Baseball's Most Unlikely Postseason Heroes

[@jpc0309]

Didn’t the Giants claim Cody Ross just so the Padres wouldn’t get him because they were in a tight division race?

[@DLM.CHUNGUS]

Yes indeed

[@tactician1016]

And then played him over Jose Guillen in the playoffs because Guillen came under FBI investigation like the same week the season ended

[@jacobgolder6]

Yep. David Samson, the former president of the Marlins confirmed it. They thought it was just a standard August waiver and pleaded for them to pull him off waivers, but the Marlins were only interested in dumbing his contract.

[@BKrystall]

1998 was a dream season for the padres. Only to be swept by the yankees in the fall classic. The padres never recovered after the loss to the World Series. 1999 was when the padres fell back to earth.

[@lizbarr724]

Howie Kendrick in 2019 for the Nats was so unexpected and absolutely legendary

[@VCUClemson]

Yeah most people remember the homerun in game 7 off the foul pole but he also hit the grand slam in extras off the Dodgers to win the NLDS and was the NLCS MVP. All that as a 35 year old coming off of an achilles tear.

[@NRR1234]

howie was a lowkey beast all of 2019

[@nickmahr3354]

Came here looking for him. Great player and great person

[@ismaelalvaradosoto24]

He was a beast in general ​@@NRR1234

[@MartianTheMartin]

Travis Ishikawa is my all time unlikely hero, that home run to send the Giants to the 2014 World Series will give me chills every time.

[@Brofoughttrout]

I rewatch that moment every time when I miss that team

[@MartianTheMartin]

@@Brofoughttrout those guys were scrappers man, I miss that feeling of them being the underdogs and still just taking care of business

[@trealville23]

“Ishikawa, HITS ONE TO RIGHT! GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT!” Say what u will about joe buck but holy fucking shit that call is so legendary and engrained in every sf giant fan of the times head. I Literally tear up just thinking about it in my head.

[@MartianTheMartin]

@@trealville23 100% agree, hopefully we have moments like that again in the near future

[@bmac4]

I think Tyler Matzek deserves a shout here. He pitched some of the most high leverage innings you'll ever see in the 2021 postseason and will never have to buy a beer in Atlanta even if he doesn't see the field again. Remarkable turnaround considering he nearly lost his ability to throw a baseball accurately.

[@SteefPip]

I love any mention of Cody Ross. He will always be one of my favorite heroes from that 2010 team. It was also fun to watch him throw bats all over the place because he had such a loose grip on the bat that he would regularly lose his grip.

[@averystanley7013]

Red Sox legend Cody Ross

[@Flashfm3000]

As a Phillies fan, I hate any mention of Cody Ross 😂

[@andycairns07]

Affeldt was also huge in game 6 of the 2010 NLCS. After the benches cleared in the 3rd, he came in with two on and no outs and pitched two scoreless innings.

[@Jrose11]

I figured David Freese (too obvious, but really just known for the 2011 run). Steve Pearce in 2018 comes to mind too. Alcides Escobar in 2015. It's a good list though.

[@mxchump]

Affeldt also well known for having bizarre injuries among Giants fans

[@naterosenbaum4830]

Slicing open his hand separating frozen burgers and injuring his MCL playing with his kids. Still a #forevergiant tho

[@pfelon]

Great video. Some unlikely postseason hero performances that don't quite meet the criteria would be Mark Lemke's insane 1996 NLCS and Barry Zito's start in the 2012 NLCS to save the Giants season. He followed it up with a solid start in the World Series too.

[@David-vk5zd]

Eddie Rosario has got to be on there. That 2021 NLCS was legendary

[@lhsbandfreak11]

Not to mention he had a huge pinch hit RBI single in Game 4 of the NLDS, had the only assist of any outfielder in the World Series, had a timely double in Game 4 of the World Series that started to get the bats going on their way to that comeback, the backhanded catch for the last out of the 8th robbing Altuve of an extra base hit off of Luke Jackson, plus (and the most overlooked at bat he had) drew the walk immediately before Jorge Soler's moonshot in Game 6. Plus, another mention of unlikely heroes: The Night Shift (Minter, Jackson, Matzek, and Smith). Aside from Jackson's Game 3 and 6 appearances in the NLCS and Minter's 5th inning in Game 5 of the World Series, those guys absolutely slammed the door that postseason.

[@wateriswet0510]

If you do a part 2 I have a suggestion, Billy Bates was a guy who had 6 career hits in 48 career at-bats with the Brewers and Reds from 89-90 In game 2 of the 1990 World Series he pinch hit in the 10th inning and hit a single off Dennis Eckersley, eventually coming around to score the game winning run, never played an MLB game again Not sure if that's significant enough but I consider it to be a cool postseason moment if anything

[@memesfather7821]

Fun Fact, Cody Ross spelled backwards is Sorry Doc which happens to be Roy Halladay's nickname, Doc Halladay

[@BRRuns08]

Ssor ydoc

[@findingtheFOOT]

Cody Ross backwards, is "Sorry Doc". When Roy "Doc" Halliday was dominant that year, Ross was so clutch. Affeldt was my favorite Giant throughout the run, thanks for putting name out there!

