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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 2021)
FEBRUARY 5, 2021, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A9 POSEY, continued from Page A10 umpire, a runner attempting to score initiates contact with the catcher (or other player covering home plate) in such a manner, the umpire shall declare the runner out (even if the player covering home plate loses possession of the ball).” However, Posey came back healthy in 2012 to have the best season of his career. He was selected to his fi rst All- Star Game after hitting .289 with 10 homers and 43 RBIs in the fi rst half of the season. In the fi nal 71 games, Posey went on a rampant tear, bat- ting .385 with 14 homers and 60 RBIs. He also hit his fi rst game-winning homer against Lance Lynn of the St. Louis Cardinals in a 4-2 win on Aug. 7. Additionally, he caught the 22nd perfect game in MLB history on June 13, 2012 — pitched by Matt Cain. Posey had 24 homers and 103 RBIs in 2012 and his .336 batting average was the top mark in MLB — he be- came the second player in franchise history to win the batting title. Posey was also the fi rst catcher to lead the NL in hitting since 1942. His incredible .433 average against left-handed pitching was also the best in the big leagues. When the postseason be- gan, Posey picked up right where he left off. In the de- ciding game fi ve of the NLDS against the Reds, Posey hit a grand slam off Mat Latos to help the Giants win the game 6-0 and clinch the series. Posey became the third catch- er in the big leagues to hit a grand slam in the postseason. Posey’s hit another homer in a series-clinching situation in the 2012 World Series as he took Tigers ace Max Scherzer deep to put the Giants back on top in the top of the sixth. The Giants swept the series and Posey was awarded his second World Series ring. After the season, numerous accolades came rolling in for Posey, including the NL MVP and his fi rst Silver Slugger Award. He was also given the NL Hank Aaron Award, and was named the NL Come- back Player of the Year. On March 29, 2013, Posey signed an eight-year contract extension worth $167 mil- lion — the agreement was the second largest for a catcher in MLB history. Posey production regressed slightly in 2013, but he still had 15 homers and 72 RBIs while batting .294. He re- ceived the NL Player of the Week honor for June 23-29 and was named to his second straight All-Star Game. He also caught Tim Linceum’s fi rst no-hitter on July 13. Despite not being selected to his third straight All-Star Game, Posey put together one of his best seasons in 2014, batting .311 with 22 homers and 89 RBIs. he also won his second Silver Slugger Award in three years and fi nished sixth in NL MVP voting. On July 13, 2014, Posey and Bumgarner each hit grand slams in an 8-4 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was the fi rst time ever that a catcher and a pitcher each hit grand slams in the same game. On Aug. 29, 2014, Posey went 5-for-5 in a game against the Milwaukee Brewers, be- coming the only catcher in team history to have multiple fi ve-hit games. He batted .389 in the 2014 NLDS against the Washing- ton Nationals as the Giants advanced after winning the series in four games. For the third straight postseason, Posey was behind the dish in every game for the Giants, who won their third World Series in fi ve years after de- feating the Kansas City Roy- als in seven games. In 2015, Posey was se- lected to his third All-Star game and led the voting for all catchers. With a .318 bat- ting average, 19 homers, and 95 RBIs, Posey was given his third Silver Slugger Award. He was also named the Wil- son Defensive Player of the Year award, given to the best catcher in MLB. In a 9-5 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 19, 2015, Posey hit a grand slam and stole a base, becoming the fi rst Giants catcher in over 100 years to accomplish the feat. Nearly three months lat- er, Posey hit his 100th homer in a win over the Colorado Rockies. On June 9, 2015, Posey caught his third no-hitter when Giants pitcher Chris Heston no-hit the New York Mets. Posey has now caught three no-hitters, which is the second most all-time. One of Posey’s biggest highlights in the 2016 season came on May 28 when he drove in a career-high of six runs in the Giants 10-5 win over the Rockies — it was the second most RBIs by a Giants catcher in the San Francisco era. Posey was also selected to his fourth All-Star Game and got to catch for his teammate Johnny Cueto. It was the sec- ond time he got to catch for a teammate in the All-Star Game (Cain in 2012). On Sept. 27, 2016, Posey recorded his 1,000th hit, a solo homer against the Rock- ies. He fi nished the year bat- ting .288 with 14 homers and 80 RBIs. He also had a career-high of 82 runs scored. Although Posey had been one of the best catchers in the league for the last fi ve years according to advanced met- rics, he was fi nally recognized with his fi rst Gold Glove award in 2016. Posey hit .333 in the NLDS that year, but the Giants fell to the eventual champion, Chi- cago Cubs, in four games. Despite getting injured in the season opener, Posey got off to a hot start once he came back in 2017. From May 8-10, Posey homered in three straight games against the Mets. Then on May 12, Posey hit a walk-off homer against the Reds in a 17-inning mar- athon contest. At the All-Star break, Posey led the NL in hitting with a .339 average. He was named to his fi fth All-Star game and made his third consecutive start. He ended the year with a .320 batting average with 12 homers and 67 RBIs. He also won his fourth Silver Slugger. Posey was an all-star selec- tion yet again in 2018, but a nagging hip injury kept him from playing in the game. He elected to have hip surgery in August, which ended his 2018 season. In 2019, Posey hit .257 seven homers and 38 RBIs. Posey opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 and the adoption of premature twin girls with his wife, Kris- ten. Though the pandemic is still ongoing, Posey plans to play with the Giants in 2021 — which is the fi nal year of his current contract that he signed in 2012. He is consid- ered one of the most import- ant fi gures in the franchise’s rich history. V A L E N T I N E ’ S D AY I S S U N D AY, F E B . 1 4 L E A V E T H E L O V E T O S T O R Y U S R omance THE E X PE RTS Kevin Kuo/Associated Press Posey was named the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year in 2015, then won his fi rst Gold Glove in 2016. We Didn’t Set The Bar WE ARE THE BAR! “ This community is beautiful and the whole staff is so attentive and caring! The atmosphere is engaging and respectful and it is so good to know that Mom is in such good hands. 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