He was only 20 years old and barely two weeks into his MLB career when Francisco Rodriguez became the youngest pitcher to win a World Series game on this day in beisbol, October 20, 2002. The Anaheim Angels reliever didn’t let his age or the pressure of October baseball get to him as he came on in the sixth inning of Game 2 against the San Francisco Giants to try to keep a lid on what turned into a see-saw slugfest the Angels eventually won 11-10. Rodriguez kept the power-packed Giants — who hit four homers in the game —

Los Angeles Dodgers utilityman Kiké Hernandez has a knack for stepping it up in the postseason, and on this day in béisbol, Oct. 19, 2017, Hernandez pulled off some October magic with a home-run hat trick that sent the Dodgers to the Fall Classic for the first time since 1988. Batting sixth and playing left in Game 5 of the NLCS, the San Juan, Puerto Rico-born Hernandez led off the top of the second with a home run to give L.A. a 2-1 lead against the Cubs, the 2016 defending champs.  In the following inning Hernandez broke it open for

The Yankees were three outs away from their sixth pennant in the last seven years when on this day in beisbol, October 18, 2004, the Red Sox pulled off a miracle win to kickstart the greatest comeback in MLB postseason history. It was also the beginning of Boston DH David Ortiz’s lasting legacy as arguably the most clutch postseason hitter ever. Down three games to none and facing elimination against the Yankees in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS, Boston tied it in the bottom of the ninth against elite closer Mariano Rivera with a walk, a stolen base and

Grand slams by J.D. Martinez in the first inning and Rafael Devers in the second gave Boston the win in Game 2 of the ALCS on this day in beisbol, October 16, 2021. The win tied the series with the Houston Astros, who would go on to lose  the World Series to the Atlanta Braves in six games. Devers was just 24 and already a huge star after his best year at the plate in 2021, when the Dominican Republic native led the Red Sox with 38 home runs and 113 RBI. Martinez, the veteran slugger in his fourth year

Nelson Cruz nailed down the ALCS Most Valuable Player Award when he hit his sixth homer of the series on this day in beisbol, October 15, 2011. The round-tripper by the Rangers outfielder-DH against the Detroit Tigers came late in Game 6 and put the icing on a 15-5 victory that moved Texas to its second straight World Series appearance. Cruz, from the Dominican Republic, had 13 RBI and hit .364, his best postseason performance in 12 series appearances over a 19-year career. The Dominican native, who played for eight teams including eight years with the Rangers, retired after the

Among the many highlights of the Mets’ unlikely 2024 postseason run was winning Game 2 of the NLCS, when New York outslugged the Dodgers on this day in beisbol, October 14, 2024. Down one game to none and desperately needing a shift in momentum and a win on the road, the Mets got it quickly courtesy of shortstop Francisco Lindor, who blasted a leadoff homer to get things going. But it was third baseman Mark Vientos who put the game pretty much out of reach in the second inning with a grand slam that capped a five-run frame. The final

Carlos Correa’s walk-off homer in the 11th inning of Game 2 of the ALCS gave the Astros a dramatic 3-2 win over the Yankees on this day in baseball, Oct. 13, 2019. The no-doubt dinger by the Houston shortstop tied the series at one game apiece and negated a big two-run homer by Aaron Judge earlier in the game. Correa thrilled the hometown crowd by showboating around the bases during his home run trot adding to another signature moment in the long postseason history between the bitter rivals. The Astros would go on to win the AL pennant in 2019