Every major league player has a great individual performance on his resume, and that's especially true when you include their time in minor league and ateur. From the youth teams up, they've had performances where they've stood out among their peers with outstanding displays at the plate and/or on the mound. When you are ready enough to advance to the highest level of your career, such shows come in handy.
With this in mind, my colleague Michael Baumann and I recently asked a dozen gamers a straightforward question: “What is the best game of your life?”
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Sal Frelick, Outfielder for the Milwaukee Brewers: “I think I was part of the greatest college comeback in NCAA history. We beat Auburn 9-1 in the ninth inning, got two outs, and finally came back to win. I led off the ninth inning with a single, came up to score, then came back for the tying run and hit a homer. We went into extra time and won the game. This was in 2021 [with Boston College], my final year. It was an absurd gathering.
“I hit a round one time in the Futures League. This was with my summer soccer team, the North Shore Navigators. It was after my senior year of high school, before my freshman year at Boston College, and the game was in Worcester. I went for a strikeout, walk, double, triple, homer, single. Hitting and walking, then a cycle. That was crazy.”
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Riley Greene, Detroit Tigers quarterback: “I drove around Hagerty High School [Oviedo, Florida]. I'm almost certain it was the first round in school history. I could be wrong, but yes, it was that game. I started with a leadoff homer – I was a leadoff hitter – then I singled, doubled, tripled. We were playing Edgewater High School and it was a great game. We had beef with that team, so it was cool to do it against them in front of all my guys, who I'm still good friends with to this day.
“What probably stands out the most here is my first home, a walk off home [against the Royals in 2022] to win the game. That is very special.”
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Kyle Finnegan, Washington Nationals pitcher: “I pitched a clean inning in 2021, in the big league. I have to say that was my best innings. I beat Austin Riley, Dansby Swanson, and William Contreras.
“The best game I ever played in my life was in college [at Texas State University in 2012]. I was the first striker. We were playing Notre Dame, who was really good at the time. Also, here's a fun fact about that weekend: In a three-game series we didn't allow an opponent to reach third base. We were in the midst of one of the longest scoreless streaks in modern NCAA history; we threw something like 50 scoreless innings. I entered Saturday's game in that series and went seven innings and struck out 12. I hit the first seven guys in that game.”
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Josh Lowe, Outfielder for the Tampa Bay Rays: “I had a three-homer game my senior year in high school. That might be the best game I remember. It was early in the year and the cold was bitterly cold. The temperature was in the high 20s and very windy. I grew up outside of Atlanta and even though it's not always cold, it is cold.
“One game in Triple-A, I think I played five or six plate appearances and hit all five or six balls over 105. [mph]. I would say that was a great game. It was against Jacksonville. I don't remember anything specific about it other than having five or six at-bats and hitting the ball five or six times.”
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Christian Yelich, Outfielder for the Milwaukee Brewers: “He's a FanGraphs guy, so what's better, three home runs — maybe that one? – or 6-for-6 and hitting the cycle? I don't know if I will be able to hit [the latter]. Three home runs is pretty cool, but going 6-for-6 and hitting the cycle is pretty cool, too.
“[Amateur ball], I don't really remember. I've spent 12 years in the big leagues, so high school is a long time ago. I'm sure there were decent ones back then, but everything that happens here is obviously very important to me.”
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Matt Vierling, Detroit Tigers infielder/outfielder: “The game one day was very good [4-for-6 with two home runs, including a walk-off three-run homer, against the Toronto Blue Jays]. There have been a few of them, but the best game of my life was probably in high school. We were in the state semifinals when I was in high school and I pitched six innings [and allowed] no runs, and he also hit two home runs. It was the most fans we had at the game – about 2,000, which was a ton for us in Missouri – and it got us into the state championship game.
“One of the best was when I was with the Phillies. I went 5 for 5 against the Blue Jays. This was 2022, the year we went to the World Series, and we needed a few wins to keep things going. And 5-for-5 – everything seemed to find a hole – I ended up hitting a walk-off single. It was a great game.”
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Johnny DeLuca, Outfielder for the Tampa Bay Rays: “My senior year of high school, in the first game of the year, I went 6-for-6 with a grand slam, another home run, a triple, and three singles. It was a home game, and even though I know we won, I don't remember what the score was. I don't think I've ever had a game that came close to that.
