The eight best moments of the MLB postseason so far (Videos)
Are you having baseball withdrawals yet? Yeah, us too.
While we wait for the World Series to begin — that’s Tuesday at 8:07 p.m. ET, by the way — The Stew figured it’s a good time to relive some of the best moments of the 2014 postseason so far. And what a postseason it’s been, with so many close games, great plays and unlikely heroes.
So here’s our World Series Eve rundown of the eight best moments of the playoffs. You may not agree with our list 100 percent, and that’s OK. Leave your own top moments in the comments or tweet them to @BigLeagueStew.
8. Kolten Wong’s walk-off gives Cardinals Game 2 of NLCS
The entire NLCS didn’t finish the way the St. Louis Cardinals hoped, but they can at least be happy at the emergence of Wong as a postseason star. The rookie was smacking the ball all over the place, but his biggest moment came in Game 2 of the NLCS when he hit a walk-off homer to tie the series at one.
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7. Brandon Belt’s 18th inning homer
It seems like forever ago that the Giants and the Washington Nationals played their epic 18-inning Game 2 of the NLDS. That’s how much great baseball has been played in the past couple weeks. In that one, Brandon Belt put an end to the longest postseason game of all time with an 18th inning homer.
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6. Mike Moustakas climbs the railing to catch a pop-up
Mike Moustakas has been an all-around breakout performer this postseason for the Royals. We know about the homers, but the defense has been good too. His signature glove moment came in Game 3 of the ALCS when he climbed a rail and fell into the crowd to catch a foul pop-up.
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5. Hunter Pence goes Air Pence
With the Nats trying to comeback in Game 4 of the NLDS, Giants right fielder Hunter Pence made this wonderful, tongue-wagging catch in right field that robbed Jayson Werth of extra bases. A few innings later, the Giants were headed to the NLCS.
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4. Lorenzo Cain’s back-to-back diving catches
Lorenzo Cain has given us so many highlights so far in October, that you might be like, “Which great catch are we talking about?” Catches, actually. The two he made in Game 3 of the ALDS helped limit an Angels threat and sent the Royals sweeping past them into the league-championship round.
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3. Matt Adams sinks Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers
One swing of Matt Adams’ bat changed the narrative of Game 4 of the NLDS. Clayton Kershaw was closing in on redemption, pitching on short rest and shutting down the Cardinals. But then Adams hit a three-run, go-ahead homer that would end the Dodgers’ season, send the Cardinals to the NLCS and give St. Louis more ownage over Kershaw.
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2. Salvador Perez gives Royals walk-off win in AL wild-card game
It was the first game of the MLB postseason, not even October yet. For our money, it’s still the best game we’ve seen in the playoffs. The back-and-forth battle between the Royals and A’s ended with Salvador Perez hitting a walk-off single in the 12th inning and delivering Kansas City its first playoff victory in 29 years. They haven’t lost since.
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1. The Giants win the pennant thanks to Travis Ishikawa
Bottom of the ninth, tie game, a chance to send his team to the World Series — the moment couldn’t get much bigger for Travis Ishikawa in Game 5 of the NLCS. Ishikawa delivered in the hugest possible way, driving a three-run homer to right field. His teammates were so excited that Jake Peavy nearly tackled Ishikawa between second and third base. The game-winner was even sweeter because it was hit by Ishikawa, who was released by the Pirates earlier in the year, then spent most of the season in Triple-A. He had thought about quitting baseball, but stuck with it and ended up being immortalized in Giants history.
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Mike Oz is an editor for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
