Atlanta Braves outfielder Eddie Rosario was named MVP of the National League Championship Series following his team's win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.
Rosario absolutely torched Dodgers pitching, hitting .560/.607/1.040 with three homers, five extra-base hits, nine RBIs, and six runs scored. His 14 hits in the NLCS tied the MLB record for a single playoff series, with the record-tying hit coming as a pennant-clinching three-run homer.
Eddie Rosario has tied the record for most hits (14) in a single #postseason series.
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) October 24, 2021
Marco Scutaro (2012 NLCS)
Kevin Youkilis (2007 ALCS)
Albert Pujols (2004 NLCS)
Hideki Matsui (2004 ALCS) pic.twitter.com/DPaLQNTQfW
Additionally, Rosario's .560 average is the highest in a single League Championship Series (minimum 25 plate appearances) and third-highest in any single playoff series, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com.
| Player | Year/Series | AVG |
|---|---|---|
| David Ortiz | 2013 WS | .688 |
| Edgar Martinez | 1995 ALDS | .571 |
| Eddie Rosario | 2021 NLCS | .560 |
| David Freese | 2011 NLCS | .545 |
| Javy Lopez | 1996 NLCS | .542 |
| Yordan Alvarez | 2021 ALCS | .522 |
Your NLCS MVP!
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) October 24, 2021
Eddie Rosario talks with @HeidiWatney about his unbelievable series performance for the @Braves pic.twitter.com/43alqbEhzs
Rosario is one of the unlikeliest postseason heroes in recent memory. The 30-year-old started his season with Cleveland and was traded to the Braves at the deadline along with cash considerations for infielder Pablo Sandoval - who was immediately released by the Indians. At the time of the trade, he was on the injured list, but posted a .903 OPS with seven homers in 33 regular-season games for Atlanta after returning.
Rosario is the sixth Braves player to win NLCS MVP, joining Steve Avery (1991), John Smoltz (1992), Mike Deveraux (1995), Javy Lopez (1996), and Eddie Perez (1999).
The native of Guayama, Puerto Rico, is also the seventh Puerto Rican to earn the honor, according to MLB.