“In pro football, last year it was cool when I caught those two catches against Texas. I made a diving catch and pretended to be a burglar to escape from home. Whether it was a home game or not is up for debate, but yes, that game was last year. “
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Jordan Weems, Washington Nationals pitcher: “I had a game with five punchies when I was in Double-A Portland. That one really stood out, because I had some really good stuff that night. Of the big teams, it would have to be the one in Seattle where I loaded the bases, got out of it, came back and got another inning to close them out and then we got the win.
“I'm still a kid… I mean in the All-Stars when I was 9 or 10 there was a game where I went something like 5-for-6 with two home runs. That was in the championship game going to regionals. That was a great experience. Not trying to brag, but there were a lot of cool games in Little League, high school, and all that. I remember the playoff game, right before the state championship, I went 3-for-4 with two home runs. This was in high school.
“One time – I could go on and on about this – we lost the first game [of a high school playoff series] to Matthew Crownover, the big lefty who went to Clemson but had Tommy John and never really came back from it. He was throwing hard and we just put it on our butts, so we should have won the second game. We were down by a run in the bottom of the seventh inning, and I led off with a double. Cody Walker, who went to Mississippi State as a catcher, had a great at-bat. He hit a low ball up the middle and I scored to tie the game. I remember going crazy at home plate after getting a safety. We ended up winning to force Game 3, then we won the state title.”
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Grant Anderson, Texas Rangers pitcher:
“There were a few sports in high school, but I have to go with mine [MLB] The debut, which was in Detroit last year. I was called and I killed seven of the nine boys. That's pretty much the best game I've ever played. Like, I didn't really have any expectations. At the end of the day I just wanted to throw zeros, so getting hit was like the cherry on top. To be honest, it was kind of an out-of-body experience to beat a lot of guys. It was almost a blur. It was really crazy.”
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Whit Merrifield, Philadelphia Phillies infielder: “The first thing that comes to mind is the College World Series [with the University of South Carolina, against UCLA, in 2010] — a walk-off World Series with a walk-off hit. I had better individual games; I had a few five-hit games, multi-homer games, a six-RBI game, but I honestly don't remember the games. [specifically]. I remember the World Series game like it was yesterday.
“[In the ninth inning] our leading man is leaving. Evan Marzilli drops a bunt – a good bunt – the pitcher fields it and throws to first. I looked at it from my angle, and I thought he had dropped it, because it was just bouncing a little. The guy made a great play at first to catch it.
“Trevor Bauer is warming up in the barn. I think he will come in and face me. I'm going up. The manager goes to the mound. I think he will deliver [Bauer] in, but he doesn't. He went back to the car, I think they will escort me. Jackie Bradley, who had a great World Series, was behind me, and Christian Walker was behind him. Christian was a freshman, so I think they're going to take me and Jackie, and target Christian with full bases.
“I don't really intend to hit. The hunter stands still, then finally jumps down. As soon as he crouches on the floor I am overcome with feelings and emotions. The first and second balls are not really close fields. I think of walking on purpose without intention; they will try to chase me for something. The boy takes a moment, shakes some points. I make time to call. Like I said, in my head I think they're going to try to move me. But I told myself, 'You have a chance to win the World Series here. If the ball is close, I swing. I will try to win the game.' He threw a good pitch, a fastball down and away – not a good 2-0 pitch to a hitter to follow up on – but I took a good swing and hit the ball to right. We won. I can't believe it was 14 years ago.”
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Spencer Torkelson, Detroit Tigers first baseman: “The minor leagues, Double-A Erie, and it wasn't one game; it was a doubleheader. In two seven-inning games, I went 7-for-7 with three home runs, a double, and a double. [six] RBIs. I remember it felt like I was seeing beachball all day. It was amazing.
“I had a couple of two-homer games [as an amateur], but nothing crazy. I think my big one [quality] growing up was the way I agreed. It wasn't like really high, really low, really high, really low; it was just consistently good. I'm sure there were better days in travel football, but I don't really remember. There is no book about that.”
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Zack Littell, Tampa Bay Rays pitcher: “In my head, I really don't know. Especially in proball, they all run together. I don't know that I have such a memory. I think it was in high school. I had a game in our conference championship where he had two home runs, a double, and a single. I went 4-for-4 and pitched seven innings. We won 3-1, or something like that. As for everything, it should be the one.
“I was played at home all year, and in our three conference games I had three, including two championships. I pitched seven innings again. I was Shohei Ohtani that day. That's the way I like to think.”
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Thanks to Michael for the quotes from Grant Anderson and Whit Merrifield.
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