[@wyssmaster]

Don't disrespect my man Ssory Doc by spelling his name wrong

[@robbiearroyo2292]

​@wyssmaster so close!

[@robd4701]

Gene Tenace, 72 Series. He was a part time player with a .220 BA going into that series and popped 4 homers. Jump started his career.

[@youdead3758]

2005 World Series, game 3, 14th inning. Geoff Blum, a utility infielder with .229 on the season and not even on the team til halfway through the season, hit the go ahead home run to put the white sox up 6-5, and ended up being the winning run. That home run earned him a statue in front of the stadium along with other postseason heroes that season.

[@shoukatsukai]

He's now the Astros color commentator and his sins against the team are mostly forgiven lol

[@austintaylor6152]

I remember that Anaheim team, they were so fast with Eckstein Kennedy Anderson great power with glaus and tim salmon that team was low-key stacked with talent

[@alexcohen2803]

Notable power hitter, Scott Podsednik, 2 HR in the post season (one being a walk off) after not hitting a single home run all of the 05 season. Plus his other notable events in the post season.

[@kelz3240]

Luis Soho is another one. And ones you mention of course Steve Pearce and Cody Ross were always on 🔥 during playoff time.

[@zachthemakc]

love cody ross man one of the sweetest righty swings he’s a legend for giants fans

[@jamesesterline]

6:35 He actually had 4 All-Star seasons, the fourth was at age 30 in 1995

[@cardboardempire]

Pat Borders. 1992 World Series MVP

[@SuperMarlinsfan]

As a Marlins fan who grew up in the Hanley/Uggla days, Cody was definitely a fan favorite. Loved him as a player and was a really nice with fans. Was crushed when the fish let him go and was happy for him with the Giants that October

[@Windyyyyyyyyy]

Probably not a great pick but watching Alcides Escobar in 2014-2015 was insane. It shocked me when he was in Japan during the COVID years because of how legendary those playoff runs were

[@TBone31]

One of my favorites of these is Travis ishikawa

[@evilpeach2]

Darin Ruf on the Mets really made an impact.

[@bby_plut0]

Marlins LEGEND, Cody Ross on a JollyO vid?? in 2023?? I love it, keep coming with the HEAT my boy 🤞🏽

[@ayojstfu22]

surprised there wasnt a mention of Archie Bradley. That 2017 NL wildcard game was a slugfest the entire game and out of nowhere, they had Archie bradley pinch hit in the 7th, where he was a sub 090. career hitter. All of the sudden he knocked a ball deep in the gap into the center and hit a triple that proved to be critical to the games overall result.

[@notahouse2008]

Biased Braves fan here, but I'd like to mention Eddie Rosario. I know. I know. He's a recognizable name to the average baseball fan, unlike the guys on this list. He also was only dominant against LA in the NLCS. However, coming over in a trade whilst on the IL, I don't think anybody expected him to put up the history he did in that NLCS: NLCS MVP One of Five players to hit 14 hits in a single playoff series. One of only Three qualified Hitters to hit .560 or better in a postseason series. One of the two players to have multiple 4+ hit games in a postseason series. Finished the six game NLCS with three homers, a triple, a double and nine RBIs. Not to mention his statline in Game 4 alone, just missing the mark of becoming the second player to hit a postseason cycle (Brock Holt in Game 3 of the 2018 ALDS): 4/5 2 HR 1 3B 1 1B

[@yolohernadez2991]

Ray knight is a good one. Deion sanders was underrated in one of the braves runs. Mickey hatcher 88 ws. Terry pendleton

[@Fly-The-W]

Schwarber in 16 was crazy. Literally hadnt played since the 2nd game of the year. Comes back just for the WS and crushes it.

[@slim3d]

Love putting the Cody Ross walk-off vs Chicago White Sox when he was on the Red Sox. one of my favorite Red Sox games I've ever watched!

[@keithb5434]

As a Phillies fan Cody Ross still haunts my dreams.

[@antoniostrings]

Amazing video!! Just wanted to point out that Kenny Rogers also made the all star game in 95 along with his three other appearances.

