Some players have careers full of highlights; it seems as though they are in the middle of great or infamous plays all the time. Others have a handful of big moments to hang onto.
But many players’ careers may have only one or two signature moments — something that defines their time in the big leagues, and for which we will always remember them: Billy Bates scoring the winning run for the Reds in the World Series in 1990; Travis Ishikawa’s pennant-winning home run for the Giants in 2014; Francisco Cabrera’s base hit against the Pirates in the 1992 playoffs that put the Braves into the World Series; and many more.
I want to salute those players and those times in this section, because so many players never have a chance for such a moment (and to be sure, some who did, manage to “dine out” on that singular at-bat or play for years afterward). They may have played well, but without distinction, for years without getting a turn in the spotlight. I want to shine that light back on a few of them here.
Here are a few of my favorites.