Afternoon Baseball

ESPN.com

I could talk about how Darrell May lived up to his 9-19 record from last year, or the good games by other players (Matsui, in particular, on pace for 132 RBI and hitting over .400 since June 1). But Ruben Sierra is now, in very limited at bats, granted, hitting .283 and slugging .489. He certainly shouldn't play as much as he did last year (307 AB), where he noticably tired at the end (.214 post-All-Star break).
Yet what Ruben has become in old age is a clutch RBI machine. Starting with his pinch-hit triple in the 2003 ALCS (EDIT: Mike informs me it was actually Game 4 of the 2003 WS), he's possibly the most reliable run-producer in a big spot. Look at this:

In 2004, Ruben had 65 RBI in 338 plate appearances, or 5.2 PA per. Not convinced that's good? Projected over 600 plate appearances, that's 115.
So he only hit .244. The key was how he did when runners were on: When the bases were empty, he hit .229. If a runner was only on 1st base, a mere .213. In 79 AB with runners in scoring position, he hit .304/.365/.620 with an astounding 51 RBI. And if, say the bases were loaded, watch out. 8 for 18 with three HR and 28 RBI. When the stakes were higher, he delivered.

In 2005, it's not quite as drastic. He hits .275 with no one on, .257 with RISP. However, the slugging avg. is .140 higher in the latter situation. And he's still producing RBI, with 20 in just 99 PA. Keep up the good work, Ruben, this may be the last time I ever compliment you.