[@donwhiteley3293]

Mark Lemke (1991 WS and 1996 NLCS), Gene Tenace (1972), Mickey Hatcher (1988 WS, hitting 3rd in the "worst lineup in WS history"), Steve Pearce (2018), Luis Sojo always came up big for the dynasty Yankees, Rick Dempsey (1983), Billy Hatcher (1990 WS)

[@jacksonpowers3947]

As a twins fan, appreciate the love with the twins Jersey jolly 🤝🏽💪🏽

[@jonnuanez7183]

There is no way we would have beat the Twins if not for Adam Kennedy. He really stood out in that series. And Sterling Hitchcock is one of the greatest names in baseball history.

[@greetingsmars]

My favorite is 2022 Grish posting a .184/.284/.341 slash line then being reincarnated into the NLWC as 🪦”Tombstone” Trent 🪦absolutely crushing not only Mets pitching but their playoff hopes and dreams

[@rjlesch]

Great choices. Some older candidates: * 1926: Tom Thevenow, Cardinals. -5.0 career WAR, OPS+ of 59 in 1926, but hit .417/.440/.583 with a homer in game 2 and a key hit in Game 7. Thevenow hit only three home runs in his career, and they were all in 1926: September 17, September 22, and October 3 (WS) * 1906: George Rohe, White Sox. 3.1 career bWAR, OPS+ of 92 in 77 games that season, but hit triples in game 1 and game 3 that were decisive in both games. * 1954: Dusty Rhodes, Giants. 3.8 career bWAR; most of that was in 1954, though. In the World Series that season, he hit a game-winning pinch-hit homer in Game 1 and a clutch pinch-hit RBI single in game 2 (he also stayed in the game to homer later). * 1940: Jimmie Wilson, Cincinnati. 11.2 WAR; a solid player and two-time All-Star, but in 1940 he was a 39-year-old coach who had to return to play late in the season when the Reds lost their top two catchers, Ernie Lombardi (injury) and Willard Hershberger (suicide). Wilson caught in six of the seven World Series games, hitting .353.

[@thorpizzle]

One underrated "hero" was Miguel Montero with the 2016 Chicago Cubs. He hit a go-ahead grand slam in Game 1 of the NLCS. He also had the ultimate World Series-winning RBI in the top of the 10th inning in game 7. But that hit got overshadowed by Ben Zobrist's go-ahead double two at-bats earlier. He deserves to be remembered just as much as anyone else on that team.

[@Changsnoop]

So happy you mentioned Affeldt!

[@obamasjumper]

adam kennedy gave my brother his bat at the metrodome when we used to go early for bp such a cool souvenir

[@thomascalifano4536]

How is Jim Leyrtiz not mentioned here

[@bro9991]

That defense at 5:30 is unbelievable

[@ragnarok2160]

As a Yankee fan, I Don’t think I ever cursed so many names in a single Jolly video before.

[@p.a.paolino9505]

Really liked Adam Kennedy and Cody Ross. Great video.

[@Waffle77362]

David Eckstein 06

[@inf8nite_101]

CODY ROSS FRONT AND CENTER 🖤🧡

[@ryanwitkop23]

I love it when he talks about the 06 Tigers

[@tordcountry]

I was hoping for a Joe crede reference):

[@kenny2k822]

I think you can make a whole video based on the Cardinals Devil Magic that courses through random players in each of our postseason runs

[@SconnerStudios]

I always like when a player basically ends their career, or even a final year on a contract that will likely land them on another team after a long tenure, with a world series ring. Edgar Renteria, Howie Kendrick, Pedro Martinez, Hanley Ramirez, Ellis Burks, Joe Nathan, realy anyone even if they don't make a playoff appearance that year. Of course I'd say Carlos Beltran in 2017 too, but he's probably rightfully ashamed of that ring now.

[@alexwashington2554]

Random fact. Trevor Rogers (Marlins starting pitcher) is Cody Ross’s cousin

[@athletk13]

You’re missing highest career playoff OPS holder, Colby Rasmus

[@theJHeykid]

Affeldt was awesome for the Giants. He was always that great 7th/8th inning guy before we handed the ball to Wilson/Casilla/Romo. You always knew what you were getting out of him. Those Giants bullpens were all so good.

[@mlande14]

Rogers actually had his first all-star appearance in 1995 when he had like a sub 2 era after 10 starts. You are correct that he only had three other appearances though all age 39 or older in a row.

[@alecbormia4523]

As a fellow Mets fan I'm a bit surprised to see no Daniel Murphy on this list ngl.

[@blackjohn9240]

Chris Burke 2005 astros

[@theman1412]

6:33, I wonder what happen that Justin Verlander guy? 😊

[@alancaseres9864]

Marco scutaro was a mvp in playoffs with the SF Giants

[@al1976-v7m]

I thought of Mark Lemke in 91's World Series vs the Twins but i guess that was just some lucky clutch slap hitting.

