SEATTLE — If you could build a player to take the key at-bat of a tied playoff game in the eighth inning, you would summon an extrovert who considers pressure a privilege. You would want someone who has so much fun playing the game that he plays the animated hydroplane color-coded race with teammates as it unfolds on the ballpark videoboard. You would want someone with a power/speed combination at a historic level. You want someone who said “No, thanks” to the All-Star Game because he needed to get his head and stroke right.
You want someone who makes a teammate say, “He comes through because of his mental preparation. He loves the pressure. He rises to the moment. He is made for the big moment.”
