2001 – A career utility player who’s making the most of his opportunity to play this year in place of the injured Edgardo Alfonzo, second baseman Desi Relaford makes several key contributions to a dramatic, back-and-forth, 6 – 5 nailbiter between the Mets and Phillies. After Relaford’s tremendous over-the-shoulder inning-ending grab robs Philly of two runs in the 6th, he goes to even greater lengths to break the tie he’s just preserved: after his one-out, 7th-inning, hit-and-run single moves Lenny Harris to third and brings up Mike Piazza, New York’s number one run producer produces a tailor-made 4-6-3, inning-ending double play grounder. Long before Relaford can reach second, shortstop Jimmy Rollins receives the throw and crosses the bag, continuing on another 10 to 12 feet past the bag and at least 7 feet clear of the baseline before turning and making the transfer from glove to hand. As the unsuspecting shortstop winds up to throw, Relaford, his left arm dragging the baseline to which his fully-extended body is perfectly perpendicular, suddenly enters the picture, sliding/tumbling past on his way to second base. Just as Rollins is about to unload, Desi fully extends his right toe, hooks Rollins’ right shin and completely turns him around. When he comes to rest, the Phillies’ shortstop is facing the now unoccupied third base as its previous tenant, Lenny Harris, crosses home plate. The resulting 3 – 2 Mets lead will last exactly two batters into the next half-inning as John Franco coughs it up on Scott Rolen’s no-out, two-run homer. Tsuyoshi Shinjohits a towering, two-run homer in the 8th, but New York’s Armando Benitez blows the save and Relaford must come to the rescue yet again, turning a double play to get Benitez out of further trouble, thus setting the stage for redemption in the form of Mike Piazza’s walk-off home run.
