What were the best individual moments of the 2008 season?
I've been tossing this around in my head for a couple of days now. The season was filled with so many great moments that it seems like you could name just about every player on the roster and say "Hey, remember when Player X did..."
So I thought I'd go down the list player by player. Today I'll start with position players, tomorrow the pitchers. I'm sticking with positive achievements here. I also limited it to guys with 23 or more games played, Dan Johnson being the obvious exception. Some were no brainers while others weren't so easy. This is just my list, feel free to add your own/bash my picks.
Iwamura: The two run homer he hit off of Buchholz on April 26th to put the Rays up one.
Upton: Game 5 of the World Series where he single handedly scored the tying run in the top of the 6th.
Crawford: Game 4 of the ALCS when he went 5-5 with two doubles and a triple and two steals.
Longoria: Tommy and I have debated this one. He says Longoria's grand slam off of Halladay, I say it's hitting a home run on the first post-season pitch he saw.
Pena: The walk off home run August 6th against Cleveland to cap off a six run 9th inning.
Floyd: The May 30th walk off home run against the White Sox. It also gave usthe best baseball picture of all time.
Gross: He also had a walk off homer against the White Sox, but his May 13th walk off single against the Yankees and Mo Rivera is what I most remember.
Navarro: I'd say his September 16th walk off single against Boston. The Rays had gotten swept in New York and had lost the opener to Boston the night before.
Jason Bartlett: The game tying home run in Game 6 of the ALCS. That came out of nowhere.
Baldelli: His first game back in Seattle.
Zobrist: The two run homer he hit off of Burnett to snap the team's seven game losing streak on July 18th.
Aybar: I'd say his gigantic home run in Game 7 of the ALCS which gave the Rays a two run cushion.
Perez: Tagging up and scoring the winning run in the marathon Game 2 of the ALCS.
Johnson: The Dan Johnson Game. Enough said.
Gomes: Pounding on Crisp in the Brawl in Boston.
Ruggiano: His leaping catch in the top of the 9th inning on August 27th to end the game against Toronto.
Riggans: Getting drilled in the sternum by a Fernando Rodney fastball in the 10th inning of the August 3rd game against Detroit. Eventually scores the winning run on a bases loaded walk.