For those of you who read my blog regularly, you know that every once in a while an idle thought would enter my cranium and it would evolve into me doing an elaborate list writing entry here.My entire 800 page Home Grown vs Acquired Series started from the simple question "I wonder if the Red Sox had better luck acquiring players from other teams or developing their own talent."
I chronicled how my ideas can germinate into a blog post with my "Making of a Blog Post" entry. Well it happened again.
While on the treadmill watching coverage of the Yankees and Rangers courtship of Cliff Lee, I thought "The Yankees are trying to bring in a guy who consistently beat them in October. I wonder how many players have joined a team they beat in the playoffs."
Later I got more specific. "I wonder how many times a playoff MVP joined the team that he beat."
Then I thought "I wonder how many playoff MVPs won their award against a team they USED to play for."
And finally the question "How many players won a playoff MVP and then later played in the post season AGAINST the team that he won the award for?"
This is how my mind works, people.
And I can't just leave these thoughts hanging.
I have to list them.
And I did.
Post Season MVPs who joined the team they beat
FRANK ROBINSON1966 World Series MVP for the Baltimore Orioles against the
Los Angeles Dodgers.
Joined the Dodgers in 1972
KIRK GIBSON1984 ALCS MVP for the Detroit Tigers against the
Kansas City Royals
Joined the Royals in 1991
DENNIS ECKERSLEY1988 ALCS MVP for the Oakland Athletics against the
Boston Red Sox
Joined the Red Sox in 1998
OREL HERSHISER1988 NLCS MVP for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the
New York Mets
Joined the Mets in 1999.
RICKEY HENDERSON1989 ALCS MVP for the Oakland Athletics against the
Toronto Blue Jays
Joined the Blue Jays in 1993
RANDY JOHNSON2001 World Series Co-MVP for the Arizona Diamondbacks against the New York Yankees
Joined the Yankees in 2005.
Post Season MVPs who beat
a team they used to play for
a team they used to play for
LEW BURDETTE1957 World Series MVP for the Milwaukee Braves against the
New York Yankees.
Played for the Yankees in 1950.
MIKE SCOTT1986 NLCS MVP for the Houston Astros against the
New York Mets.
Played for the Mets from 1979-1982
DENNIS ECKERSLEY1988 ALCS MVP for the Oakland Athletics against the
Boston Red Sox
Played for the Red Sox from 1978-1984
JOSE RIJO1990 World Series MVP for the Cincinnati Reds against the Oakland Athletics
Played for the Athletics from 1985-1987
Post Season MVPs who later played against their team in the Post Season
DON LARSEN1956 World Series MVP for the
New York Yankees
Pitched in the 1962 World Series for the San Francisco Giants against the Yankees
REGGIE JACKSON1973 World Series MVP for the
Oakland A’s
Played in the 1981 ALCS for the New York Yankees against the A’s
I find it interesting that Dennis Eckersley appeared on the list twice.
I am guessing you did too.
Interesting list. A similar thing is World Series starters. Cliff Lee started game one in back to back years for two different teams. Got me wonder if that had happened before. Turns out it's been a while, but it has happened. Don Gullett started game one for the Reds in 75 & 76 and then in 77 for the Yankees. Sad thing is a year later his shoulder was done and so was he at age 27. Don't know if he was heading to the Hall of Fame, but he had a great start to his career. Great athlete, he once scored 11 touchdowns in one high school football game.
ReplyDeleteThis probably doesn't count but Hod Eller spent some time with the White Sox but didn't make the team. Apparently while he was there, he learned the shine ball from Eddie Cicotte then used it to beat the White Sox twice in the 1919 World Series. Of course, it's impossible to say if the Sox were really trying but if research done by my late friend Gene Carney is to be believed, the White Sox started playing to win after Game 2. Under those conditions, Eller's wins appear to be legit.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, the guy who Cicotte plunked to start the Series, Morrie Rath, played for the White Sox from 1912-1913.