Shane Victorino, who was 2-for-23 in the ALCS against the Detroit Tigers heading into his seventh inning at-bat, hit the game-winning grand slam in Game 6 to send the Boston Red Sox to the World Series.
"I won't talk about the approach or what I thought -- no, honestly, I told myself get a pitch I can handle. Try to tie the game, at the minimal," Victorino said. "Give ourselves -- get us back in the game and give us another chance. Fortunately, I got an 0-2 curveball that I could handle and was able to hit a home run.
"It was a special moment. It's been a special year, we battled and good moments like this, you cherish it."
In his first season with the Red Sox, Victorino hit .294/.351/.451 with 15 home runs, 61 RBIs and 21 stolen bases. His struggles in the ALCS were well-documented.
"I'm not down and out. My parents, my brother, this is one of the cliches that I've used, is play the game like it's your last. Play to the end, play to the last out," Victorino reflected.
"As I said, I was definitely -- lots of thoughts were going through my head, how I was going to explain not getting that bunt down, all these kind of emotions. When I got up [in the seventh], do what you do best, go out and have fun doing what you're doing. And it worked this time ... Trust me, I was down and out, I heard people talking about dropping me in the lineup. It makes me want to go out and be that much better."