Great Postseason Careers

[Brian McKenna]

i just thought we could discuss the great lesser-known postseason careers

everyone knows about reggie, maz, thomson and dusty rhodes

but what about paul blair and billy martin to name two

[dgarza]

everyone knows about reggie, maz, thomson and dusty rhodes

but what about paul blair and billy martin to name two

I'm disagreeing on Thomson and Blair, but I get the point.

Billy Hatcher
Bert Blyleven
Steve Garvey

[Ubiquitous]

Steve Garvey
Lenny Dykstra
Marquis Grissom
Devon White

[Brian McKenna]

Paul Blair. In the 1966 World Series he hit a 430-foot home run to win Game 3. In Game 4 he made a game-saving, leaping catch to ensure a 1-0 victory. In the 1969 American League Championship Series Blair’s suicide squeeze won Game 1. In Game 3 he notched two singles, two doubles and a home run to help complete the sweep of Billy Martin’s Twins.
In the 1970 World Series Blair went 9 for 19, batting .474 with 5 runs and 3 RBI in the win over Cincinnati. With the Yankees in ‘77 Blair’s game-winning RBI in Game 1 of the Fall Classic helped New York defeat Los Angeles in six games. His .375 batting average did the same the following year.

[Redondos]

My two choices for the greatest postseason players, the guys who you could always count on in the clutch, were Roberto Clemente and Brooks Robinson. They executed the big plays that won ballgames, both at the plate and on the field.

Kudos also go out to Mariano Rivera, doing better than anyone else in being a postseason closer, arguably the most pressure-packed role in all of sports.

[shlevine42]

My two choices for the greatest postseason players, the guys who you could always count on in the clutch, were Roberto Clemente and Brooks Robinson. They executed the big plays that won ballgames, both at the plate and on the field.

Kudos also go out to Mariano Rivera, doing better than anyone else in being a postseason closer, arguably the most pressure-packed role in all of sports.

Pepper Martin has to be on this list. As does Dr. Bobby Brown.

[Guerrero Mad Man 2715]

Adam Kennedy of the Angels had 3 Home Runs in the ALCS against the Twins in '02, a feat that gets no credit. Another Angel or now formal, Bengie had three straight games with a home run and I'm not to sure about Carlos Beltran.

Bob Gibson was pretty clutch in the playoffs. 17 K's against Detroit in the WS. Everyone knows Mariano Riveras great playoff career (minus Game 7 of the 2001 WS).

[Barnstormer]

So how do you define peak for post-season? One game? One series? One at-bat? Because many guys - like Paul Blair and Reggie Jackson - who had brilliant WS moments, did poorly in the LCS....or Mickey Mantle who had a few good WS but a lot of awful ones.

[Bill Burgess]

World Series BA:

Name, number of WS, HxAB=BA

All these stats are raw, not indexed to L. ave. So deadballers would look MUCH better if relative stats were used.

