Colorado Rockies: Ryan McMahon is providing flashbacks to 2007

With the Colorado Rockies trailing 2-1 to the San Francisco Giants in the bottom of the seventh inning with one out, Bud Black turned to his secret weapon off the bench. Ryan McMahon, the 23-year-old lefty, stepped up to the plate and launched a 0-1 slider off Reyes Moronta into the fountains in center field, igniting a five-run rally and a Rockies 6-2 victory.

Ryan McMahon’s unsung heroics on Tuesday were just another chapter in what has been a second half full of clutch pinch-hitting performances for the Colorado Rockies. Our Kevin Henry wrote an excellent article describing McMahon’s late inning approach to pinch hitting to some of his many big hits from the last few weeks.

Many playoff runs throughout history have been littered with lesser known players coming up big in high pressure situations. McMahon’s success is starting to bring flashbacks to 2007 where another unsung hero helped propel the Rockies into the playoffs with many late inning clutch hits. That player is Seth Smith.

For those that don’t remember, Seth Smith, during that magical run, was unbelievable. The then 24-year-old Smith, made his MLB debut as a mid-September call up and he didn’t disappoint. In seven late inning pinch hit appearances, Smith was 5-for-8 with 4 runs scored including a huge triple in the instant classic game #163 against the San Diego Padres. He then carried that success into the playoffs going 3-for-6 with 2 runs and 2 RBI.