Autumn Heroes

Little-known players who had big postseason moments:

* 1906--George Rohe, 3B, Chicago White Sox. Because of an injury to starter George Davis, Rohe started the first three games of the World Series against the Cubs. Rohe led off Game 1 with a triple and scored the game’s first run in a 2-1 White Sox victory. In the sixth inning of Game 3, Rohe tripled with the bases loaded in a 3-1 White Sox victor. When Davis recovered enough to return to the lineup in Game 4, shortstop Lee Tannehill went to the bench, not Rohe. Rohe had five hits over the next two games as the White Sox won the Series in six games. Rohe played only one more season in the majors, hitting .213.

* 1909--Babe Adams, P, Pittsburgh Pirates. Adams had only 130 innings pitched in the regular season, but Pirate Manager Fred Clarke, to the surprise of everyone, named Adams as his Game 1 starter in the World Series against Detroit. Adams responded with a complete game, 4-1 victory. With the Series tied, 2-2, Adams started Game 5 and again responded with a complete-game victory. With the Series tied, 3-3, Adams started Game 7 on three days rest and again responded with a complete game victory, giving the Pirates the title.

* 1940--Jimmie Wilson, C, Cincinnati Reds. Wilson was a coach for the Reds when he was activated in August to become the reserve catcher when the incumbent reserve, Willard Hershberger, killed himself. Wilson only had 37 at-bats in the season, 32 more than he had the previous two years combined. When starting catcher Ernie Lombardi sprained his ankle on the last day of the season, Wilson, 40, was forced into starting duty for the World Series against Detroit. All Wilson did was hit .353 and steal the only base of the Series. In the seventh inning of the seventh game, with the score tied, 1-1, and a runner on third, Wilson hit a sacrifice fly that scored the eventual winning run in a 2-1 Reds victory. It was the last at-bat of Wilson’s career, and it gave the Reds a World Series championship.

* 1969--Al Weis, 2B, New York Mets. Weis, a .219 lifetime hitter, led all players with a .455 average in the five-game series. In Game 5 of the Series, Weis, who hit only six homers in his career, homered to tie the score for the Mets, who went on to win the game and the Series over the Orioles. Weis finished with three RBIs, one more than any player had on the Orioles.

* 1972--Gene Tenace, C, Oakland Athletics. Tenace, who had never played in more than 82 games in a season before the Series, was the star for Oakland. He hit two homers and drove in all the runs in a 3-2 Game 1 victory. He homered and scored the winning run in Game 4, homered in Game 5 and drove in two runs in Oakland’s 3-2 Game 7 victory. In the Series, Tenace hit four homers, drove in nine of Oakland’s 16 runs and hit .348.

* 1975--Bernie Carbo, OF, Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox lost the Series, but Carbo, who had only seven at-bats, had three hits, including two pinch-hit homers. Everyone remembers Carlton Fisk’s 12th-inning game-winning home in Game 6, but it couldn’t have happened if Carbo hadn’t tied the score with a pinch-hit three-run homer in the eighth.

* 1978--Brian Doyle, 2B, New York Yankees. Doyle, who had only 52 at-bats during the season, hit .438, drove in two runs and scored four in the Yankees’ six-game Series victory over the Dodgers. He played only three more seasons and retired with a lifetime average of .161.

* 1988--Mickey Hatcher, OF, Dodgers. Hatcher started every game of the Dodgers’ five-game victory over Oakland in place of the injured Kirk Gibson. After hitting only one homer in the season, not much power was expected from Hatcher, but he responded with two home runs, hit .368, drove in five runs and scored five during the Dodger upset.

* 1990--Billy Hatcher, OF, Reds. Hatcher set a World Series record by hitting .750 in Cincinnati’s sweep of Oakland. He also scored six runs and drove in two.

* 1992--Francisco Cabrera, PH, Atlanta Braves. In Game 7 of the NL Championship Series, the Pittsburgh Pirates had a 2-0 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth inning. Cy Young Award winner Doug Drabek was on the mound, but he couldn’t close it out. After the Braves loaded the bases with none out, Stan Belinda came in to save the game for Pittsburgh. After Ron Gant’s sacrifice fly cut the lead to one, Damon Berryhill walked and Brian Hunter popped out. With two out and the bases loaded, Cabrera, hitting for pitcher Jeff Reardon, singled to left. Two runs scored, including the molasses-like Sid Bream, who summoned all of his minuscule speed and barely beat Barry Bonds’ throw to the plate. Cabrera only had 351 at-bats in his career.