10/03/2006

Favorite Postseason Moments

First the parameters.

1.) This is only going to be from 1974 to now. Why that year? 1974 is about the earliest memory I have of watching playoff baseball.

2.) When I say favorite, I mean my favorite. Not best. Not most memorable. My favorite. It's my blog after all.

Now that the groundrules have been set...

All eight teams in the 2006 playoffs have been in the playoffs before this season. All eight teams have memorable moments from their previous trips. Pictures where available.

AL:


Detroit

Kirk Gibson's Game Five home run in the 1984 World Series. That clinched the series for the Tigers. It also guaranteed the Padres would not win it.

Minnesota

Kirby Puckett's Game Six extra inning home run in the 1991 World Series to beat the Braves and guarantee a Game Seven. Quick story. One of my cousins got married that day. The reception hall didn't have a TV. My cousin Keith and I left the reception, walked up a muddy hill, and found a bar with a television. We watched the game and had a few drinks. In the bottom of the eleventh he said to me, "Let's go. No one is ever going to win this game." I regret listening to him about that to this day.

New York

Wade Boggs on horseback after winning the World Series in 1996 over the Braves. Even if you hate the Yankees, it was hard not to feel a little bit of the joy that Boggs and the Yankee fans felt on that night.

Oakland Mark McGwire's game winning home run in Game Three of the '88 series is overshadowed by Gibson's dramatics in Game One. In hindsight, all this home run did was make sure the A's didn't get swept. But, at the moment McGwire connected, that World Series was more interesting.

NL:
Los Angeles


Sorry, Gibson doesn't get two entries on this list. But, the 1988 World Series is where my favorite moment comes from. Orel Hershiser got the final out of the series to give the Dodgers the title over the highly favored Athletics. Hershiser fell to one knee for a moment of thanks and then was enveloped by his teammates.

New York

To me, Jesse Orosco may have been the least objectionable Met on those mid-80's teams. There was an elation that he had when he threw his glove into the air after getting the final out of the 1986 NLCS against the Astros. The picture is from the final out of Game Seven of the World Series against the Red Sox, but the feeling was the same.

Saint Louis

If I felt like twisting the knife, I would say Don Denkinger's call in Game Six of the 1985 World Series. It's close but, I'll go with Ozzie Smith's game winning home run against the Dodgers in Game Five of the 1985 NLCS.

San Diego

No way is Steve Garvey going to appear on this blog for that Game Four homer in the 1984 NLCS against the Cubs. Espicially with that right arm in the air salute all the way around the bases. Kurt Bevacqua might be known more for winning the Bazooka Bubble Blowing championship in 1975 (as a member of the Brewers). But, his big home run in Game Two of the 1984 series against the Tigers gave the Padres their only World Series win...Ever. Funny. A quick image search doesn't show the picture of Bevacqua on that home run trot. There is no picture of him dressed as Padre manager Dick Williams either.


Photo Credits:

McGwire (Answers.com)

Puckett (ESPN.com)

Gibson (Sports Encyclopedia.com)

Boggs (All Posters)

Hershiser (SI.com)

Orosco (hotfoot.com)

Smith (All Sports Posters)

Bevacqua (Padres Nation)

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