{"id":22696,"date":"2026-10-16T13:32:47","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T20:32:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportrelay.com\/mlb\/?p=22696"},"modified":"2026-10-16T13:32:47","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T20:32:47","slug":"petey-halpins-heroics-prove-greatness-of-postseason-baseball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportrelay.com\/mlb\/2026\/10\/16\/petey-halpins-heroics-prove-greatness-of-postseason-baseball\/","title":{"rendered":"Petey Halpin’s Heroics Prove Greatness of Postseason Baseball"},"content":{"rendered":"

Unless someone was a diehard Cleveland Guardians<\/a> fan, they likely had no idea who Petey Halpin<\/strong><\/a> was before Thursday afternoon. However, the beauty of the playoffs is that someone can become a household name with one swing.<\/p>\n

For Halpin, that\u2019s exactly what happened. In 83 regular season games, the 24-year-old hit .225. He also posted a .594 OPS, compiling nearly as many strikeouts (35) as hits (40). But in the fifth inning of Game Three of the ALCS, Halpin launched a go-ahead, two-run home run into right-center.<\/p>\n

In one at-bat, an unknown became a hero. Instead of beloved veteran Jose Ramirez<\/a><\/strong> or rookie sensation Chase DeLauter<\/strong><\/a>, it was a player few people thought would make the postseason roster that stole the spotlight. And that, without question, is what makes playoff baseball so great.<\/p>\n

An Annual Occurrence<\/h4>\n

As miraculous as his Game Three home run was, Halpin\u2019s performance wasn\u2019t the first of his kind. For proof, simply ask players like Miguel Rojas<\/strong><\/a>, Rajai Davis<\/strong><\/a>, Travis Ishikawa<\/a><\/strong>, and Francisco Cabrera<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Miguel Rojas<\/h4>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>