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.
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