THIS DAY IN BÉISBOL October 10: Raul Ibañez wins ALDS for Yankees with 12th-inning homer
A pinch hitter stepping up to the plate to bat for Alex Rodriguez was about as rare as a perfect game. But on this day in beisbol, October 10, 2012, Yankees manager Joe Girardi had no choice but to bring in a substitute for his struggling star, egos be damned. The 2012 ALDS against the Orioles was tied 1-1, and A-Rod wasn’t hitting. With the Bombers down 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth, Girardi turned to a veteran left-handed slugger for a miracle, and Raul Ibañez, 40 years old and still a power threat, didn’t disappoint. He blasted a
THIS DAY IN BÉISBOL October 9: Bernie Williams hits 11th-inning HR to win ’96 ALDS Game 1
Yankees centerfielder Bernie Williams slammed an 11th-inning walk-off homer to win Game 1 of the ALCS against the Orioles on this day in beisbol, October 9, 1996. But it’s Derek Jeter’s game-tying dinger in the 8th inning that everybody was buzzing about. The rookie shortstop’s “home run” was actually a deep fly ball that died at the right field wall and was about to only result in a loud out — until 12-year-old fan Jeffrey Maier reached over and snatched the catch away from right fielder Tony Tarasco. The drive was ruled a home run (this was way before video
THIS DAY IN BÉISBOL October 8: Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez slugs grand slam in 2024 NLDS
On this day in beisbol, October 8, 2024, Teoscar Hernandez of the Dodgers hit a grand slam in Game 3 of the NLDS after the San Diego Padres had taken an early 6-0 lead. The clutch based-loaded jack off of Pods starter Michael King makes the score 6-5 in favor of San Diego, but it fails to shift the momentum much for Los Angeles as both teams stop scoring after the third inning. The Padres took a 2-1 lead in the best of five series, but the Dodgers bounced back to win the NLDS, then beat the Mets in the
THIS DAY IN BÉISBOL October 4: Edwin Encarnacion’s walk-off HR wins AL Wild Card game
Edwin Encarnacion saved the best for last in his final season with the Toronto Blue Jays. On this day in beisbol, October 4, 2016 the veteran outfielder-first baseman slugged an 11th-inning, three-run homer against the Orioles in the one-game AL Wild Card face-off. The dramatic walk-off dinger came off of Baltimore’s Ubaldo Jimenez and lifted the Jays into the ALDS against the Texas Rangers. Toronto swept that series in three games but lost the ALCS to the Indians. Encarnacion, who spent the middle seven and a half years of his 16-year career with the Blue Jays, had arguably his best
THIS DAY IN BÉISBOL: October 2: Carlos Baerga sets AL record for second basemen
Carlos Baerga was a rising star in 1992 and only in his second full season with the Indians when on this day in beisbol, October 2, he set an American League record as the first second baseman to hit .300 with 200 hits, 20 home runs and 100 RBI. The Santurce, Puerto Rico native, 23, led a young Cleveland team that would soon become an American League powerhouse in batting average. He hit .312 and was second in home runs (20) and RBI (105) behind slugger Albert Belle. Also on this day: In 1969, Roberto Clemente missed out on winning his fifth
THIS DAY IN BÉISBOL October 1: Fernando Tatis Jr. homers twice to win 2020 AL Wild Card elimination game
A national TV audience got to witness what San Diego fans had been enjoying all year on this day in beisbol, October 1, 2020. Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. turned in a clutch postseason performance, hitting two home runs in an 11-9 victory in Game 2 of the NL Wild Card series against the Cardinals. Teammate Wil Myers also slugged two homers, with Padres third baseman Manny Machado hitting another. Down 0-1, San Diego was facing elimination in the two-out-of-three series created for an extended field of playoff contenders during the COVID-shortened season. Tatis and Myers, who together accounted for
THIS DAY IN BÉISBOL September 27: Javy Lopez breaks season record for HR as a catcher
Cal Raleigh’s historic 2025 season — 60 home runs and counting, only the seventh player to reach that hallowed milestone — would be phenomenal even without the Mariners slugger being a full-time catcher for a playoff-caliber team. But within Raleigh’s remarkable performance is his breaking the record for most homers in a season by a player in the lineup as a backstop. That was last set on this day in beisbol, September 27, 2003 by Braves catcher Javy Lopez, who hit his 42nd round-tripper in a game against the Phillies. That broke the record set in 1996 by Mets backstop
THIS DAY IN BÉISBOL September 26: Benito Santiago’s 28-game hit streak breaks rookie record
Highly regarded for his defense behind the plate throughout his 20-year career, Benito Santiago also proved to be a pretty good-hitting catcher too. On this day in beisbol, September 30, 1987, the Padres backstop, just 22 years old and playing in his first full season, extended his hitting streak to 28 games, breaking the MLB record for rookies. The previous record holder was the Pirates’ Jimmy Williams, who had a 27-game hot streak way back in 1899. Santiago would go on to win NL Rookie of the Year and Silver Slugger awards in 1987 for his 18-homer, 79-RBI and .300
