Kiké Hernandez’s clutch, game-tying pinch-hit homer late in Game 7 of the NLCS on Sunday night that helped send the Dodgers to the World Series against the Rays shouldn’t have surprised anybody. L.A.’s valuable utilityman 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

On a Red Sox championship team that won 108 games in 2018 and boasted the likes of Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts in the lineup, it was easy to overlook a youngster like Rafael Devers, who was only in his second season and not even 21 years old when he became the regular third baseman. Devers showed flashes of power in ’18 with 21 home runs in just 121 games — a harbinger of his 2019 season, when he blossomed into a star with 32 HR, 115 RBI, 201 hits and a .311 average, and led the majors

Over the past few seasons, the Houston Astros have become the team everyone loves to hate thanks in large part to their on-field arrogance — and a little help from an elaborate cheating system. But love ’em or loathe ’em, they do manage to win every year, with four straight ALCS appearances since 2016 and a championship in 2017. Much of the credit goes to a homegrown core of young stars that include second baseman Jose Altuve, shortstop Carlos Correa, outfielder George Springer and third baseman Alex Bregman, all of whom always seem to turn it up a notch in

A pitcher hurling a complete game? In the postseason? The chances of witnessing that rare baseball feat these days is even less than seeing a bunt or stolen base. But on this day in béisbol, Oct. 16, 2005, Jose Contreras of the White Sox went old school, going the distance for a rare CG in the box score as Chicago clinched the American League pennant with a 6-3 win over the L.A. Angels in Game 5 of the ALCS. Even more remarkable: Contreras’ quality outing was the fourth straight complete game victory by White Sox pitchers in the ALCS, following

After 16 seasons and 400-plus home runs, it’s hardly a surprise when Nelson Cruz gets hot and carries a team on his broad back like few sluggers can — even at age 40, when the Minnesota Twins DH enjoyed another MVP-worthy year in this pandemic-shortened 2020 season. But on this day in béisbol, Oct. 15, 2011, Cruz outdid himself, wrapping up a ridiculous, record-breaking ALCS series in which he led the Texas Rangers to their second World Series berth in two years. Cruz, then the Rangers’ rightfielder, “only” went 2-for-4 with a two-run bomb and a double in the Rangers’

It was a "Rockie" start that ended well. Jorge de la Rosa, a middle-of-the-rotation starter at best for the Colorado Rockies, had a barely .500 lifetime record as the 2009 season got underway — and it went downhill from there for the Monterrey, Mexico, native after he lost his first six decisions. But not for long, as the struggling southpaw, 28, somehow turned his season around. On this day in béisbol, Sept. 16, 2009, de la Rosa pitched a beauty against the San Francisco Giants, tossing eight shutout innings in a must-win for the Rockies. De la Rosa gave up just

Whether it’s showboating, bat-licking or simply antagonizing the opposition, Yasiel Puig has been a polarizing player ever since he came from Cuba to the Dodgers in 2013. But love him or loathe him, there’s never been any question he could hit, and on this day in béisbol, Sept. 15, 2018, Puig showed what kind of force he could be down the pennant stretch. In a crucial game against the Cardinals, he banged out three home runs — a solo shot in the fourth inning, a three-run dinger in the fifth and another in the eighth — to power a 17-4

Miguel Olivo enjoyed a solid, if unspectacular major league career as a mostly starting catcher with some pop, averaging 21 home runs and more than 70 RBI over a 162-game season.  The Dominican Republic native retired in 2014 with a respectable 145 lifetime homers. But it was his first round-tripper ever that got plenty of attention.  On this day in béisbol in 2002, Olivo was catching and batting ninth for the White Sox when he stepped up to the plate in the top of the third with two men on base against Yankees great Andy Pettitte — and launched a