Big Papi, Hall of Famer

[mvp 78]

If I had written this, you'd have nit-picked the fact that the Yaz "era" ended in 1983.

 

His reign of postseason futility continued long after he retired.

[mvp 78]

Agreed.

 

Nonetheless it sucked that teams played 154-156 games that year instead of 162.

 

Will they do it to us again?

 

I don't think so. Owners are hard up for the money.

[moonslav59]

His reign of postseason futility continued long after he retired.

 

Why not call it the Ted Williams era or "reign?"

 

You missed my point, as usual.

[mvp 78]

Why not call it the Ted Williams era or "reign?"

 

You missed my point, as usual.

 

It must not have been a very good point then.

[jad]

I don't get it either. All this brings back to me is memories of The Pop-Up and the 13 or 14 consecutive post-season losses following the Mookie debacle.

 

Please, George, talk about the rabbits.

[mvp 78]

I don't get it either. All this brings back to me is memories of The Pop-Up and the 13 or 14 consecutive post-season losses following the Mookie debacle.

 

Please, George, talk about the rabbits.

 

[moonslav59]

It must not have been a very good point then.

 

Yes, you tend to miss the best ones more than the so-so ones.

[notin]

Was it his personality that hit all those walk offs and got 3 rings?

 

Totality the personality that separates him from the pack.

 

Luis Gonzalez got the most clutch and most famous and most critical walk off hit in MLB history. Does he even get talked about anymore?

 

Jim Thome is the all time MLB leader in walk off home runs. While he is in the HOF and deservedly so, did you even know he was the career leader?

[Bellhorn04]

Totality the personality that separates him from the pack.

 

Luis Gonzalez got the most clutch and most famous and most critical walk off hit in MLB history. Does he even get talked about anymore?

 

Jim Thome is the all time MLB leader in walk off home runs. While he is in the HOF and deservedly so, did you even know he was the career leader?

 

Ortiz had 3 walkoff hits in one postseason. He led the greatest comeback in baseball history and the breaking of the c****. That gets you noticed.

 

Can't speak for others, but I remember Luis Gonzalez's hit pretty well.

 

Regular season walkoffs do not make that big of an impression. They're an everyday occurrence during the season.

[Bellhorn04]

Timing and context are everything. People remember the names of Bobby Thompson, Bill Mazeroski, and Bucky Dent...and Dent's hit wasn't even a walkoff.

[moonslav59]

Timing and context are everything. People remember the names of Bobby Thompson, Bill Mazeroski, and Bucky Dent...and Dent's hit wasn't even a walkoff.

 

Carlton Fisk's walk off was perhaps the most memorable Sox walk off I remember.

[Bellhorn04]

Carlton Fisk's walk off was perhaps the most memorable Sox walk off I remember.

 

Agreed.

[notin]

Ortiz had 3 walkoff hits in one postseason. He led the greatest comeback in baseball history and the breaking of the c****. That gets you noticed.

 

Can't speak for others, but I remember Luis Gonzalez's hit pretty well.

 

Regular season walkoffs do not make that big of an impression. They're an everyday occurrence during the season.

 

Part of this is also because we’re Sox fans. You probably haven’t thought about Ben Zobrist in years.

 

Papi had some huge clutch hits as key walk offs, including TWO IN ONE DAY in the 2004 ALCS. But he wasn’t the 63rd best player in MLB even with that. But what he was was a Hall of Fame caliber player with a huge room-filling personality…

[moonslav59]

Agreed.

 

Papi his so many, they all kinda blend together!

 

LOL!

[notin]

Papi his so many, they all kinda blend together!

 

LOL!

 

Papi’s best walkoffs we’re in games 4 and 5 of the 2004 ALCS. But his biggest home run was in game 2 of the 2013 ALCS…

[Bellhorn04]

Papi’s best walkoffs we’re in games 4 and 5 of the 2004 ALCS. But his biggest home run was in game 2 of the 2013 ALCS…

 

How do you determine that it was bigger than the one in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS?

[moonslav59]

How do you determine that it was bigger than the one in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS?

 

That granny was my number one for Papi, too.

 

(He was 1 for 21 in his other ABs, that series, which somehow made it even more special.)

[notin]

How do you determine that it was bigger than the one in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS?

 

That is a tough call, admittedly.

 

But that ALCS in 2013 was one where the Sox desperately needed to turn things around. They hit shut out in game one at home and scored 1 run in 16 innings, andwere just a few outs away from going 0-2 at Fenway. At least the 2004 team wasn’t dead offensively in the ALCS.

