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One of the most beautiful things about baseball? Playoff baseball. The atmosphere, the intensity, the pressure - everything about it is able to turn even the most casual fan into the type of person who ruins their sleep schedule for an extra-inning playoff game. Of course, playoff baseball does not bring out the best in just fans. Suddenly, that 25th man on the roster turns it up and becomes a household name overnight. Truly anything can happen, especially on baseball’s biggest stage in the World Series when pressure is at its peak.
Over the last two decades, there have been many unlikely heroes in the Fall Classic. I took a look at seven of them.
1. Luis Sojo, 2000 Yankees
In 2000 at age 35, Luis Sojo was considered to be quite the journeyman. He began his major league career in Toronto in 1990, and in those ten years bounced between five different teams as a reserve utility man, including the New York Yankees twice. Traded back to New York from Pittsburgh in August 2000, Sojo played in 34 games that season as a Yankee prior to the postseason.
Inconsistency and incomplete seasons riddled Sojo’s career from start to finish, however in October 2000 he was able to turn on his game where it mattered most. In the first World Series between the two New York teams since 1956, often referred to as the “Subway Series,” the Yankees entered Shea Stadium on October 26th looking to clinch the World Series title in Game 5. In the top of the 9th inning with the game tied 2-2 with two outs, Sojo came to the plate and knocked a single into center, driving in Jorge Posada’s series-winning run.
While Game 5 of the Subway Series was certainly Sojo’s most memorable moment as a Yankee, he actually won three other World Series with the Yankees, as well as one with Toronto in 1993! John Sterling was not kidding when he called him the “best .200 hitter ever.”
2. Tony Womack, 2001 Diamondbacks
The Yankees returned to the World Series in 2001 to take on the Arizona Diamondbacks, and on November 4th, 2001 in Game 7 at Bank One Ballpark, they were just two outs away from another ring at the hands of Mariano Rivera in the bottom of the ninth. In other words, the odds were in the Yankees’ favor. That was until Tony Womack stepped up to the plate.
Now to be fair, Womack was no scrub. In his rookie season with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1997, he came in 9th place in Rookie of the Year voting, earned a selection to the All Star game, and led the National League in stolen bases with 60. He led the NL in stolen bases again in 1998 with 58, and in 1999 after being traded to the Diamondbacks, he led all of the MLB as well as setting the franchise record for Arizona for stolen bases with 72.
An integral part to the 2001 Diamondbacks’ World Series championship, Womack hit a walk-off single in the first round of the playoffs against the Cardinals, sending Arizona to the NLCS. Still despite his clutch moment, in the World Series Womack was 7-for-31, and .235 in all of the postseason thus far. Now imagine it’s Game 7 of the World Series in the bottom of the 9th and you’re down 2-1 with one out in the inning and Mariano Rivera is pitching. You have men on first and second and despite your struggles in the series so far, it’s on you to make something happen against a closer whose postseason resume certainly speaks for itself. Rivera found himself down in the count quickly after throwing a fastball inside for ball one, and then a cutter that went high for ball two. However after a 93-mph cutter down the middle for strike one, and a foul past third base for strike two, with the count 2-2, the pressure was really on for Womack now. And boy, did he rise to the occasion. Womack smacked the ball down the right-field line in a double that became the tie run, with the game-winning run now sitting on third base. The Wall Street Journal dubbed Womack’s double “the most significant clutch hit in baseball history.” Two batters later, Luis Gonzalez sealed the deal, and the Diamondbacks took down the Yankees 3-2.
After winning the series Womack told the media, “it’s been an up-and-down season for me,” due to his father’s passing earlier that year. It was certainly a memorable moment for Womack, as well as all Diamondback fans.
