On a brisk October night in 2010, Citizens Bank Park buzzed with anticipation and nervous energy. The back-to-back National League champs entered the seventh inning down a run against the Cincinnati Reds, facing rookie phenom Aroldis Chapman.
They rallied. Chase Utley hustled Philly out of an out on a routine-ish fielder’s choice to Scott Rolen. Jimmy Rollins drove him and Jayson Werth in on a routine fly ball to right field that Jay Bruce just decided not to catch. It was one of four errors on the night. Cincinnati scored seven runs. Two of them were earned.
Carlos Ruiz drove in the final run of the inning on a fielder’s choice, turning what was a 4-3 Reds’ lead into a 6-4 Phillies lead. The crowd still buzzed as Mike Sweeney stepped to the plate for what would be the only postseason at-bat of his career.
The third captain in the Royals’ 56-year history, Sweeney spent 13 seasons in Kansas City. He hit more than 20 homers six times, batted over .300 five times, including a .340 mark in 2002, and was an all-star five times. On the Royals’ all-time leaderboard, he ranks 1st in OPS, 1st in SLG, 2nd in AVG, and 3rd in HR. He played on just one winning team, four 100-loss teams, and eight 90-loss teams, never reaching the postseason.