 

But the game 4 one in 2004 was huge, especially followed by the walkoff single some 20 hours later…

[mvp 78]

Totality the personality that separates him from the pack.

 

Luis Gonzalez got the most clutch and most famous and most critical walk off hit in MLB history. Does he even get talked about anymore?

 

Jim Thome is the all time MLB leader in walk off home runs. While he is in the HOF and deservedly so, did you even know he was the career leader?

 

My comparison between Ortiz and Yaz has little to do with Luis Gonzalez and Jim Thome since neither has any impact on RedSoxNationTM.

[jad]

 

That would be the one.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

A couple other Big Papi postseason homers, both in the Bronx, that are forgotten by many but were absolutely huge when they were hit:

 

... Game 7 ALCS '03, top of the 8th, off lefty David Wells, brought in specifically to pitch to Oritz; it put the Sox up, 5-2 (but the horrific ending rendered it futile);

 

... Game 7 ALCS '04, top of the 1st, off Brown; it put the Sox up, 2-0, and silenced the crowd, coming immediately after Damon was thrown out at the plate. This showdown turned into a bombastic blowout, but Papi's HR gave Boston a lead it never relinquished, so technically it was his fourth game-winning hit of this postseason.

[notin]

My comparison between Ortiz and Yaz has little to do with Luis Gonzalez and Jim Thome since neither has any impact on RedSoxNationTM.

 

Ok but I was putting clutch hits into context.

 

Ortiz certainly had his, but Yaz did, too.

 

If Ortiz’ walk off hits are a big factor, so should be Yaz going 16 for 28 with 5 HRs in the last week of 1967 to push the Sox to the AL pennant.

 

Ortiz was a great player, but Yaz was a better one…

[Bellhorn04]

Ok but I was putting clutch hits into context.

 

Ortiz certainly had his, but Yaz did, too.

 

If Ortiz’ walk off hits are a big factor, so should be Yaz going 16 for 28 with 5 HRs in the last week of 1967 to push the Sox to the AL pennant.

 

Ortiz was a great player, but Yaz was a better one…

 

Ortiz was a better hitter, Yaz was a better all-round player.

[mvp 78]

Ok but I was putting clutch hits into context.

 

Ortiz certainly had his, but Yaz did, too.

 

If Ortiz’ walk off hits are a big factor, so should be Yaz going 16 for 28 with 5 HRs in the last week of 1967 to push the Sox to the AL pennant.

 

Ortiz was a great player, but Yaz was a better one…

 

So one clutch stretch vs Ortiz's multi year clutch stretch?

[Bellhorn04]

So one clutch stretch vs Ortiz's multi year clutch stretch?

 

Yaz had a 1.047 OPS in 17 postseason games. Which doesn't include his home run and RBI single in the 1978 playoff game.

 

He was clutch. He just didn't have as many opportunities.

[Old Red]

Yaz had a 1.047 OPS in 17 postseason games. Which doesn't include his home run and RBI single in the 1978 playoff game.

 

He was clutch. He just didn't have as many opportunities.

 

The pitching was also better back in the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s.

[Bellhorn04]

The pitching was also better back in the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s.

 

Agreed.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Yaz had a 1.047 OPS in 17 postseason games. Which doesn't include his home run and RBI single in the 1978 playoff game.

 

He was clutch. He just didn't have as many opportunities.

 

MLB didn't give out MVPs of the LCS yet, but most observers would agree Yaz was the Most Valuable Player of the '75 ALCS. He led the series in OPS at 1.318, led the Sox in batting at .455, and played great defense in left field, throwing out runners at 2nd and 3rd, and diving in the gap to prevent an extra-base hit by Reggie.

 

In the '78 playoff, Carl gave the Sox an early lead when he pulled a homer off Guidry, who was capping the best season of any pitcher that decade (Hawk Harrelson went crazy in the booth, praising the old man stepping up in the big moment). Yaz also ripped his RBI-single off Gossage in the 8th inning, then scored the last run of the game...

[moonslav59]

Yaz had a 1.047 OPS in 17 postseason games. Which doesn't include his home run and RBI single in the 1978 playoff game.

 

He was clutch. He just didn't have as many opportunities.

 

The playoffs were way smaller back then.

[Old Red]

The playoffs were way smaller back then.

 

Or not at all like 67.