3. Josh Beckett, 2003 Marlins
Maybe his success was not necessarily “unexpected” looking back on his career now, but in 2003, Josh Beckett was just 23 years old, and the foundation of the Marlins’ best rotation in franchise history. He made his MLB debut in September of 2001 against the Cubs at age 21 and picked up his first MLB win, giving up just one hit over six innings. The following season he became a regular asset to the starting rotation, starting 21 games, pitching 107.2 innings, and ending the season with a 4.10 ERA.
While the Marlins had a rather disappointing season in 2002, on September 26th, 2003, they clinched their second wildcard in team history. They finished the regular season 91-71, an impressive record considering at one point in the season they were 19-29. As I stated before, the 2003 Marlins’ starting rotation is without a doubt in my mind, their best rotation in franchise history. Besides Beckett, you had 21 year old Dontrelle Willis, Mark Redman, Carl Pavano, and 25 year old Brad Penny. Though Redman and Pavano were the veterans of the group, Beckett and Willis especially shined and gave Marlins fans a glimmer of hope for the future (tough scene, in retrospect). With Beckett as their young, inexperienced ace, even against the Yankees in the World Series, Marlins fans felt confident.
Beckett crushed through the NLDS and NLCS against the Giants and Cubs, including a shutout game against the Cubs in Game 5 of the NLCS. He made his first World Series appearance October 21st in Game 3 at home. Beckett went 7.1 innings,throwing 108 pitches, allowing 3 hits and 2 earned runs. Despite his impressive performance, the Marlins’ bullpen crumbled and their offense could not be of any assistance. The Marlins lost to the Yankees 6-1, and Beckett took the loss.
Fast forward four days later, Beckett took the mound again as the starter for Game 6. The Marlins were up in the series 3-2 and now had the chance to win it all for the second time in team history. All eyes were on Beckett to finish the job at Yankee Stadium.
Boy did he ever. Beckett threw a complete game. 9 innings, 5 hits, and no runs. With all the pressure pouring down on him, he excelled. The Marlins beat the Yankees to win the World Series in 2 hours and 57 minutes. In their 10 years as a franchise, they now officially had two World Series championships under their belt. 23 year old Beckett won the World Series MVP, and suddenly he was a key component of the Marlins’ future.
Of course as we all know, following their championship in 2003 the franchise lost many of their key players as the front office tried to save a quick penny. While Beckett did remain in Florida for the 2004 season, he was then traded to the Red Sox in 2005 with Mike Lowell. Despite all the success he had as a young stud in Florida, most remember Beckett’s career for his time in Boston.
4. Geoff Blum, 2005 White Sox
Everyone’s a sucker for a good old extra innings World Series game. October 25th, 2005 saw at the time, the longest World Series game in MLB history (up until 2018, of course). With a 2-0 series lead over the Houston Astros, the Chicago White Sox looked to make it 3-0 away at Minute Maid Park in hopes of their first World Series title since 1917. Tied up 5-5 in the 14th inning, Chicago brought Blum up to bat to face Ezequiel Astacio.
Coincidentally, Blum played two seasons with the Astros in 2002 and 2003 as a utility infielder, and later would play for them again from 2008 to 2010. Blum had his best season in 2002 with Houston, with a .283 BA, .367 OBP, and .807 OPS in 368 at bats. After an underwhelming performance in 2003, Blum was traded to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for Brandon Backe. After an even more disappointing season in 2004 with Tampa, The Rays released him and the Padres picked him up. Blum played 78 games with the Padres until he was traded at the deadline in July to the White Sox for Ryan Meaux.
Blum played just 31 regular season games with Chicago that season, and posted an abysmal .200 BA, .232 OBP, and .506 OPS in 95 at bats. However, for one night in October, none of that mattered. As is the case in any extra inning game, managers are faced with difficult decisions the longer the game goes on. Especially in the World Series knowing you have another game to be played the very next day and potentially could clinch the title then, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen needed to use every player at his disposal to ensure all his key players would be ready to go the next day. In comes Blum. Astacio was the seventh of eight Astros pitchers used in that game; in the 13th inning, he let up a single to Jermaine Dye, however he was able to escape the inning damage-free. Blum took to the plate in the top of the 14th. 2-0 in the count, Blum took a huge swing on Astacio’s fastball and launched the ball into the right field seats, breaking the 5-5 tie. The White Sox were able to add on in the 14th, with a walk-in run to make it 7-5. After 5 hours and 41 minutes, the White Sox were victorious. For Houston, their best chance at making a comeback in the series was gone. The White Sox finished the job off the next night in Houston, this time in just 3 hours and 20 minutes winning it all 1-0, in a much less dramatic showing.
