Matthew Taylor: Postseason moments aren't always savored

When you think of great postseason moments, which ones come to mind? Chances are there are a fair number of home runs in the mix. Carlton Fisk. Kirk Gibson. Kirby Puckett. Joe Carter. David Freese. Playoff home runs are tailor-made for highlight reels. They tell quick, dramatic stories that often come to define a game and even a series. As the Orioles approach the 2014 playoffs, I've spent time wondering about the postseason moments that await. My daydreaming about the good things that could happen is sometimes soured by the dread of remembering things that have happened. The Orioles' recent playoff history reminds us that there's another side to each of those home run stories. The playoffs can be cruel to relievers. Take, for example, Jim Johnson. After posting a career-best and club record 51 saves in 2012, Johnson allowed five runs (four of them earned) on five hits and recorded just one out in the ninth inning of Game 1 in the American League Division Series. Russell Martin started the scoring with a leadoff home run. Johnson recovered to record two saves in both of the Orioles' ALDS victories, lowering his ALDS ERA from 27.00 to 10.38, but by that point the Yankees had claimed the series victory. Then there's Armando Benitez, who was responsible for two of the Orioles' four losses in the 1997 American League Championship Series. Benitez allowed a three-run homer to Marquis Grissom in an inning of work in Game 2; it turned a potential 2-0 series lead into a 1-1 split headed to Cleveland. Benitez was on the mound again in Game 6 and surrendered Tony Fernandez's ALCS-clinching home run in the top of the 11th inning. He finished the ALCS with a 12.00 ERA in three innings of work over the course of four games pitched. Finally, there's Randy Myers. In 1996, Myers allowed Bernie Williams' walk-off homer in the 11th inning of ALCS Game 1. Derek Jeter had "homered" earlier off of Benitez with the help of Jeffrey Maier to tie the score. One year later, Myers recorded a then-club record 45 saves. Still, he allowed a walk and a single in the bottom of the 12th inning of the ALCS to set up a bizarre finish. Marquis Grissom stole home on a play that Lenny Webster insisted was a foul tip. Myers lost with the long ball one year and, if you believe Webster, a foul ball the next. Since 1996, two Orioles closers have established a new club record for saves in the regular season only to falter in the playoffs. Meanwhile, a hard throwing reliever surrendered not one, but two critical long balls in one series. The playoffs tend to make heroes of hitters and goats of relievers. If the Orioles plan to parade through the streets of Baltimore this October, they'll need equal parts valor from both roles. Matthew Taylor blogs about the Orioles at Roar from 34. Follow him on Twitter: @RoarFrom34. His ruminations about the Birds appear as part of MASNsports.com's season-long initiative of welcoming guest bloggers to our site. All opinions expressed are those of the guest bloggers, who are not employed by MASNsports.com but are just as passionate about their baseball as our roster of writers.