# Athletes with who succeeded in the playoffs when in the wrong position **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 26, 2013, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-with-who-succeeded-in-the-playoffs-when-in-the-wrong-position/672261 "2013-10-26T00:57:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Heropsychodreamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Heropsychodreamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heropsychodreamer)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-with-who-succeeded-in-the-playoffs-when-in-the-wrong-position/672261/21 "2013-10-29T17:44:24Z")
Obscure (and not a playoff game, as college doesn’t have it, but it did decide a league title): Diamond Ferri, normally a linebacker, was pressed into RB duties in a season ending game for Syracuse vs Boston College. He ran for 141 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also had an interception return for a touchdown and 4 solo tackles. The upset victory he led his team to kept BC out of a BCS bowl, which they had never appeared in up to that point (and still haven’t, I think). ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-with-who-succeeded-in-the-playoffs-when-in-the-wrong-position/672261/22 "2013-10-29T22:37:58Z")
This doesn’t exactly fit the OP but there was Sven Nater. He spent his college career in the position of warming the bench as the backup to Bill Walton at UCLA. He was really good at it. He never started a game. In those days UCLA basketball had some of the warmest benches in all of sports. Nevertheless, he had a decent professional career as a center. Not bad for a college designated bench warmer to go on to a successful pro career. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-with-who-succeeded-in-the-playoffs-when-in-the-wrong-position/672261/23 "2013-10-30T00:44:27Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > So, semi-regularly, a guy who’s not even a pitcher will throw a scoreless, hitless inning. > > I have to assume that’s happened in the post-season, too. Can anyone remember games where an outfielder or a backup catcher pitched a scoreless inning or so in the World Series? Probably not. Before the rise of the modern relief pitcher, each team had a “mop-up man” – their worst pitcher, who would be brought into the game when all was lost. There wasn’t any reason to use a position player. Later, teams managed their relief staff so someone was always available. It’s not a problem with blowouts (you just leave the pitcher in and rest your others), but becomes an issue with extra inning games. Still, there is usually a pitcher available (The 1986 Mets had Randy Niemann in reserve the entire postseason; he would have pitched in the 6th game if the Mets had just tied it instead of scoring the winning run). Also, you have starters available – with so much at stake, no one is going to hold back (one of the criticisms of Walter Alston’s handling of the final game of the 1962 season – a three-game playoff with the Giants – is that he stuck with some bad relievers even though Don Drysdale offered to warm up in the ninth as the game was getting away from them). Most World Series rotations have only three starters, so you have one or two of them available ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-with-who-succeeded-in-the-playoffs-when-in-the-wrong-position/672261/24 "2013-10-30T01:04:16Z")
But if you consider starters and relievers to be different, that does bring to mind Grover Cleveland Alexander, who came in to pitch with the bases loaded in the 1926 World Series as a reliever after having pitched a complete game victory over the Yankees the day before. Old Pete gave up a very long foul ball – nearly a home run – to Tony Lazzeri, but then struck him out and only gave up a single walk in the last three innings (legend had it he was hungover from celebrating the night before, but Alexander also suffered from epilepsy, which was often mistaken for drunkenness). The walk came with two out in the ninth, putting Babe Ruth aboard. However, Ruth attempted to steal second and was thrown out. When questioned about why he ran, Ruth said, “I wasn’t doing anyone any fucking good on first base.” ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-with-who-succeeded-in-the-playoffs-when-in-the-wrong-position/672261/25 "2013-10-30T16:10:47Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > But if you consider starters and relievers to be different, that does bring to mind Grover Cleveland Alexander, who came in to pitch with the bases loaded in the 1926 World Series as a reliever after having pitched a complete game victory over the Yankees the day before. Old Pete gave up a very long foul ball – nearly a home run – to Tony Lazzeri, but then struck him out and only gave up a single walk in the last three innings (legend had it he was hungover from celebrating the night before, but Alexander also suffered from epilepsy, which was often mistaken for drunkenness). > > The walk came with two out in the ninth, putting Babe Ruth aboard. However, Ruth attempted to steal second and was thrown out. When questioned about why he ran, Ruth said, “I wasn’t doing anyone any fucking good on first base.” Pedro Martinez did a similar relief appearance in 1999 ALDS against the Indians. Came in in the third and pitched 6 no-hit innings for the win. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-with-who-succeeded-in-the-playoffs-when-in-the-wrong-position/672261/26 "2013-10-30T17:07:34Z")
