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MLB history: The 10 greatest games of Hall of Famer Fred McGriff

ByBill Felber|
Dec 5, 2022; San Diego, CA, USA; Fred McGriff speaks to the media after being elected to Hall of Fame by contemporary era committee at Manchester Grand Hyatt. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 5, 2022; San Diego, CA, USA; Fred McGriff speaks to the media after being elected to Hall of Fame by contemporary era committee at Manchester Grand Hyatt. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
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22 Jul 1999: Fred McGriff #29 of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays swings the bat during the game against the New York Yankees at the Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. The Yankees defeated the Devil Rays 5-4.
22 Jul 1999: Fred McGriff #29 of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays swings the bat during the game against the New York Yankees at the Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. The Yankees defeated the Devil Rays 5-4.

6. July 9, 1995, Braves 3, Giants 2. Terry Mulholland and Kent Mercker matched zeroes before Mulholland left after the sixth inning. The Giants broke through for two runs against reliever Greg McMichael in the eighth, and called on closer Rod Beck to wrap it up in the ninth.

But Beck walked Jeff Blauser and surrendered a line drive single to Chipper Jones. That gave McGriff a chance to come to the plate as the potential winning run. Potential became reality when McGriff drove a 1-2 Beck offering into the right field seats. Win Probability Added: +0.628.

5. June 11, 2000, Devil Rays 3, Angels 2. Less than two months after his April 22 destruction of Anaheim, McGriff tortured the Angels again in a second meeting at the Trop. This time, the Angels and starter Brian Cooper carried a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the ninth, Cooper having scattered just five hits.

Manager Mike Scioscia turned the ninth inning over to closer Troy Percival, but this was one of the rare occasions when Percival was not up to the task. Jose Guillen greeted Percival with a fly ball that cleared the right field wall, making the score 2-1. After Greg Vaughn singled, McGriff came up next. The count was 1-2 when McGriff rocketed a game-winning home run of his own into those same right field seats. Win Probability Added: +0.632

4. May 25, 1993, Dodgers 10, Padres 9. Three of McGriff’s 10 greatest games ended in an extra-inning defeat, this being the third. At Dodger Stadium, his first-inning hit set up a run, and his fifth-inning single set up two more that pulled the Padres within 5-4.

McGriff’s third hit, a seventh-inning single, set up San Diego’s fifth run, although they still trailed 7-5. The Padres had tied the game 7-7 by the time McGriff came up a fourth time, and his two-run home run put them ahead 9-7.

Unfortunately for McGriff’s efforts, San Diego’s bullpen allowed the two tying runs to score in the bottom of the eighth and gave up the walk-off winner in the 10th. McGriff had to console himself with a 4-for-6 day, two RBI and a home run. Win Probability Added: +0.644.

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