2005 was Geoff Blum’s only season with the Chicago White Sox. That winter he signed as a free agent with the Padres and remained there until 2008 when he returned to Houston. Though his tenure with the White Sox was short, he certainly solidified himself as a postseason hero in Chicago.
5. David Eckstein, 2006 Cardinals
Now by no means was David Eckstein some scrub shortstop who just so happened to show up to play when it mattered most. However in 2006, 5’7” Eckstein, or “little big man,” as some called him, was often overshadowed by guys like Nomar, ARod, Jeter, and Tejada. Drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 19th round of the 1997 draft, Boston waived Eckstein in 2000 and was selected off waivers by the then-Anaheim Angels. In 2001 in his rookie season with the Angels at age 26, Eckstein quickly made strides. He finished in 4th place for the American League Rookie of the Year voting, after playing 153 games with a .285 BA, .355 OBP, and .712 OPS. He also led the American League in number of times hit by pitches with 21, and led the entire league in 2002, getting hit by a pitch 27 times in 608 at bats.
Eckstein was an important asset to the 2002 Angels World Series championship particularly in the regular season. He led the major league with three grand slams, including two in back-to-back games in a series against the Toronto Blue Jays, helping them sweep the series. After the sweep, the Angels won their next 20 of 23 games. Eckstein had a presence on and off the field beloved by everyone around him, including Barry Bonds who at an awards banquet in 2002 told Eckstein’s mother, “you’ve got a great son.”
Despite his success with the Angels, when Eckstein entered free agency at the end of the 2004 season Anaheim did not re-sign him. Instead Eckstein ended up in St. Louis under the reign of manager Tony La Russa.
Eckstein quickly became a fan favorite in St. Louis. In 2005, he went to his first All-Star game at age 30, and then again in 2006. Despite all his regular season success that year, Eckstein got off to a slow start in the 2006 World Series against the Detroit Tigers, going 1-11 in the first two games of the series. La Russa never for a second doubted Eckstein though. “Whenever David is playing, there is absolutely no doubt that our club responds to how hard he plays.” “He’s our shortstop, and believe me, he’s more than just guts, he’s a very good player,” La Russa told ESPN back in October 2006. Eckstein certainly proved that to be true. After his little slump to begin the series, he went 8 for 22 in the last three games of the series, driving in 4 runs and scoring 3, with three doubles and a single in Game 4, and then two singles in Game 5 to drive in 2 runs to help St. Louis officially clinch the title, beating Detroit 4-2.
To no surprise, Eckstein went on to win the World Series MVP that year. Now in just six seasons in the MLB, Eckstein had already won two World Series. While his size might be misleading, Eckstein was a force to be reckoned with and an integral part of the 2006 World Series championship.
6. David Freese, 2011 Cardinals
There’s just no way to make a list of unexpected World Series heroes without 2011 David Freese on it. Sorry David Eckstein but if we’re talking St. Louis World Series championship hero, Freese takes the cake. For Freese, he never expected to even be playing in a World Series, and for a long time, never expected to be playing baseball, period.
