Andre Ethier spent his entire 12-year career with the Los Angeles Dodgers and quickly became a fan-favorite.
He had a great career as a .285/.359/.463 hitter and two-time All-Star, and with the game on the line, Ethier seemed to always be at his best. In his career, Ethier had 12 walk-off hits, 50 hits to tie the game and 143 hits that put the Dodgers in the lead.
In 2009, his six walk-off hits earned him the nickname ‘Captain Clutch’ and from 2008-10, Ethier’s 11 walk-off hits were six more than the next closest hitter.
Ethier credited the reason for his success in those moments was not being afraid to fall short because hitters are usually expected to fail anyways, via SportsNetLA:
“That’s been something that was asked quite a bit over the years; when I was going through it and even now when looking back. It’s just one where I wasn’t really afraid to fail. Some people say, ‘Hey, don’t even think about the failure side.’ It really was a thing where I wasn’t afraid to go up there and fail in that situation. I just knew the task at hand. When you’re hitting, there’s more pressure on the pitcher and defense than you in that single at-bat. You look at how they’re breaking down numbers even further, and when you’re facing these elite closers, these back-of-the rotation guys, those numbers are very low for hitters to have success.
“So we already know there’s a built-in excuse. ‘Hey, I’m not even supposed to get a hit in this situation,’ or ‘I have a 20% chance of actually succeeding in this situation.’ Those are the kind of terms I thought about and had fun doing it. I knew what came at the end. That celebration. There is no better feeling than rounding second base, the strobe lights are flashing, everyone is on their feet, and then you round third base and there’s your entire team waiting behind home plate for you. What a feeling that is.”
During Ethier’s magical 2009 season, he finished the year hitting .272/.361/.508 and won a Silver Slugger Award while finishing sixth in MVP voting. He was named an All-Star in the next two seasons and won a Gold Glove in 2011.
Just before Ethier retired, he came through one more time in a big spot, driving in the Dodgers’ only run during Game 7 of the 2017 World Series.
Ethier: Manny Ramirez bobblehead night favorite Dodger Stadium memory
Along with Captain Clutch in 2009, Manny Ramirez was helping to carry the Dodgers offense and also established himself as a fan-favorite.
The Dodgers capitalized on his popularity by launching the “Mannywood” section in left field and held a bobblehead giveaway for the slugger.
Ramirez was unable to start on his bobblehead game due to a bruised right hand but he did hit a pinch-hit grand slam against the Cincinnati Reds.
The stadium erupted and called on Ramirez for two curtain calls, which Ethier recalls as his favorite memory at Dodger Stadium.
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