How notable hitters fared in long-awaited playoff debuts

How notable hitters fared in long-awaited playoff debuts

October 5th, 2024

Making the playoffs is not easy.

Even in this era of three Wild Cards in each league, punching your ticket to the postseason is an achievement worth celebrating at the end of a draining 162-game campaign. Advancing to October baseball is never guaranteed, no matter how talented you are.

Case in point: . He spent the first six seasons of his MLB career accomplishing things that hadn't been witnessed on the diamond in a century -- or ever. Alas, each of those years ended with Ohtani and the Angels on the outside of the playoff picture.

But the wait is just about over. In his first year with the Dodgers, Ohtani is set to make his postseason debut Saturday in NLDS Game 1 against the Padres. How might he perform? Anything seems possible, especially in the wake of his unprecedented regular season.

Ohtani is far from the only superstar who needed to bide his time before experiencing the postseason. Here is a look at some other big-name players from the Divisional Era (since 1969) who played at least seven seasons before getting into the playoffs.

(ninth season), 2018 Yankees

Stanton hit 267 home runs for the Marlins through his first eight Major League seasons, culminating with his 2017 NL MVP year in which he clobbered 59 dingers, the most by any player since 2001. However, Miami finished below .500 in each season, leaving Stanton without an opportunity to showcase his power on the postseason stage.

That changed the following year after Stanton was traded to the Yankees to pair with Aaron Judge, who paced the American League with 52 homers during his rookie year in '17. Stanton would soon develop a reputation as a proven playoff performer, but his October introduction was a little quiet; he went 5-for-21 in five games before the rival Red Sox eliminated the Yankees in the ALDS. His lone extra-base hit was a solo homer that traveled a Statcast-projected 443 feet in a victory over the A's in the AL Wild Card Game.

(11th season), 2007 Rockies

When you've played 1,577 regular-season games without reaching the playoffs, what's the harm in playing one more? In 2007, Helton and the Rockies were pushed to a 163rd game against the Padres, a tiebreaker to decide the NL Wild Card. Helton homered that day before Matt Holliday scored the game-winning run in the 13th inning with a head-first -- chin-first? -- slide into home.

The Rockies rode that momentum all the way to the World Series as they went undefeated in the NLDS and NLCS. Helton didn't stand out at the plate -- 9-for-41 with no home runs, two RBIs and nine strikeouts -- but Rockies fans will always remember the unbridled joy that poured out of Helton once he secured the pennant-clinching out.

(ninth season), 2004 Angels

After a disappointing World Series title defense in 2003, the Angels restocked for '04 by signing Guerrero, who established himself as one of the game's best hitters through eight seasons with the Montreal Expos. He lived up to expectations in his first year with Anaheim, registering a .337 average with 39 homers and an AL-best 366 total bases. His massive contributions helped the Angels win the AL West for the first time in 18 years while Guerrero was feted as AL MVP.

Guerrero's first trip to the postseason included only two hits in 12 at-bats, but one was a crowd-silencer at Fenway Park. With the Angels facing elimination in ALDS Game 3, Guerrero bashed an opposite-field grand slam to tie the game in the seventh inning. It would remain tied until the bottom of the ninth when Boston's David Ortiz hit a walk-off dinger to clinch the series.

(10th season), 1998 Cubs

After averaging 34 home runs per year from 1993-97 with the Cubs, Sosa put together a season in '98 that will be long remembered in the annals of baseball history. He and Mark McGwire engaged in a home run race that surpassed the Roger Maris-Mickey Mantle duel from 1961. Although McGwire ended up with more fanfare as he belted 70 homers to Sosa's 66, it was the Cubs' slugger who was named NL MVP after leading his team to the playoffs for the first and only time in the '90s.

But once there, Sosa's thunderous bat was held in check by the Braves' Hall of Fame trio of John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux. They allowed only four earned runs in 21 2/3 combined innings as Atlanta authored a three-game sweep in the NLDS. Sosa went 2-for-11 with no home runs.

(10th season), 1997 Marlins

One of the most intimidating hitters of his time, Sheffield was batting only .235 with a .410 slugging percentage -- about 80 points below his career average -- as he neared the final month of the '97 season. But then Sheff got hot, slashing .329/.451/.630 with six homers over his final 21 games as the Marlins made it to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

Sheffield's waggling bat remained in top form during October. He homered as part of a three-hit performance in NLDS Game 2 en route to a sweep of the Giants. He went deep once in the NLCS as the Marlins upset the Braves in six games and had a huge box score -- 3-for-5 with a double, a home run and five RBIs -- in a 14-11 victory against Cleveland in Game 3 of the World Series. On the whole, Sheffield recorded a .320/.521/.540 postseason slash line with three home runs and 20 walks in 71 plate appearances for the World Series champions.

(seventh season) and (10th season), 1997 Astros

Although the Marlins were able to get past Atlanta in '97, many other teams often fell victim to the Braves' buzzsaw of the '90s and early 2000s. That brings us to Bagwell and Biggio's Astros. Houston's most famous "Killer B's" guided the franchise to the postseason in '97, but they were powerless against Atlanta in the NLDS. The Hall of Fame teammates combined for just two singles in 24 at-bats as Houston was swept out of its first playoff appearance in more than a decade. The same fate befell the club in 1999 and 2001 -- first-round eliminations by the Braves while the Astros' leaders were left without an extra-base hit.