> [@R.P.McMurphy](#): > > This doesn’t exactly fit the OP but there was Sven Nater. He spent his college career in the position of warming the bench as the backup to Bill Walton at UCLA. He was really good at it. He never started a game. Wasn’t it Swen, not Sven? Matt Cassel has had a semi-decent NFL QB career, despite never taking a meaningful snap at USC backing up Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-with-who-succeeded-in-the-playoffs-when-in-the-wrong-position/672261/27 "2013-10-30T17:47:17Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > But if you consider starters and relievers to be different, that does bring to mind Grover Cleveland Alexander, who came in to pitch with the bases loaded in the 1926 World Series as a reliever after having pitched a complete game victory over the Yankees the day before. Old Pete gave up a very long foul ball – nearly a home run – to Tony Lazzeri, but then struck him out and only gave up a single walk in the last three innings (legend had it he was hungover from celebrating the night before, but Alexander also suffered from epilepsy, which was often mistaken for drunkenness). > > The walk came with two out in the ninth, putting Babe Ruth aboard. However, Ruth attempted to steal second and was thrown out. When questioned about why he ran, Ruth said, “I wasn’t doing anyone any fucking good on first base.” By that standard, Randy Johnson pitched very well in relief for the Diamondbacks against the Yankees in game 7 of the World Series back in 2001. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-with-who-succeeded-in-the-playoffs-when-in-the-wrong-position/672261/28 "2013-10-30T17:57:48Z")
Hey, here’s a good one. [Lester Patrick](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lester_Patrick), coach of the New York Rangers, fills in for injured goalie and wins game. > [@](#): > > Patrick is famous for an incident which occurred during the Stanley Cup finals of 1928. At the age of 44 years, 3 months, 9 days, while serving as coach and general manager of the Rangers, Patrick inserted himself into the April 8 playoff game to play goal against the Montreal Maroons, when starting goaltender Lorne Chabot suffered an eye injury after being hit by the puck in the second period. This is a record for the oldest goalie to play in the Stanley Cup Finals that still stands today. At the time it was not common for teams to have a backup goaltender, and the opposing team’s coach had to allow a substitute goaltender. However the Maroon’s manager-coach Eddie Gerard refused to give permission for the Rangers to use Alec Connell, the Ottawa Senator’s star netminder who was in the stands, as well as minor-leaguer Hugh McCormick. Odie Cleghorn, the then-coach of the Pittsburgh Pirates, stood in for Patrick as coach for the remainder of the game, and directed the Rangers to check fiercely at mid-ice which limited the Maroon players to long harmless shots. Patrick saved 18 to 19 shots while allowing one goal in helping the Rangers to an overtime victory. For the next three games, the league gave permission for the Rangers to use Joe Miller from the New York Americans in goal. The Rangers went on to win the Stanley Cup. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-with-who-succeeded-in-the-playoffs-when-in-the-wrong-position/672261/29 "2013-10-31T16:25:16Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > I have to assume that’s happened in the post-season, too. Can anyone remember games where an outfielder or a backup catcher pitched a scoreless inning or so in the World Series? No, it has never happened. The stretched-out post-season schedule makes it less imperative to rest your bullpen. Since the advent of the DH, American League DH’s regularly have to play positions in the World Series that they seldom play during the year. David Ortiz is only the most recent example, having played three games at first base, a position at which he averages about five games per year. [Before regular-season interleague play he probably wouldn’t even have played those five.] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-with-who-succeeded-in-the-playoffs-when-in-the-wrong-position/672261.md?page=1)