Mickey, Reggie and ... Nelson?
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Tampa Bay Rays slugger Nelson Cruz hit a home run Thursday in Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Boston Red Sox. The solo shot in the third inning did more than just help the Rays beat their AL East rivals, 5-0.
It also moved Cruz up the all-time postseason home run list. The homer was the 18th career playoff blast for the 41-year-old Cruz. That’s the same number of playoff home runs hit by Hall of Famers Mickey Mantle and Reggie Jackson. And some more New York Yankees greats appear to be within reach for Cruz.
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Here’s the list of most postseason home runs, per MLB.com:
1) Manny Ramírez: 29 HR
2) Bernie Williams: 22 HR
3) Derek Jeter: 20 HR
T-4) Albert Pujols: 19 HR
T-4) George Springer: 19 HR
T-6) Reggie Jackson: 18 HR
T-6) Mickey Mantle: 18 HR
T-6) Jose Altuve: 18 HR
T-6) Nelson Cruz: 18 HR
T-10) Carlos Correa: 17 HR
T-10) David Ortiz: 17 HR
T-10) Jim Thome: 17 HR
Of course, it’s worth noting Mantle and Jackson didn’t have the luxury of padding their stats with the American League Division Series. And Jeter caught the tail end of the Wild Card Game, which started in 2012, just two years before his retirement.
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Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com.
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