A little room if you please, Reggie, Gene and Jack.
Every once in a while a player takes to the October stage with such a commanding performance that history forever links the player with that postseason. The baseball world witnessed it with Bill Mazeroski for Pittsburgh in '60, Gene Tenace with Oakland in '72, Reggie Jackson with the Yankees in '77 and Jack Morris for Minnesota in '91.
Carlos Beltran has grabbed the October spotlight this year with a magical performance that has carried the Wild Card-winning Houston Astros to within two victories of baseball's greatest stage.
While his feats thus far haven't come in the World Series, the center fielder's record-setting October run has the Astros even with the Cardinals after four games in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series.
"I wasn't expecting this at all, I was just expecting to do my job," Beltran said after launching the game-winning and series-tying homer on Sunday in Houston's 6-5 victory over St. Louis. "Right now, everything is going my way. God is really blessing me right now."
Beltran is the most dangerous hitter on the October stage. Mistakes he launches into the cheap seats. Good pitcher's pitches, like the slider Julian Tavarez threw to him that Beltran belted into the Houston bullpen, aren't safe from his booming bat either.
The 2-2 pitch from Tavarez that Beltran hit would probably been taken for a ball or missed by most hitters. Of those who might hit that pitch, not many could drive it out of the park.
Beltran did, and St. Louis is no longer in the driver's seat in this series because of it.
"When I see how low the ball was, and he just went and got it ... Barry Bonds is the best hitter in baseball, but I think Barry wouldn't have hit that pitch," Tavarez said.
"It was a pretty good pitch," Beltran said. "He threw me two back-door sliders -- one for a strike, one for a ball -- so I knew that he was going to come back with another one. I stayed back and waited on it."
Facts machine
Carlos Beltran belted his LCS-record fourth homer of the series and eighth postseason homer in Game 4. Beltran has scored eight times and needs just one more run to tie for the most in an LCS. His 20 total bases are four shy of the LCS record. Players with the most homers in an LCS:
Player
Year
HR
G
Carlos Beltran, HOU
2004
4
4
Bob Robertson, PIT
1971
4
4
Steve Garvey, LA
1978
4
4
Rusty Staub, NYM
1973
3
5*
Darryl Strawberry, NYY
1996
3
5*
Todd Zeile, BAL
1996
3
5
Bernie Williams, NYY
2001
3
5
Adam Kennedy, ANA
2002
3
5*
Jim Thome, CLE
1998
4
6
Jeffrey Leonard, SF
1987
4
7
*Staub, Strawberry and Kennedy actually appeared in just four of the games in the series. Atlanta's Hank Aaron clubbed three homers in the 1969 NLCS, most by any player who appeared in just three games.
Beltran wasn't sure his golf-shot dinger was destined to go the distance, but when it cleared the fence, he had what he called the biggest home run of his career.
"I was flying, but once I saw the guys in the bullpen get up, I knew it was gone," Beltran said. "This was the best. In this situation -- tie game, the playoffs -- to me, it is very special."
The 27-year-old has now tied Bonds' postseason home-run record with eight in his last nine games, and he's done it in 10 fewer at-bats than the San Francisco slugger needed when he established the mark in 2002.
"I don't know what to say," Beltran said of the record. "He's a great hitter, obviously. I'm very happy with the way I'm playing right now. I don't know how to explain it, I'm just glad it's happening this way."
Beltran has hit four homers in the League Championship Series, tying an LCS record held by four others: Pittsburgh's Bob Robertson in 1971, Los Angeles' Steve Garvey in 1978, San Francisco's Jeffrey Leonard in 1987 and Cleveland's Jim Thome in 1998.
This came on the heels of his hitting two homers in Game 5 of the National League Division Series against Atlanta.
"This is as good as I've ever seen anybody swing the bat, not just Carlos Beltran," Houston manager Phil Garner said.
"I don't recall seeing anybody locked in like he is right now, certainly not in a playoff situation," teammate Jeff Bagwell said. "He's crushing everything right now. Breaking ball, fastball, ball or strike, it doesn't matter. He's mashing everything."
You keep thinking this can't continue. Sooner or later Beltran will cool off or he will stop getting pitches to hit. The Cardinals haven't walked him intentionally yet. They haven't given him many pitches to hit either, but he is still raking to the tune of a .538 average with five walks, 20 total bases, five RBIs and a slugging percentage of 1.538.
Beltran has come to the plate 40 times since the postseason began, and he has been on base a ridiculous 23 times.
"You've got a great talent that's performing at his peak right now," teammate Lance Berkman said. "He's never been this hot in his life and he may never be again."
Carlos Beltran / CF
Born: 04/24/77
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 190 lbs
Bats: S / Throws: R
The wonder is Beltran hasn't been getting walked more often like Bonds.
"Our Bonds treatment was we challenged him when they're playing," St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said. "We don't like telling our players they're not good enough to get hitters out. You treat him with respect. Also, if you look at what's happening behind Beltran, there's a lot of reasons to you have to pitch him tough and pitch him careful. You can't just say four balls. You have some very tough outs, a lot of producers behind him.
"We got him out one time. The ball he hit for a home run, that ball was on the ground. That's a tough one to figure. I think he's very smart. [Kiko] Calero got him with a big breaking ball away."
That was the only time the Cardinals retired Beltran on Sunday, when he was caught looking in the fifth. They weren't as fortunate the next time, and now the series is tied. The stage is set, best two out of three for a spot in the World Series.
Sounds like the perfect playbill for the new Mr. October.
"Well, as a player, this is what you look for, being in this situation," Beltran said. "I really thank God; he has given me this opportunity just to be in the situation, being able to contribute, being able to help the team. There's no better feeling than this. This is right here and right now, it's a dream come true for me."
Jim Molony is a writer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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Carlos Beltran / CF
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