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Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Chase Utley hit five home runs in the World Series. That tied Reggie Jackson’s record for home runs in the World Series. But whereas Jackson’s performance goes down as one of the great clutch postseason performances in sports history, Utley’s will probably be mostly forgotten as a great performance in a losing effort. Here is a sampling of other championship performances that weren’t enough for the win, but are still worth remembering (in no particular order):
Jerry West1969 NBA Finals: Boston Celtics d. Los Angeles Lakers (4-3): West did everything he could to end LA’s long run of misery against the Celtics dynasty. It wasn’t enough, but he was selected Finals MVP for his efforts. West scored 53 points in Game 1 and 41 points in Game 2 as the Lakers took a 2-0 series lead. The series went the distance, however, and in Game 7 the Lakers came up short 108-106, despite 42 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists by West.Chuck HowleySuper Bowl V: Baltimore Colts d. Dallas Cowboys (16-13): Howley remains the only player in NFL history to be selected Super Bowl MVP from the losing team. He intercepted two passes.Jack Billingham1972 World Series: Oakland Athletics d. Cincinnati Reds (4-3): In a series highlighted by six games being decided by a run, Billingham didn’t allow an earned run in two starts and also made a third scoreless appearance in relief for a save. But his one unearned run came in the first inning of Game 7, a 3-2 victory for the A’s.Bob Gibson1968 World Series: Detroit Tigers d. St. Louis Cardinals (4-3): Gibson’s terrific season, in which he went 22-9 with a 1.12 ERA, had a bitter end. In the series, he went 2-1 with a 1.67 ERA and 35 strikeouts in three complete games and also hit a home run in Game 4. Gibson beat 31-game winner Denny McLain twice, but couldn’t match Series MVP Mickey Lolich in Game 7.Waite Hoyte1921 World Series: New York Giants d. New York Yankees (5-3): Hoyte didn’t allow an earned run in 27 innings. With Hoyte on the mound for the Game 8 clincher, the Giants scored on a two-out error by slick-fielding shortstop Roger Peckinpaugh in the top of the first inning for the game’s only run.Bobby Richardson1960 World Series: Pittsburgh Pirates d. New York Yankees (4-3): How about this for an out-of-whack outcome? The Yankees outscored the Pirates an astounding 55-27 in the series. Richardson became the only player from a losing team to be selected World Series MVP, after batting .367 with 12 RBI. The award could have just as easily gone to teammates Mickey Mantle (.400 batting average, three home runs, 11 RBI) or Whitey Ford (two shutouts). Larry Fitzgerald and Kurt WarnerSuper Bowl XLIII: Pittsburgh Steelers d. Arizona Cardinals (27-23): Warner rallied the Cardinals from a 20-7 deficit in the fourth quarter to take the lead on a 64-yard touchdown reception by Fitzgerald with 2:37 left. Warner passed for 377 yards and three touchdowns and Fitzgerald had seven receptions for 127 yards and two touchdowns, but the Cardinals’ comeback was topped by the spectacular game-winning grab by Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes.
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