5 World Series legends: Ortiz, Rivera among October's most enduring heroes

Mariano Rivera

No player's postseason success spawned a more compelling internet meme than Mariano Rivera, as more people have walked on the moon (12) than scored against the legendary closer (11) in the postseason. Though his repertoire consisted of just one pitch - his cutter - that so befuddled hitters it prompted opponents to liken Rivera to "the devil," who only got better as the calendar turned to October.

Rivera appeared in seven World Series throughout his 19-year major league tenure with the Yankees, taking the mound more times in the Fall Classic than any other pitcher in history. On four separate occasions Rivera recorded the final out of the World Series - no other pitcher has done so more than twice - and, fittingly, it was Rivera's cutter that induced the final out of 2009, when the Yankees last hoisted the Commissioner's trophy.

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

No relief pitcher has even flirted with the kind of success Rivera enjoyed in the Fall Classic, as the native of Panama boasts the all-time lead in saves (11) with a sterling 0.99 ERA over 36 1/3 innings. Rivera also remains one of just four relievers to earn World Series MVP honors, claiming the award in 1999 after collecting two saves over three scoreless appearances against the Atlanta Braves.

His lone blemish came in 2001, when Luis Gonzalez's ninth-inning blooper in Game 7 lifted the Arizona Diamondbacks to the World Series title - and Rivera's only blown save in 24 career World Series appearances.

Joe Carter

When young baseball players concoct fantasies of World Series glory, the vignette that invariably arises is one that Joe Carter immortalized in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Blue Jays entered Game 6 just one win away from a second consecutive World Series title, but the club faced a ninth inning, 6-5 deficit as Phillies closer Mitch Williams jogged in from the right-field bullpen at SkyDome.  Carter, who had gone hitless in his previous three at-bats, strode to plate in the bottom of the ninth with an opportunity to erase his club's deficit after Rickey Henderson opened the frame with a walk and Paul Molitor followed with a one-out single.

After working a 2-2 count, Carter drilled an inside slider from Williams deep down the line in left field, a drive that forever glorified the words of broadcaster Tom Cheek: "Swing and a belt..."

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

The historic blast thrust Carter into rarefied air, as he joined Pittsburgh's Bill Mazeroski as the only two players in history to win the World Series on a walk-off home run.

Pablo Sandoval

Certain players earn postseason glory by consistently performing at a high level when it matters most. Derek Jeter and Sandy Koufax, for instance, boast legacies that remain inextricably linked with their penchant for postseason excellence.

Other players, however, are celebrated not for consistent greatness but for one transcendent performance that demands recognition whenever legendary postseason standouts are discussed. Pablo Sandoval fits into this second category.

The rotund San Francisco Giants third baseman made history in Game 1 of the 2012 World Series when he connected for three home runs against the Detroit Tigers, lifting his club to an 8-3 victory at AT&T Park that helped fuel a dominant four-game sweep.

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

Sandoval entered an exclusive fraternity with his magical night two autumns ago, becoming just the fourth player in history to record three homers in a World Series game, two of whom already have plaques in Cooperstown:

Sandoval was eventually named World Series MVP for his efforts, though he recorded just one extra-base hit in his final 13 plate appearances of the series.

Bret Saberhagen

Before the Kansas City Royals mutated into the club now known primarily for their as-yet-unparalleled playoff drought, there were the halcyon days of Bret Saberhagen, whose performance in the 1985 World Series afforded him hero status in parts of Missouri. Saberhagen earned two Cy Young awards and three All-Star berths over his 16-year career, but the right-hander is perhaps best known for two games in October from nearly three decades ago, in the only World Series he would play.

Saberhagen's inaugural World Series start came with considerable pressure after the St. Louis Cardinals established an early 2-0 lead over the Royals, who proved unable to muster a win through the first two games at Kauffman Stadium. Unfazed by his team's deficit, Saberhagen was sublime in his Game 3 start as he limited the Cardinals to just one run over nine innings, notching eight strikeouts to help his club secure a 6-1 victory in St. Louis.

Though the Royals were shut out the following night, Saberhagen's club surged to a 6-1 victory in Game 5 before completing an improbable ninth-inning comeback in Game 6 to force a decisive seventh game.

Saberhagen proceeded to enjoy one of the most dominant pitching performances in World Series history when he took the mound for Game 7, as the 21-year-old allowed just five hits in a complete-game shutout that lifted the Royals to the only championship in franchise history.

Saberhagen also earned the distinction of being the only pitcher in postseason history to record a Maddux - a complete-game shutout requiring no more than 99 pitches - helping the Royals became the first team in history to rally from a 3-1 deficit twice in the same postseason to win the World Series.

David Ortiz

David Ortiz, the immutable Boston Red Sox icon, likely would've earned a plaque in Cooperstown on the merits of his regular-season accomplishments alone, but it's the 38-year-old's success in October that ensure he'll find himself in the Hall of Fame five years after his retirement.

Ortiz almost single-handedly carried the Red Sox to the World Series in 2004, when his penchant for late-game heroics fueled an improbable comeback from a 3-0 deficit in the American League Championship Series versus their hated rivals, the New York Yankees. Ortiz, however, refused to relent after the Red Sox downed the Bronx Bombers, posting a sterling .308/.471/.615 line in the Fall Classic that helped his beleaguered franchise snap the Curse of the Bambino and claim their first world championship since 1918.

Ortiz was comparably brilliant three years later when the Red Sox met the Colorado Rockies in the 2007 World Series, going 3-for-5 in Game 1 while reaching base safely in all four contests as Boston secured a rather effortless sweep.

It was his performance last October, however, that afforded Ortiz legendary status, as the veteran slugger made an absolute mockery of the St. Louis Cardinals' pitching staff over six unforgettable games. Ortiz reached base safely in all but six of his 25 plate appearances, collecting 11 hits while drawing eight walks - four of them intentional - for a gaudy .760 on-base percentage, second-best in World Series history.

Only six players have ever outperformed the 1.948 on-base plus slugging Ortiz posted against the Cardinals, while his career 1.372 mark over 14 World Series games trails only Barry Bonds for the all-time lead (minimum 30 plate appearances).

Just listen to the effusive words Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington told ESPN last October when describing Big Papi:

(Ortiz) just keeps writing new chapters. I know great players are great, are more likely to be great in any moment, but it's hard to see him in those moments and not think that there's something different about him. He's locked in. We've seen him locked in before, but to do it on this stage and do it in so many big moments, I can't add anything more to the legend that's already there. But he keeps writing more chapters on his own.