One game to win . . .

first the pitcher: who do you want one the mound? let's limit the choices to the last 20 years. 🙂 assume all are at their best

my first inclination was pedro martinez, but there were a few one-hit-wonders as well as some hall of famers to consider.

second: who would you want up at the plate with the game on the line? (not necessarily against your pitcher) all you need is a base hit.

my first inclination here was jeter, but there are plenty of other logical choices as well.

one pitcher and one hitter and they must have played (can still BE playing) in the last 20 years to get you the win.

who do YOU like? 🙂

At Bat- David Ortiz

On The Mound- I'm assuming you mean starters, Johan Santana.

Jeter is the most overrated player in the history of overration (which probably isn't a word). He's decent in the clutch, but has just become mythologized, when he's not much more than an average player. Also, Gold Goves are a popularity contest....there's more accurate analyses they can do of fielding and I've never seen one where he comes out even in the top half of the league's shortstops.

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Give me Reggie Jackson. Or hell, I'll just go with percentages (because 98% of "clutch" is probably just luck and being in the right place at the right time anyway) and take a player like Tony Gwynn who I know will come through for me a good number of times.

...

As for pitchers, again I'd just go with dominance and say Nolan Ryan or Roger Clemens. And didn't Randy Johnson play 2 straight World Series games a while back and won both? Or am I making that up? That actually is clutch in my mind if it happened.

santana is a solid choice, no doubt about it.

i thought of ortiz, and he's good too.

i'll disagree about jeter, digi -- true, he IS overrated, but that dude really DOES seem to come through time and again when he needs to. i wanted him dead last year when the tigers beat them -- he damn near singel-handedly won a game or 2 for the yanks . . . 🙁

i thought of gwynn but he's got almost no big game experience, and i'm not sure about his post-season numbers. there is a lot more than just luck involved in being clutch, too, i think. it's about being smart, shortening the stroke, going with the pitch, loads of things -- and it takes someone who doesn't get rattled or nervous. all of those things are jeter to me. another to consider for me was kirk gibson. not sure how or why, but that dude just seems to come through when it is most needed as well.

i'd not choose clemens or ryan, i don't think. ryan BEFORE clemens for one game, but in this scenario, i'd choose schilling over both AND over the unit.

other choices at their best -- orel (oral?) herscheiser, jack morris (tell i'm a tiger fan?? 😄 ), one year mike scott was practically unhittable. andy petit (damn spelling . . .) is another possible choice. i don't want to say more and steal someone's thunder but there are plenty of other easily defensible choices.

clemens or Schilling prolly. Both have been absolutely amazing in the playoffs.

And after the ALCS of a few years ago Ortiz wouldnt be a bad choice. But one of the old school guys like Gywnn oR Kirby would be tempting.

I remember espn created some sort of clutch rating over the past 30 years and Mark Grace came out on top. However I grew up a Mariners fan and my favorite player was Griffey. If we are talking about 100% healthy and in the prime Griffey is my man. No one would care about Bonds today if Jr. coulda stayed healthy.

Bonds and Clemens