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Looking out for no. 1: the playoff picture is fuzzy, but this is clear: Chris Carpenter will be the most important player in the postseason and the reason the Cardinals win it all
Sporting News, The, Oct 7, 2005 by Stan McNeal
Aaron Rowand, CF, White Sox
The journey: 571 games over five seasons.
fight to the finish: Rowand has developed into the best all-around player on his club, but he has struggled along with his teammates as the White Sox have slumped. He'll need to turn it around for the team to be successful in the playoffs.
Playoff memory:. "Kirk Gibson's home run. I remember watching that, and it was like, 'Wow'. That was amazing. I wasn't a Dodgers fan, either. I was an Angels fan. So, of course, the other memory that sticks out is watching the Angels blow a 3-1 lead to the Red Sox in 1986.The Dave Henderson thing:'--S.M.
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Contributing: Dave Albee, Kevin Baxter, Sean Deveney, Tom Krasovic, Bruce Lowitt.
RELATED ARTICLE: Instant expert.
Your cheat sheet for the playoffs By Stan McNeal
Five who'll make a difference.
1 Francisco Rodriguez, RHP, Angels. It seems like yesterday that a 20-year-old hotshot with a nasty slider burst onto the scene and won five games in the postseason, helping the Angels bring home their first World Series title. Rodriguez is all grown up now and has been dealing with the ups and downs of being a first-year closer.
2 Chipper Jones, 3B, Braves. Now 33 and the senior member of the Braves' lineup, Jones has played in 10 straight postseasons but hasn't made it as far as the NLCS since 2001. He was out for a month before the All-Star Game because of a sore left foot but has hit #303 in the second half, making the most of batting third in an order than features Andruw Jones in the cleanup role.
3 David Ortiz, DH, Red Sox. You're not likely to see him in the field until the World Series--if the Red Sox make it that far. But when he has a bat in his hands, don't go anywhere. "Big Papi" leads the majors in homers since the break, and his flair for the dramatic makes him a front-runner for American League MVP.
4 Andy Pettitte, LHP, Astros. Even if the Astros don't return to the postseason, Pettitte has proved he's back. Elbow problems sidelined him most of last season, but he has been as good as any pitcher in the National League the past three months. You might recall from his time with the Yankees that Pettitte likes pitching at this time of year.
5 Victor Martinez, C, Indians. Watch out, Jason Varitek and Jorge Posada. Martinez is well on his way to assuming the title of best catcher in the A.L. His first two months were dreadful, but since May 28, he has raised his batting average more than 100 points to get it to .304.
Postseason bests since 2000 ...
HITTING
Bernie Williams, Yankees. Tied with teammates Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada for most postseason games played since 2000 (65), Williams is tops in offensive production. He leads all players in homers (11), RBIs (42) and runs (43) and has a .360 on-base percentage.
Darin Erstad, Angels. In two trips to the playoffs, Erstad has hit .370 (30-for-81), 82 points better than his career regular-season average. His .402 OBP is 60 points higher than his regular-season mark.
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Most Popular Articles in Sports
- The first family: Archie, Peyton and Eli are incredibly famous, immensely ...
- The growing gap: driving distances are skyrocketing on the PGA Tour. So why ...
- Which pistol caliber for self defense? Four different people come to four ...
- Drag racing - National Hot Rod Association
- The world's most popular .22: the Marlin Model 60 just keeps on ticking
- More »