THIS DAY IN BASEBALL October 10: Raul Ibanez 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 Ibanez, 40 years old and still a power threat, didn’t disappoint.

He blasted a home run to tie the score, then became part of Yankees postseason lore when he hit a game-tying laser into the right-field bleachers.

Ibanez wasn’t done. In his next at-bat in the bottom of the 12th inning with the score still tied, he hit a bomb into the second deck in right — his only homer against a lefty pitcher all season — for a dramatic walk-off win.

The Yankees would take the series but get swept by the Tigers in the ALCS. Ibanez, who was born in New York of Cuban parents, hit 19 homers in 130 games playing mostly the outfield in 2012. He went on to Seattle the following year, where he slammed 29 dingers at age 42.

Also on this day: Texas outfielder Nelson Cruz accomplished a similar postseason feat in 2011, hitting a walk-off grand slam in the 11th inning to lead the Rangers to a 2-0 lead in the ALCS over the Tigers. He had tied the game in the 7th inning with a game-tying home run.

In 1999, John Valentin leads the Red Sox over the Indians in a lopsided 23-7 rout in Game 4 of the ALDS. The shortstop gets four hits, including two home runs, and knocks in seven runs. Boston, which set an ALDS record with 24 hits and tied the series at two games each with the victory, would go on to lose the American League Championship series against the Yankees.

In 2010, 11 players were inducted into the Latin American Baseball Hall of Fame, including MLB stars Dennis Martinez, Luis Tiant, Fernando Valenzuela, and future Cooperstown Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez.