Yankees: 7 clutch playoff moments that deserve more praise

The Yankees have, time and again, had super clutch players step up in October. Remember these moments?

The New York Yankees are known for their October glory, something their fans will never stop reminding you, and something their haters have to grit their teeth and try not to respect daily.

The players who helped deliver countless times in the clutch for this franchise, no matter how well they performed in the postseason, generally get imbued with the winner’s touch; similarly, great performances in losing efforts usually get washed over (sorry, DJ LeMahieu in Houston).

Hopefully, someday soon, our beloved Bombers will return to their dynastic predilections, and this generation will have a whole new laundry list of moments they can shine a light on, as if to say, “Did you even watch along with us? Because if you had, you’d remember.”

For now, though, these modern Yankees remain on the precipice of greatness, and so we remain nostalgic for moments big and small that helped bring glory to the borough not so long ago.

Remember these? Sure, you do. But they probably deserve a little more amplification than what they’ve received.

7. A-Rod’s 2009 World Series Game 4 Double

The number of times Alex Rodriguez saved the Yankees’ bacon in 2009’s postseason can’t even really be quantified.

I mean, sure, you could count ’em up, but unless you were there and you remembered the previous five anguished postseasons featuring A-Rod’s way-too-late dingers and crucial mental boners (The Slap), then you’ll never fully understand the gravity of every quick flick of the wrist that October.

After tying up Joe Nathan and the Twins in Game 2 of the ALDS, doing the same to Brian Fuentes and the Angels in their Game 2, and initiating the first instant replay in World Series history by smacking a dinger off a camera, Rodriguez likely flipped the series again with the proceedings tied late in Game 4.

Joba Chamberlain had just blown a 4-3 lead on a Pedro Feliz dinger in the eighth, and the Phillies were close to undoing New York’s consecutive wins and bringing Cliff Lee to the mound in a pivotal Game 5.

Not so fast; enough men got on base that the human embodiment of “He’s On Fire!” got to bat again, following Johnny Damon’s two stolen bases on the same play. Rodriguez played hero again, rocketing a double into the left field corner off Brad Lidge that served as a complete and total exhale.

Lee won the next day. It never mattered. Yanks in six, at home. Thanks, Alex.