recently told the New York Times. “The Yankee Clipper -- what's that? I'm not talking about them as ballplayers -- they were great -- but this is nicknames. You know which one I liked a lot? The Galloping Ghost -- Red Grange. You can just picture that. Like you can Mr. October.”
No.10 - John Smoltz
After joining the Cardinals late in the season, John Smoltz looked ahead to postseason play. “I love the playoffs,” he told FOXSports.com. “I think my resume speaks for itself.”
Indeed it does. He appeared only briefly in the 2009 National League Division Series, but his career postseason mark (15-4 with a 2.67 earned-run average) is exceptional. He is 7-0 with three saves and a 2.67 ERA in division series games and 6-2 with one save and a 2.83 ERA in NL Championship Series. His ERA for World Series games is even better, 2.47.
During his glorious run with the Braves, he won five pennants and one Series. He switched from starting to relieving and back to starting in his career, excelling at both roles in the biggest games.
No.9 - Mickey Mantle
The Mick did not like to lose. “In 1960, when Pittsburgh beat us in the World Series, we outscored them 55-27,” he once said. “It was the only time I think the better team lost. I was so disappointed I cried on the plane ride home.”
In that World Series, Mantle batted .400 for the Yankees with three homers, 11 RBI and 8 runs scored. Overall, Mantle hit 18 homers and drove in 40 runs in 65 World Series games -- setting records in both categories. His career slugging percentage in the Fall Classic was .535. In 18 seasons in New York, he won seven World Series rings.
His signature moment was a walk-off homer off Barney Schultz in Game 3 of the 1964 World Series.
No.8 - Paul Molitor
In Game 6 of the 1993 World Series, the Blue Jays trailed 6-5 in the bottom of the ninth inning. With a runner at first base, Molitor roped a single to bring up slugger Joe Carter.
On first base, Molitor reflected upon his 1982 Series experience, when his Brewers blew a three-games-to-two lead over the Cardinals. Toronto had a 3-2 edge in this series, but the Jays could feel it slipping away.
Then, Carter ripped a three-run homer and Toronto celebrated. “The last 180 feet were as close as I ever came to moonwalking,” Molitor said afterward.
He delivered 12 hits in 24 bats in that series and earned MVP honors. Overall, he hit .368 in postseason play with a .615 slugging percentage and 22 RBI in 29 games.
No.7 - Sandy Koufax
When the 1965 World Series opened, Dodgers ace Sandy Koufax refused to pitch Game 1. He celebrated Yom Kippur instead. This, of course, caused a stir.
But Koufax pitched Game 2, 5 and 7 -- throwing complete-game shutouts in the latter two to lead Los Angeles to the championship. He won the clinching game on two days’ rest, pitching on fumes.
“He pitched like it was going to be his last breath,” Dodgers coach Danny Ozark recalled.
Koufax pitched in four Series, posting a 0.95 ERA with 61 strikeouts in 57 innings. He twice earned MVP honors in the Fall Classic, in 1963 and ’65.
No.6 - Mariano Rivera
Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain offered his teammate the highest possible praise: “I don't think you can put into words how valuable he is to this team,” Chamberlain recently said to the Los Angeles Times. “When we get to the postseason, he gets better. It's scary to say that, but it's true.”
Through the 2009 American League Division Series, Rivera was 8-1 in postseason play with a 0.72 ERA and 36 saves -- the most in major league history. In 1999, he was named World Series MVP and in 2003 he was MVP of the AL Championship Series.
He has earned three world championship rings in New York and is shooting for his fourth.
No.5 - Bob Gibson
During the 1967 World Series, he earned three complete-game victories (while striking out 26 batters) to lead the Cardinals past the Red Sox in an epic seven-game battle.
“He was everywhere,” his catcher, Tim McCarver, recalled in a New York Times interview. “He just dominated the Series, much more than in 1964. He was just coming into the consciousness of baseball then, but in 1967 he had something to prove. He had missed eight weeks when he got his leg broken on a grounder by Roberto Clemente. I'm not too sure we thought he could make three starts in the Series.”
Gibson earned his second Series MVP award for his effort. Overall, he was 7-2 with a 1.89 ERA in the Fall Classic with a stretch of eight consecutive complete games.
No.4 - Lou Gehrig
He played in the shadow of Babe Ruth on the dynastic Yankees, which was fine by him. “I'm not the headline guy,” he once said. “I know that as long as I was following Ruth to the plate I could have stood on my head and no one would have known the difference.”
But how he played made a difference. He played in seven World Series in New York, winning six of them. He drove in 35 runs in 34 games. His career Series average was .361 and his career slugging percentage was .731.
In the 1928 sweep of the Cardinals, he swatted four homers, drove in nine runs and posted an on-base percentage of .706 and a slugging percentage of 1.727.
No.3 - Curt Schilling
He is best known for pitching through an ankle injury for the Red Sox in the 2004 postseason, with the help of an unusual medical procedure. This produced the legendary bloody sock in Game 6 of the ALCS and Game 2 of the World Series.
He won both games for Boston, contributing to his 11-2 record and 2.23 ERA in 19 postseason games. Overall, Schilling won two Series in Boston and one in Arizona, where he shared a Series MVP award with Randy Johnson in 2001.
“He was consistently dominant, and never more so than when it mattered most,” Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein noted after Schilling retired. “Not only for what he did -- but for when and how he did it -- Curt deserves to be remembered with the all-time greats.”
No.2 - Derek Jeter
Twins manager Ron Gardenhire was hardly surprised when Derek Jeter whacked a homer -- his 18th in postseason -- in Game 1 of the 2009 ALDS. “Jeter does what he does best,” Gardenhire said, according to the New York Daily News.
Through this series, he has a .311 postseason battering average and 53 RBIs. He reins baseball’s all-time leader in postseason hits and games played. He was the MVP of the 2000 World Series, when he hit .409 with two homers, two RBI and six runs scored in five games.
No.1 - Reggie Jackson
He became the first position player to win two World Series MVP trophies, doing it with the A’s and then the Yankees. He won 11 division titles in his career. He won six pennants and five world championships. He hit .357 in 27 Series games and his .755 slugging percentage is best ever.
In Game 6 of the 1977 Series, he slugged three homers against the Dodgers to drive the Yankees to their clinching victory. Only Babe Ruth had hit three homers in a World Series Game.
The New York media gave him the nickname he relished.
"Mr. October, it's the best, better than Say Hey Kid or the Mick,” Jackson recently told the New York Times. “The Yankee Clipper -- what's that? I'm not talking about them as ballplayers -- they were great -- but this is nicknames. You know which one I liked a lot? The Galloping Ghost -- Red Grange. You can just picture that. Like you can Mr. October.”