Let Dennis Eckersley be the example, but first some clarity. No, we are not comparing newly acquired pitcher Nestor Cortes to the Hall of Famer in Eckersley for any other reason than to show what is possible. Out of everyone dealing at the trade deadline, Padres President of Baseball Operations AJ Preller believed in what was possible by taking a chance on the lefty who made one bad pitch in the fall classic, and not enough pitches in Milwaukee.
We all know that Eck faced an injured Kirk Gibson in the '88 fall classic. And we all know how that at-bat ended.