Nelson Cruz caps off historic ALCS, helps Rangers reach World Series

Nelson Cruz etched his name in postseason lore and propelled his team into the World Series. (Photo: Reuters/Richard Carson)

Nelson Cruz stepped to the plate with two out and one on in the bottom of the seventh–his Texas Rangers already up 13-4 on the Detroit Tigers in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series–and accomplished a feat that surprised few. Not long after digging into the box he was comfortably leaving it. Cruz had crushed the first pitch he saw from reliever Brad Penny into the left-field seats.

The lead was now 11. The crowd was wild. And Cruz, whose journey to stardom was a long one, had put the finishing touches on the best performance ever in a postseason series. Considering where he was just three years ago, his success that fueled the Rangers into the World Series is surprising and a tremendous story.

He came up in 2000 in the Oakland A’s organization but didn’t make his major league debut until 2005, when he was with the Milwaukee Brewers. After eight major league at-bats and stints throughout the Brewers minor league system, they lost faith in the power-hitting outfielder and traded him to the Rangers in a six-player deal that notably netted slugger Carlos Lee.

Cruz struggled in limited action for Texas in 2006 and 2007, displaying some power but hitting poorly overall. By 2008, he had exhausted his options with the Rangers. He had been at every minor league level and failed to make the major-league roster out of spring training. He was offered a contract by the Yomiuri Giants to play pro ball in Japan. He was interested.

“My agent told me they were really interested and they’d pay me a relatively large amount of money for the last two months of the season,” Cruz said in an interview with ESPN Deportes‘ Enrique Rojas. “I was in the minor leagues, I didn’t have a future with the Rangers, and I wanted to begin to explore other options.”

Rangers General Manager Jon Daniels, who still had control of Cruz, didn’t allow him to act upon those explorations. The organization’s Triple A affiliate, stationed in Oklahoma, claimed him in late August of 2008. If Cruz played his cards right, he would get a another chance to excel in Texas.

He did get that chance after crushing Triple-A pitching. He was named the PLC Player of the Year for 2008, hitting 37 homers and driving in 99 rbi’s. The question, then, was this: could he be more than just an incredible minor league player?

Entering Spring Training in 2009, the Rangers knew he had 54 homers and 144 rbi’s in 545 at-bats over his last two minor-league seasons. They knew he was an unbelievable talent with power to all fields. And they put a lot of stock in his late-season cup of coffee with the Rangers, when he hit seven homers and drove in 26 runs in 31 games. They were confident his success could finally translate to the major-league level.

By all indications, this was his final chance to make it as Ranger. And he made the most of the opportunity. In no time, Daniels’ reluctance to part with Cruz proved to be very wise, as he fit nicely in the middle of the lineup, made the All-Star team, and needed only 128 games to hit 33 homers. He finally belonged.

He couldn’t stay healthy, however. He couldn’t in 2010, either, and couldn’t this past regular season. He struggled mightily after injuring his hamstring in mid-September, batting going 8-42 down the stretch. Little did they know he would lead them to the World Series.

In the six games Texas played against Detroit its starting staff had an abysmal 6.59 ERA, averaged less than five innings per start, and had yet to throw a pitch in the seventh inning. These statistics didn’t matter. Cruz and company had the rotation’s back.

His homer off Penny, as part of the team’s 15-run, 17-hit onslaught of the Tigers, was his 6th of the series, breaking the five-homer mark previously notched by Ken Griffey Jr., Reggie Jackson, Luis Gonzalez, and Chase Utley. His 13 rbi’s were also the highest total, surpassing Bobby Richardson’s and John Valentin’s 12. And this production was coming out of the seventh-hole in the Rangers lineup.

Each of his eight hits went for extra-bases. He hit a game-winning grand slam in Game 2 of the series. He hit a three-run homer in the eleventh inning of Game 4. Every time the Rangers needed a big hit he came through.

“Nellie worked hard all year,” Texas manager Ron Washington said. “Coming down the stretch, he didn’t really have a whole lot of at-bats. He kept battling, his teammates supported him and in the end it all came together.” It sure did, and the ALCS MVP is his reward.

His Rangers are now four wins away from the ultimate prize. Not long ago, he was close to giving up on Major League Baseball and packing his bags for Japan. Now, he is Texas’s most dangerous hitter, fresh off the best playoff performance in history and ready for more.