New Mets outfielder Rajai Davis is best known for his game-tying home run against Aroldis Chapman in Game 7 of the World Series. But he’s got a pretty good walk-off history too.
Davis has nine walk-off RBIs, which is pretty good considering that he doesn’t even have 400 RBIs for his career.
Among the highlights:
– Davis has two career walk-off triples. Walk-off triples are hard to hit. They don’t typically happen because the circumstances around walk-offs don’t usually lend themselves to triple hitting (the official scorer will likely award a double in circumstances in which it’s a close call).
There were none in the majors last season. The Mets have one in their history (by Cleon Jones). Davis has more than the Mets do (this will probably be an SNY trivia question in some fashion next year, be ready!).
Baseball-Reference has data back to 1925. In that time, only two players have more walk-off triples than Davis: Joe DiMaggio and Connie Ryan (3 each).
– Remember the day the Mets lost to the Marlins, 2-1 in 20 innings? That was June 8, 2013. Davis does. He had a walk-off hit in the 18th inning of a 4-3 win against the Rangers that day too.
The Mets have three walk-off wins of 18 innings in their history, but only one 18th-inning walk-off hit. Funny coincidence, it was by Cleon Jones (1972 against the Phillies – a single).
– The coolest of Davis’ walk-off hits was a grand slam against Sean Doolittle of the Athletics on June 30, 2014. The Tigers trailed the Athletics 4-1 but loaded the bases with one out in the ninth. Fellow future Met Austin Jackson was the last of the three to reach base, walking after a nine-pitch at-bat.
Davis hit the second pitch, a curveball, out to left field as the fans at Comerica Park went bonkers. Many were in attendance to see a ceremony honoring the 30th anniversary of the 1984 champion Tigers. Those who stuck around to the end (and I read an article that said many left) got a heck of a finish.
After the game, Davis was asked if he could remember his last walk-off. He told reporters that “It was in my dreams when I was sleeping.”
Sounds like a walk-off fan’s delight.
And for the record, the Mets have eight walk-off grand slams in their history, the most recent by Jose Bautista last season. But they’ve never hit one when down by three.