Bagwell and Biggio, after playing in their 14th and 17th MLB seasons respectively, finally bested their nemesis in the 2004 NLDS and put up big numbers along the way, combining for 15 hits, including three home runs, in 42 at-bats.

(seventh season) and (ninth season), 1995 Mariners

Every player wishes to be in the middle of a triumphant, iconic moment during their postseason debut. Griffey and Martinez made one for the ages in '95. After chasing down the Angels in the AL West and winning a one-game playoff to notch the franchise's first postseason appearance, the Mariners dug themselves out of a 2-0 hole in the ALDS against the Yankees. Griffey and Martinez -- perhaps the best offensive duo of the '90s -- were each spectacular in the series, combining for seven home runs and 17 RBIs in the five-game set. But what everyone remembers is how the series ended.

Bottom of the 11th. Seattle trailing by a run. Martinez steps into the box against the Yankees' Jack McDowell with Griffey representing the winning run on second base. Martinez lashes a pitch down into the left-field corner, and Griffey beats the play at the plate to send the Mariners to the ALCS. It's a play that arguably saved baseball in Seattle.

Although the Mariners lost to Cleveland in the next round, Griffey hit .333 with a 1.011 OPS during that six-game ALCS. Martinez, conversely, went 2-for-23 with no extra-base hits or RBIs.

(14th season), 1995 Yankees

Mattingly's postseason career is a mix of bad luck and bad timing. He broke into the league in 1982, one year after the Yankees won their fourth AL pennant in six years. But they wouldn't return to the postseason until 1995, the last season of Mattingly's career. By that point, the 34-year-old was being nagged by a balky back that affected his on-field play. After batting third in the Yankees' lineup for so long, Mattingly spent much of the final month of his career in the No. 6 hole.

However, he started to look like the Donnie Baseball of old in September and then took full advantage of his only postseason, going 10-for-24 with four doubles and six RBIs. His lone playoff homer in ALDS Game 2 -- punctuated by announcer Gary Thorne's call of "Oh, hang on to the roof!" -- sent Yankee Stadium into a frenzy.

Of course, the Yankees lost that series to the aforementioned Mariners, and Mattingly was just a spectator as the Yankees celebrated a World Series championship one year later.

(13th season), 1986 Red Sox

Nobody on this list played in more games without a postseason appearance than Rice (1,790). He should have been a part of the Red Sox's run to the World Series in 1975, but he suffered a broken left hand when he was hit by a pitch on Sept. 21 and missed the rest of that year. Rice built a stellar résumé over the next 11 seasons -- a .303 average, 328 home runs, a 134 OPS+, eight All-Star selections and one AL MVP Award -- but none included playoff baseball until '86.

That team claimed Boston's first division title since '75 and battled in a couple of seven-game series. Rice went yard twice against the Angels in the ALCS, and his long three-run clout in Game 7 essentially locked up the pennant. He didn't homer in the Red Sox's World Series loss to the Mets, but he did tally nine hits in 27 at-bats and a .455 on-base percentage.

(eighth season) and (ninth season), 1984 Tigers

The '84 Tigers could start making postseason plans by late May. With their legendary middle-infield duo at the top of the lineup, Detroit went 18-2 in April and won 35 of its first 40 games. Its lead in the AL East never dipped below three games after that and was in double figures before the season's midpoint. All the while, Trammell and Whitaker were putting together All-Star seasons and on their way to earning their fourth and second Gold Gloves, respectively.

Detroit continued flattening the competition in October. After dispatching the Royals in the ALCS, the Tigers defeated the Padres in the World Series, four games to one. Whitaker was good in the series -- he scored at least once in every game and turned in a .798 OPS -- but Trammell was incredible. He churned out multiple hits in each of the first four games, produced a 1.300 OPS and was named MVP. Trammell drove in Whitaker four times during the Fall Classic, including on each of his two-run homers in Game 4.

(eighth season), 1981 Expos

Led by future Hall of Famers Andre Dawson, Tim Raines and Carter, the Montreal Expos made their only playoff appearance in '81. The 27-year-old Carter was already a four-time All-Star, and he wasted no time making an impression on the big stage. In Game 1 of the NLDS against the Phillies, Carter picked up an RBI double in his first postseason at-bat. He then drilled a two-run dinger that proved to be the difference in Game 2.

Carter kept rolling as Montreal advanced to face the Dodgers in the NLCS. He recorded seven hits and four walks over five games, though Los Angeles would ultimately celebrate as National League champions. Carter hit safely in each of his 10 playoff games in 1981 and compiled a .429/.488/.714 slash line over 41 plate appearances.

(eighth season), 1981 Brewers

The 1981 season was divided into halves separated by the 50-day strike that halted the season in the middle of the summer. The Brewers ended the first half in third place in the AL East, and it looked like they would fall short in the second half as they sat three games behind the Tigers with 17 games remaining. But buoyed by the 25-year-old Yount, the Brewers went 11-6 the rest of the way, passed the Tigers and collected their first playoff berth. Yount slashed .379/.394/.561 over the closing stretch. He hit just one home run, but it was a pivotal three-run shot that helped beat the Tigers in Detroit on Sept. 25.

Yount and the Brewers matched up with the Yankees in the ALDS and, after losing the first two games at home, won Games 3 and 4 at Yankee Stadium to force a winner-take-all Game 5. Yount had his best performance of the series that night -- 3-for-5 with a triple and a run scored -- but the Brewers lost, 7-3.