The legend of Ryan Merritt is the latest in a long line of improbable October histrionics in Major League Baseball. The rookie pitched the Cleveland Indians into the World Series despite having logged just 11 career big league innings, and made it look easy, silencing the vaunted Toronto Blue Jays’ lineup and charming the media with his easy Texas drawl.
Cleveland has never seen a performance quite the same as Merritt’s, but he’s hardly the first rookie pitcher to etch his name into the team’s playoff annals. In fact, the last time the Indians made it to the Fall Classic, it was due, in part, to another guy who looked as if he hadn’t even started shaving yet.