On August 17, 2003, Jorge Posada went 0-2 with a pair of walks and the Yankees won 8-0. He turned 33 that day. The win moved the Yankees to 4-0 on his birthday when he was in the lineup (winning World Series titles in 1999 and 2000). They advanced to the Fall Classic in 2003, though they ignominiously fell to the Marlins. The next year, they lost 8-2 to the Twins (!!!) on Posada’s birthday. Two months after that loss, the unthinkable happened in the ALCS-that-shall-not-be-named. Coincidence? I think not.
Random anecdote aside, I am an unabashed Jorge Guy. I authored his entry for the Pinstripe Alley Top 100 Yankees of All-Time and I was one of the biggest Posada boosters on the staff, ranking him at No. 11 on my personal list. I have no regrets. In this house, we respect switch-hitting catchers who hit for power and average and who look like they would crawl barefoot over broken glass to win a baseball game.
Long after the Yankee dynasty ended, Posada was my guy when I played MLB The Show. For some reason, I murdered breaking balls when hitting left-handed with him. My now sister-in-law, who’s since become a Blue Jays fan (sigh), used to gleefully shout “Hip Hip, Jorge!” when the Yankee backstop went yard while we watched the Yanks play, even against Toronto.
I have a ton of fond memories of Posada and he’ll always be one of my favorite Yankees. It’s a pleasure to wish him a happy birthday (though I am about 99 percent sure he’ll never read this).
Name: Jorge Rafael Posada
Born: August 17, 1970 (Santurce, Puerto Rico)
Yankees Tenure: 1995-2011
Having written 3,000 words on Posada, it would be both repetitive and long-winded if I just dug back into his biography. Instead, I’ll use his birthday as a chance to reminisce on my two favorite moments in his long, decorated career. My apologies to The Flip Play, as I’ve seen enough fielding nincompoopery from Yankees over the years that I no longer take it for granted that Posada remained alert and in position to field Jeter’s absurd flip to the plate and tag Jeremy Giambi.
When I say Posada struck me as the type who would crawl barefoot over broken glass to win a game, I think back 20 years ago to a game against the Rangers, one we featured in our Top 25 Games of the Past 25 Years series.
After an inning and a half, the Yankees found themselves trailing 9-0. It would have been extremely easy for them to pack it up and head for the showers as soon as possible. Instead, we got a comeback for the ages, and Posada’s imprint was all over it. An RBI single in the third, a sacrifice fly in the fifth (the latter cut the deficit to 10-5). In the top of the sixth, future teammate Mark Teixeira obliterated him at home plate. Posada held onto the ball and saved a run from scoring.
Finally, trailing 13-12, in the bottom of the ninth representing the winning run, Posada put the finishing touches on one of his finest performances, in one of the most entertaining Yankees games in my lifetime. Take it away, John Sterling.
If you want to nitpick Posada, I guess you can point to his career postseason OPS being more than 100 points lower than his regular season (.745 vs .848). I’ll point out that he was playing in the playoffs after donning the tools of ignorance for months and absorbing incredible punishment. But it’s a fair criticism.
That doesn’t mean he is bereft of signature playoff moments. So, let’s talk about The Grady Little Game. We all know it. One of the greatest baseball games ever played in the playoffs.
The eighth inning. The only reason there was even hope was Jason Giambi’s two home runs off Pedro Martinez and Mike Mussina’s three shutout innings in relief of Roger Clemens.
Then, Bernie knocked in Jeets. 5-3. A Godzilla double put runners on second and third for Posada who was 0-for-3 on the night. For his career, Pedro owned Jorge. Posada strode into the box that night 10-for-53 (.189) in his career against the Hall of Famer including the postseason, having whiffed 30 times.
Channeling his inner Wee Willie Keeler, Sado hit it where they weren’t. The wounded duck off his bat fell into a devil’s triangle in shallow center field. Bernie scored easily, waving Matsui around to follow him. Posada, as he rolled into second base, unleashed a primal scream as millions wanted catharsis in real time. We all know how the game ended. But Aaron Boone doesn’t get his chance at immortality without that eighth inning and one of the greatest single moments of Posada’s career.
The New York Yankees know a thing or two about having all-timers behind home plate. Posada is not the first pinstriped backstop to make himself forever part of franchise lore. Hopefully, he is not the last. I’m not old enough to have seen Thurmon Munson, let along Yogi, or Bill Dickey, legends all. For me, Jorge remains the gold standard of Yankees catchers in my lifetime. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I am going to see if I can dig up MLB The Show 09.
Happy 56th birthday, Jorge Posada.