MLB's Least Likely October Stars

Bucky Dent

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Tied at the end of regular season, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox played in a thrilling one-game playoff to determine the AL East champion in 1978, well before the wild-card era. Playing at Fenway Park with the Yankees trailing 2-0, Dent, the No. 9 batter, cracked a two-out, three-run homer that barely cleared the Green Monster in the seventh inning to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead they never relinquished. New York went on to beat the Dodgers to win the World Series, and Dent was MVP after hitting .417.

David Eckstein

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Eckstein had been a solid contributor when the Angels won the 2002 World Series. Then in 2006 with the Cardinals, he had arguably the most incredible turnaround in MLB history. Eckstein was 1-for-11 in the first two games against the Detroit Tigers. But beginning in Game 3, Eckstein turned on the power and finished the series hitting 8-for-22, including going 4-for-5 in Game 4. He had three doubles and four RBI as the Cardinals beat the Tigers in five games. Eckstein was named the World Series MVP.

Francisco Cabrera

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Without Cabrera, the Atlanta Braves would never have gotten to the 1992 World Series, which they ultimately lost to the Toronto Blue Jays. But back to the relevant info – after batting only 10 times through the entire season, Cabrera hit a two-out line drive in the ninth inning of Game 7 against the Pittsburgh Pirates to win the NLCS. The walkoff hit scored David Justice and Sid Bream, who barely beat Barry Bonds' throw to the plate. But he slid in just under the tag, and the Braves won, 3-2. Cabrera earned additional fame when President George H.W. Bush referred to him during a campaign speech. Bush was trailing Bill Clinton in the polls when he told his supporters, "Baseball is like politics. On Election Day we're going to show America that it ain't over until Cabrera swings."

Mickey Lolich

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If you're only going to hit one home run in your career, the World Series is certainly the place to do it. Lolich, a three-time All-Star, pitched a one-hitter for the Detroit Tigers in Game 2 of the 1968 World Series, but more memorable was his third-inning solo home run that scored the winning run. But Lolich wasn't done – with the Tigers down three games to one, he threw eight innings of no-hit ball and the Tigers ultimately forced a Game 7 in which Lolich outdueled St. Louis' Bob Gibson as the Tigers rallied to win the World Series. Lolich, named the MVP, remains the last pitcher to throw three complete games in the World Series.

Ray Knight

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Although he had some strong seasons in Cincinnati, Knight was better known to many fans as Mr. Nancy Lopez before earning World Series fame with the New York Mets in 1986. The Mets trailed 3-2 in the series heading into Game 6. With two outs in the 10th inning and the Mets down 5-3, Knight singled. Gary Carter scored on the hit to make it 5-4. After a wild pitch allowed Kevin Mitchell to tie it 5-5, Knight scored the winning run when Mookie Wilson's ground ball inexplicably trickled between Bill Buckner's legs. In Game 7, Knight hit the tie-breaking home run in the seventh to lift the Mets over the Red Sox. Knight was named the World Series MVP, but the Mets didn't re-sign him, and he finished his career with a year in Baltimore and another in Detroit.

Scott Brosius

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OK, so this guy might be a two-hit wonder. Brosius was World Series MVP in 1998 when he capped an All-Star season by hitting .471 with two homers and six RBI in the Yankees' sweep of San Diego. But the single most memorable hit of his career was a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth in Game 5 of 2001 World Series. The hit allowed the Yankees to tie the Diamondbacks and force extra innings. New York went on to win the game, but lost the series in seven games.