Freese has suffered from depression his entire life. After graduating high school in 2001, his depression got so bad he gave up on baseball for the time being, despite an offer from the University of Missouri to play for them on a scholarship. He still attended the university, but his depression and growing alcoholism continued to run his life. In 2002 he was arrested for driving under the influence and was put on probation under a plea bargain. The next summer, Freese realized how much he missed baseball, and transferred to St. Louis Community College-Meramec to play once again. In his time at the junior college level, Freese hit .396 with 41 RBIs, 10 home runs, and was named to the National Junior College Athletic Association All-America second team. Tony Dattoli, Freese’s coach at the junior college recognized his talent and referred him to Steve Kittrell, head coach of the University of South Alabama baseball team. Freese transferred to South Alabama and shined at the Division I level. He played two seasons of D1 ball, and accumulated quite a bit of achievements in that short time. In his senior year, he was named the SBC Player of the Year, as well as named the American Baseball Coaches Association All-American as the top third baseman in Division I, beating out guys like Evan Longoria and Pedro Alvarez. to this day, Kittrell calls David Freese the best player he's ever coached.
After making a triumphant comeback to the baseball world at the collegiate level, Freese was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 2006 MLB Draft in the ninth round 273rd overall, right before St. Louis, who planned to pick him, could. He never played a game at the major league level for the Padres before he was traded to St. Louis in 2008 for Jim Edmonds. In 2009, after Cardinals' everyday third baseman Troy Glaus was placed on the IL prior to the start of the regular season, Freese was called up to make his MLB debut on Opening Day 2009. Despite predictions Freese would take Glaus' role permanently as the everyday third baseman, Brian Barden and Joe Thurston beat him out, and he was sent back down to Triple-A Memphis a month later. Things got even worse for Freese, who then missed two months of the season due to surgery on his ankle, and when he returned he was sent to Double-A before working his way back to Triple-A. He played just 17 games at the major league level in 2009. To top off a rocky year, Freese was arrested in December for another DUI, and due to another arrest in 2007, Freese violated his probation. It seemed like no matter how much talent he had, there was always another mountain for him to climb getting in the way of success.
In 2010, Freese started the regular season at the Cardinals' starting third baseman, and for the first few months of the season Freese thrived, particularly with a personal hot stretch from late April to early May batting .462 with 3 home runs and 11 RBIs. Unfortunately, Freese's season ended early after he suffered yet another ankle injury in June requiring two surgeries. He played just 70 games in 2010 and though he showed great promise, yet again, never got to show St. Louis truly what he was capable of.
Of course, that brings us to 2011. What this is all about. Once again, Freese was named the Cardinals' starting third baseman, and once again, began the season with a hot start. After getting hit by a pitch, he fractured his hand and missed 51 games. When he returned to the lineup, despite all the obstacles, he finished the regular season batting .297, with 10 home runs and 55 RBIs. Now, it was onto the postseason.
Suddenly, we saw a side of David Freese we had never seen before: October David Freese. The Cardinals faced the Phillies in the NLDS and after going 1-9 with 6 strikeouts in the first three games of the NLDS, Freese stepped his game up in Game 4, and evidently never turned it off for the remainder of October. His Game 4 performance in the NLDS, he doubled to give the Cards a lead, and in his next at-bat sealed the deal with a home run in the sixth inning, forcing a Game 5 which of course ultimately led to the Cards advancing onto the NLCS to face the Milwaukee Brewers. To give you an idea of how good David Freese was in the NLCS and why many Brewers fans cringe when they hear his name to this day, he was batting a .545 average for the duration of the NLCS with 3 home runs and 9 RBIs. To nobody's surprise, he was named the NLCS MVP, and rightfully so.
The 2011 World Series was a battle between the Cardinals and the Texas Rangers. Up until Game 4 of the World Series, Freese was on a 13-game postseason hitting streak, two games shy of the franchise record. While he gained a lot of attention that October for his impressive postseason performance, of course any baseball fan will tell you if there's one moment that defined his October, it came in Game 6.
