Posted By:
ScottI thought it was amazing how "clutch" Carlos Beltran was for most of the play-offs. Some players apparently get an adrenaline-rush, gather focus, whatever, when under pressure...others cr*p their pants.
When I lived in Houston, I used to dred seeing Terry Puhl face left-handed pitchers in a clutch situation - he seemed to strike out every time. On the other hand, he was good for a single almost any time it didn't count. (No offense to the Canadians out there).
I ran across several articles in the "Baseball Magazine" archives that talked about clutch players - it explained why some of their "all-star" teams included players that seemed a bit odd based on what we know today (basically just a bunch of stats). Clutch play and team play was very important to the fans back then, but today we are more concerned with statistics. Stats are what drives the pay-checks, not performance in critical situations...except for closers.