You might enjoy this article about Steve Rogers, a very
successful starting pitcher for the Montreal Expos back in the 70s and 80s. He
was a dominant pitcher on the club and as this article states he had won three
games in the 1981 playoffs. That’s
impressive.
However, in the playoffs when teams face a win-or-go-home
scenario players are required to step outside of their comfort zone and fill an
unfamiliar role. Rogers the starting
pitcher was asked to become Rogers the relief pitcher during the deciding game
against the Los Angeles Dodgers. This interrupted
his routine of starting a game, then having a few days of rest and recovery
before starting another game.
The Expos sent Rogers, their best pitcher, to the mound as a
reliever for the ninth inning in the deciding game and he delivered a home-run
pitch to Rick Monday of the Dodgers, who would then go on to win the World
Series versus the New York Yankees in six games. Expos fans like me remember this
well. Rogers won three games in the
1981 playoffs yet this is what we remember.
It’s an interesting story and read when thinking about how
we respond when we are outside of our comfort zone.
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