Allan Trammell 1, 9x20=.450
Tony Gwynn 2, 15x35=.428
Pepper Martin 3, 23x55=.418
Paul Monitor 2, 23x55=.418
George Brett 3, 27x69=.391
Ted Kluszewski 1, 9x23=.391
Lou Brock 3, 34x88=.386
Roberto Alamar 3, 26x68=.382
Al Kaline 1, 11x29=.379
Robin Yount 1, 12x29=.379
Bill Madlock 1, 9x24=.375
Nellie Fox 1, 9x24=.375
Roberto Clemente,2 21x58=.362
Frank Baker 6, 33x91=.362
Hank Aaron 3, 25x69=.362
Lou Gehrig 7, 43x119=.361
Reggie Jackson 6, 39x110=.354
Carl Yastrzemski 2, 19x54=.351
Earle Combs,4, 21x60=.350
Tommy Davis 2, 8x23=.347
Joe Jackson 2, 19x55=.345
Jimmie Foxx 3, 22x64=.343
Derek Jeter 4, 26x76=.342
Rickey Henderson 3, 19x56=.339
Eddie Collins 6 42x128=.328
Al Simmons 4, 24x73=.328
Paul Waner 1, 5x15=.333
Pedro Guerrero 1, 7x21=.333
Jim Rice 1, 9x27=.333
Joe Medwick 2 15x46=.326
Babe Ruth 10, 42x129=.325
Charlie Gehringer 3, 26x81=.320
Hack Wilson 2, 15x47=.319
Hank Greenberg 4, 27x85=.317
Johnny Evers 4, 24x76=.315
Frank Chance 4, 22x71=.309
Kirby Puckett 2, 16x52=.307
Tris Speaker 3, 22x72=.305
Honus Wagner 3, 20x66=.303
Mel Ott 3, 18x61=.295
Bill Terry 3, 18x61=.295
Frankie Frisch 7, 58x197=.294
Harry Hooper 4, 27x92=.293
Pie Traynor 2, 12x41=.292
Enos Slaughter 5, 23x79=.291
Duffy Lewis 3, 19x67=.283
Wally Schang 6, 27x94=.287
Goose Goslin 5, 37x129=.286
Duke Snyder 6, 38x133=.285
Wade Boggs 2, 12x42=.285
Johnny Mize 5, 12x42=.285
Luis Aparicio 2, 12x42=.285
Ross Youngs 4, 26x91=.285
Zach Wheat 2, 13x46=.282
Johnny Bench 4, 24x86=.279
Yogi Berra 14, 71x259=.274
Pee Wee Reese 7, 46x169=.272
Frank Robinson 5, 24x88=.272
Joe DiMaggio 10, 54x199=.271
Pete Rose 6, 35x130=.269
Brooks Robinson 4, 18x67=.268
Gil Hodges 7, 35x131=.267
Joe Dugan 5, 24x90=.266
Carl Furillo 7, 34x128=.265
Heinie Groh 5, 19x72=.263
Tony Lazzeri 7, 28x107=.261
Ty Cobb 3, 17x65=.261
Elston Howard 9, 40x153=.261
Mickey Mantle 12, 59x230=.256
Bill Dickey 8, 37x145=.255
Stan Musial 4, 22x86=.255
Phil Rizzuto 8, 42x165=.254
Mickey Cochrane 5, 27x110=.245
Fred Clarke 2, 13x53=.245
Rogers Hornsby 2, 12x49=.244
Earl Smith 5, 11x46=.239
Fred Merkle 5, 21x88=.238
Billy Herman 4, 16x66=.242
Tony Perez 5, 23x95=.242
Sam Crawford 3, 17x70=.242
Jack Barry 5, 21x87=.241
Harmon Killebrew 2, 7x29=.241
Gabby Street 4, 13x54=.240
Roy Campanella 5, 27x114=.236
Mark Koenig 5, 18x76=.236
Joe Morgan 4, 20x85=.235
Roger Maris 7, 35x152=.230
Willie Mays 3, 13x57=.228
Jackie Robinson 5,25x110=.227
Mike Schmidt 2, 9x41=.219
Edd Roush 1, 6x28=.214
Al Oliver 1, 4x19=.211
Jim Gillian 7, 31x147=210
Bob Meusal 6, 27x129=.209
Stuffy McInnis 5, 13x65=.207
Eddie Mathews 3, 10x50=.200
Darryl Strawberry 2, 8x40=.200
Ted Williams 1, 5x25=.200
Tony Oliva 1, 5x26=.192
Art Fletcher 4, 18x94=.191
Mark McGwire 3, 9x48=.187
Ken Griffey 2 8x43=.186
Richie Ashburn 1, 3x17=.176
Frankie Crosetti 7, 20x115=.173
Eddie Murray 3, 11x65=.169
Cal Ripken 1, 3x18=.167
Everett Scott 5, 14x90=.155
Dave Winfield 2, 6x44=.136
Vada Pinson 1, 2x22=.091

[85cards]

Gehrig is pretty amazing to have batted so high over 7 WS.

Brock was money in the fall classic, not only hitting but stealing bases. If not for one bad baserunning decision in 1968....

[shlevine42]

World Series BA:

Name, number of WS, HxAB=BA

All these stats are raw, not indexed to L. ave. So deadballers would look MUCH better if relative stats were used.

Allan Trammell 1, 9x20=.450
Tony Gwynn 2, 15x35=.428

When the bar is set at a minimum of 40 plate appearances (a more reliable indicator of consistency), Bobby Brown leads the pack with a .439 BA over four WS.

I'm surprised he was missing from this list.

[ElHalo]

Pepper Martin has to be on this list. As does Dr. Bobby Brown.

The fact that this thread went to six posts before anyone mentioned Pepper Martin was literally making me ill. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for redeeming my faith in humanity.

Brown is, I completely agree, forgotten about to far too great of an extent.

[Argyle]

World Series BA:

Name, number of WS, HxAB=BA

All these stats are raw, not indexed to L. ave. So deadballers would look MUCH better if relative stats were used.

Harmon Killebrew 2, 7x29=.241

Growing up, Harmon Killebrew was my baseball idol. But he never made it to two world series, though he did hit better than .241 in 1965.


- rgl

[Bill Burgess]

Growing up, Harmon Killebrew was my baseball idol. But he never made it to two world series, though he did hit better than .241 in 1965.


- rgl

Gee. When I compiled that list, I did it the old-fashioned way. I first sat down and made a list of all I remembered who played a lot of WS. Yankees, Dodgers, etc. I didn't copy it from anywhere. Just went through Total Baseball, and there must be many dozens of players missing. I was going for name recognition, and volume of WS experience.

Don't know how Killebrew got in. I must have confused post-season with WS.

Bill

[Argyle]

.... and it's because I'm an old-fashioned Twins fan first and baseball in general second that Killebrew's stats leaped off the page for me. The other guys on your list, .... well, I'd have to look 'em up.

- rgl