All Choke Team

[Eddie Altamonte]

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7256226?MSNHPHMA

 

These players choked down the stretch

Kevin Hench / FOXSports.com

Posted: 1 hour ago

 

As hard as it might be to believe now, less than a month ago the Tigers, Dodgers, Cardinals and Mariners were in playoff contention.

But then came the September swoons. And teams don't fade without individuals failing. And when you fail in the heat of a pennant race, well, there's a word for that.

 

So, in the penultimate Beyond the Box Score of 2007, we look at 10 of the more impressive chokes of the stretch run, starting with two Tigers who burned less than bright when it mattered most.

 

 

Gary Sheffield, Tigers

For the first four months of the season Sheffield was making the Yankees regret trading him. In August and September he's made the decision look pretty shrewd. On Aug.10 he was hitting .291 with 24 home runs and had the Tigers in the thick of the pennant chase. Since then he's sandwiched two punchless stretches around a trip to the DL. In his last 88 at bats, he's hitting only .159 with one home run as Detroit has faded badly. His slugging percentage over that six-week stench, er, stretch is a meager .205. That's an awfully big chasm to have in the 3-hole in a pennant race.

 

 

Jeremy Bonderman, Tigers

He wasn't around for the final twitches of the death rattle, having succumbed to a sore elbow. But perhaps no Tiger ? even Sheffield ? is as much to blame for the almost incomprehensible stretch fade of the defending AL champs as Bonderman. Following a July 19 no-decision, he was 10-1 with a 3.54 ERA. After that ? Tiger fans avert your eyes or grab a bucket ? he was 1-8 with an 8.23 ERA

 

 

Rick Ankiel, Cardinals

 

For one glorious month he was The Natural, leading the Cardinals on an unreal surge that pulled them within a game of the NL Central lead. Then, after news broke that he was the Unnatural, having received shipments of human growth hormone, Ankiel became all-too human, flailing hopelessly over the next three weeks as the Cards crashed and burned. Before breaking out Saturday with three hits and a home run, Ankiel was 7-for-55 (.127) with no homers in 17 games.

 

 

Eric Gagne, Red Sox

He may have earned the win in Boston's playoff-clinching victory Saturday night, but the man known throughout New England as Gag-me hasn't convinced anyone in Red Sox Nation that he can get a big out in the playoffs. After posting a 1.32 ERA for the Rangers in the first half, he's seen that number spike to 7.36 in the second half (7.88 for the Sox). He was scored on in seven of his first 14 appearances for Boston and three times he turned what looked like easy wins into losses with major meltdowns in which he surrendered three or more runs.

 

 

Jorge Sosa, Mets

There has been plenty of blame to go around as the Mets have coughed and sputtered toward the finish line, but Sosa jumped to the head of the scapegoat line with his recent implosions in relief. After a decent August in which he made 15 relief appearances covering 18 innings and had a 3.00 ERA, he has fallen apart in September. In his last seven outings, he has pitched eight innings and allowed nine runs (a tidy 10.13 ERA). He has lost twice in that span, including an epic blown save in Florida on Thursday in which he allowed five hits and three runs in one inning.

 

 

Rafael Furcal, Dodgers

The Dodger may wish they weren't on the hook for an additional $17M for Furcal, whose personal late-season nosedive perfectly mirrored the team's collapse. Before being shelved with a back injury, Furcal was 14-for-76 (.184) with a puny .213 OBP in his last 80 plate appearances. His .224 slugging percentage over that span gave him a .437 OPS in what may be his last 19 games of the season.

 

 

Jonathan Broxton, Dodgers

After posting a 0.69 ERA in July and a 1.13 ERA August, the wheels came off for Broxton in September, contributing mightily to the Dodgers' swoon. In 12 September appearances, covering a mere nine innings, Broxton has been lit up for nine runs. September is not when you want your setup man's ERA to octuple. He gave up two runs in each of three separate losses in a four-day span before being shelved with a sore arm.

 

 

Gabe Gross, Brewers

Maybe it's the mere fact that Gabe Gross has had 45 September at-bats that has the Brewers looking up at the Cubs. But what Gross has done with those chances sure hasn't helped. After hitting .350 with a 1.091 OPS in August, Gross has vanished in September. A ground out in his pinch-hit appearance in the Brewers' 4-3 loss on Saturday leaves him hitting an even .200 with a .267 slugging percentage and .575 OPS in the September stretch.

 

 

Jarrod Washburn, Mariners

When Washburn went to the hill for his first start of the second half he was 8-6 with a 3.72 ERA and the Mariners were two back in the wild-card race. The M's would hang for a while but no thanks to Washburn. In his first 13 starts of the second half, Washburn went 1-9 with a 5.69 ERA. By the time he got things straightened out on Friday night in Anaheim, Seattle was all but mathematically eliminated.

 

 

Andruw Jones, Braves

Well, you certainly can't blame Mark Teixeira ? he of the 14 post-trade home runs ? for the fact that the Braves will miss the playoffs. But if Andruw Jones is playing his final games in Atlanta, he's giving the fans reason to say "don't let the door hit you on the way out." If the door does nail him on the way out, it will be one of the few hits Jones has been a part of in September. He's 11 for his last 65, a .169 average, lowering his season mark to .218. He has two home runs in his last 93 at-bats.

[Guest FishFanInPA]

BILLY WAGNER!

[biglumber24]

Wheres Richie Sexson

[MarlinsLou]

Don't worry. A-Rod will be number 1 when the yankees don't win it all.

 

This is regardless if he hits 18 HR in the division series and pitches a no hitter in his first career start, using exclusively a knuckleball and an eephus thrown underhand and left handed. Not a true Yankee! We love Jeter and his .826 OPS!

[FutureGM]

Eric Gagne has been an absolute disaster. I guess putting actual pressure on him in Boston (as opposed to Texas, a team everyone knew wasn't going to the playoffs) really made a big difference.