October 27th, 2011 the Cardinals entered Game 6 at home at Busch Stadium trailing the Rangers 2-3 in the series. By the 8th inning, the Rangers led the Cards 7-5 and it was on St. Louis to turn it around in the 9th. In comes David Freese in the bottom of the 9th with two outs and two men on base. At that time, he was just the guy you wanted at bat and man, he did not disappoint. Freese was facing righty Neftali Feliz. Freese quickly fell behind in the count 1-2. Then on the fourth pitch of the at bat, Freese hit a two-run triple, tying the game in the bottom of the 9th and sending it to extra innings. As if his two-run triple wasn't enough, in the 11th inning yet again with two strikes, Freese hit the game-winning walk-off home run deep into centerfield, forcing a Game 7. To top it all off, he of course hit a two-run double in Game 7, giving him 21 postseason RBIs, the major league record. Despite all his struggles, not only was David Freese a World Series champion, he also won the World Series MVP.
Even now 9 years later, Freese's 2011 postseason is still something baseball fans awe at, and rightfully so. He became a topic of conversation again at the end of the 2019 season after he announced his official retirement from baseball. For him, his relationship with baseball has not always been a good one and admitted at times, it felt like he was playing solely for the "forced structure" of it all. However at the end of his 10 years in the MLB, despite all the ups and downs, David Freese is without a doubt a guy who's going to be talked about for a long time.
7. Steve Pearce, 2018 Red Sox
Naturally, with all the bias in the world, Steve Pearce in the 2018 World Series is my favorite underdog story. The definition of a journeyman, Pearce played for all five of the AL East teams, the 6th player in MLB history to play for every team in one division. Pearce was acquired midseason just before the trade deadline in July 2018 from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for minor leaguer Santiago Espinal. At the time, the trade felt rather underwhelming. There was not much risk involved, other than the fact Pearce was 35. Still, a veteran guy, he was a solid right-handed bat that fared pretty well against left-handed pitching, and offered depth off the bench at a few positions, but mainly first base.
In 50 regular season games with Boston, Pearce hit .279 with 7 home runs and 26 RBIs. He particularly had standout performances against Boston's rivals the New York Yankees, putting him in the good graces of the people of Boston.
While owning the Yankees is cool and all, winning a World Series is even cooler. When Toronto GM Ross Atkins informed Pearce of the trade back in July 2018, he told him "go win a World Series," and he did just that. Pearce, born and raised a Red Sox fan despite living in Florida most of his life, often expressed the excitement of playing for your childhood team. Perhaps it was that excitement that helped spark an impressive World Series performance, turning him into Mr. October.
After a tough extra inning loss in Game 3, one that came in 18 innings to be exact, the Sox found themselves back in Dodger Stadium the very next day hoping to get back on track and keep their series lead. The Dodgers gained a 4-0 lead in the 6th inning, and the Sox offense showed no signs of life. That all changed when Chris Sale took it upon himself to in the most Chris Sale way ever of hyping his teammates up, by screaming and swearing at them to get it the F together. After a three run seventh inning for Boston, Pearce tied up the game in the 8th with a solo shot making it 4-4. He then added on another three-runs after hitting a double in the 9th. The Red Sox ultimately took down the Dodgers 9-6, and were onto Game 5 to clinch the series in Los Angeles.
In the very first inning of Game 5 with the Dodgers facing elimination, Pearce hit a two-run homer off Clayton Kershaw to get the ball rolling. While the Dodgers scored a run in the first, it was all the only time they'd get on the board for the remainder of the game. Coming up to bat in the 8th inning with Boston up 4-1, Pearce finished off his impressive World Series campaign with a solo shot off Pedro Baez, giving the Sox a 5-1 win.
At 35 years old, a late season trade acquisition for a minor leaguer, playing just 50 regular season games, Pearce became the first position player to win a World Series MVP while playing 50 or fewer games for the winning team, per Elias Sports Bureau.
Pearce re-signed with the Red Sox for the 2019 season, but unfortunately injuries ruined his season. He announced in the fall he would officially be retiring from baseball. While it might not have been the way he wanted to go out, he can retire happily knowing he forever has a spot in Red Sox history.
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