[@Bendybiggun]

Appreciate you wearing a Twins jersey Jolly ❤

[@naesydarb9]

What about Marco Scutaro

[@bmac4]

Just as a note, Rogers had an all star nod in 2005 at age 30 as well

[@InsideJobFilms]

Gotta mention Scott Spiezio lol

[@jamesweldon8118]

Eddie Rosario coming off the IL after being traded to win NLCS MVP was a surprise for Braves fans Also Tyler Matszek

[@MrLeoni2]

You meant 1954 was the last Giants WS win before 2010. The Yanks won it in 1953, ending a five years run (1949-1953).

[@TheLastPrime38]

Never realized how similar Ross and Altuves swings were

[@Hamburger-xw2mi]

Carlos Correa is always great in the playoffs, it’s like it’s in his genes to be a great playoff player.

[@antonioreconquistador]

His mothers maiden name (in spanish customs, it comes before your last name as a genealogical record) is oppenheimer In october, he becomes death, destroyer of baseballs (or trash cans)

[@Crispy44652]

Cody Ross, David Freese, Howie Kendrick, Rajai Davis. These are a few names in the last 12 years that would be forgotten about if it wasn’t for the playoffs. Moneyball says it best, “how can you not be romantic about baseball?”

[@kaplezedrummer24ify]

Andrew Miller and Ryan Merritt in the 2016 ALCS

[@keithspaventa8925]

The Padres one is too true because with those big three pitchers, Andrew and chipper it was gunna be hard to keep up with the Jones

[@OH_MY_DOGGG]

Eckstein is my favorite.

[@austinamell2607]

Girardi is the first marlins manager I remember as a fan. No beard Cody Ross is the Cody Ross that first comes to mind for me lol

[@brianpeterson3351]

Yea yes I know it's 2018 but steve pearce had a great postseason that year for the red Sox Alcs he was .214 but the rest of the numbers were nice even for a player that I hadn't heard of until that postseason XD

[@Jawarhalahl]

Fun fact: Cody Ross spelled backwards is "ssory doc", and he hit two homers off Roy "Doc" Halladay

[@markokuhar670]

Ryan Merritt will always go down as the most unlikely playoff hero in my book

[@ItsMasterYoshi13]

I'd have to say Will Smith in 2021 for the Braves deserves a shoutout as well. 11 appearances, gave up no runs with 6 saves. This was after posting what was statically one of his worst seasons of his career.

[@RustyShackleford-yn2gl]

St. Louis has the David’s. Eckstein and Freese.

[@rheasilverstorm6366]

i was waiting to see Babe Ross on this vid. that was a fun postseason

[@michaelbernickus2289]

Gene Tenace, David freese, Allen Craig, Steve Pearce

[@his_purpose3]

You cursed the Brewers so badly lol

[@jonathangoldfuss15]

Somehow you forgot David Freese?…..don’t know how he doesn’t make this list. Dude was average or slightly below for a lot of his career but that 2011 run he was the best hitter on the planet.

[@lordcolinb]

😊❤ i was at the Astros Padres 98 game

[@MattCoggins]

Me when this video started: "Boy I hope he talks about the 06 Tigers" Me when I see Kenny Rogers: "Hell yeah."

[@tonyferch2130]

Steve Pearce 2018 Red Sox

[@Neckrollios18]

Pretty surprised not to see Randy Arozarena on this list. A guy who was part of trade that flew under the radar and has some impressive flashes in the regular season but nobody expected him to become a postseason hero... nevermind set a record for the most postseason home runs *ever*. As talented as the Rays were, especially with their pitching and defense, had it not been for Arozarena, the Rays likely don't make it to the 2020 World Series.

[@Zack-lt4dx]

JBJ’s 2018 run was insane

[@northofnashira2575]

Could you do a breakdown of the 1993 Phillies? Such an odd team to make a run out of nowhere for one year. Plus it has the biggest down ending for a losing team ever.

[@captainwesker1234]

Jolly, look at Danny Batista 2001 world series. This guys is constantly overlooked as a one hit playoff wonder. He gets overlooked because of Johnson and Schilling

[@jayalexander5534]

So no Daniel Murphy 🤔?

[@growing.grounds4054]

This vid was awesome

[@Gravy_Jones22]

Murphy being disrespected.

[@ricogomez4020]

What about Gene Tenace in 1972 WS?

[@jameslighterGTR]

Good stuff.

[@swell32]

Geoff Blum 2005 White Sox Marco Scutaro Giants

[@Snazzeo]

Marlins having a no beard rule is insane

[@EashwarKantemneniiamawesome]

What about Steve Pearce for the 2018 Red Sox?

[@rorygarhart736]

as a mets fan where’s the love to murph?!?! may be too obvious but he set records, and the fact that we still didn’t extend him an offer is ridiuclous

[@basketofbuckets]

Clayton Kershaw

[@seanbrownxp2899]

As a Phillies fan, Cody Ross still gives me nightmares