Landry Shamet is on an all-time heater, hitting 17 of his last 21 3-point shots in the past six games. But he’s not the first New York role player to turn it on under the brightest of lights. Here’s a look at some other members of a supporting cast who became stars in the postseason:
David Tyree
There were 11 Giants who had more receptions during the 2007 regular season than Tyree, who finished with four catches for 35 yards. He added one more catch in the team’s first three postseason games. Then, Tyree became a legend at Super Bowl 42, scoring his first touchdown of the season, and later adding an iconic helmet catch to propel the Giants to an upset of the undefeated Patriots. Tyree never caught another pass.
Bucky Dent
The light-hitting shortstop hit less than .250 during the Yankees’ 1977 championship run, and again during the 1978 regular season, but Dent became an all-time Boston villain after delivering a three-run homer in the AL East tiebreaker game, which eventually led the Yankees to a second straight title, with Dent capturing World Series MVP honors against the Dodgers.
Stephane Matteau
Rangers fans had little time to become acquainted with Matteau — who was acquired less than a month before the 1994 playoffs began — but the physical wing quickly became known for scoring the most famous goal in team history. His legacy is defined by his wraparound goal in double overtime of Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, but Matteau also scored the double-overtime winner in Game 3 against the Devils, finishing with six goals and three assists during the postseason run that broke the Rangers’ 54-year Stanley Cup drought.
Scott Brosius
Following seven forgettable seasons in Oakland, Brosius found a forever home in The Bronx. Brosius, who hit .203 with a .576 OPS in 1997, became an All-Star with the Yankees in 1998, hitting .300 with 19 home runs and 98 RBIs before batting .383 in the postseason and becoming World Series MVP on one of the greatest teams of all time.
Phil McConkey
The Giants released McConkey before the 1986 season, then reacquired him one month later, using him as a returner and a receiver who made 16 receptions. In Super Bowl 21, the undrafted Navy graduate became part of franchise lore, setting up a field goal with a punt return, making a 44-yard catch at the goal line, then scoring a touchdown, as the Giants won their first Super Bowl 39-20 over the Broncos.
Al Weis
In parts of four years with the Mets, Weis hit .191. The career .219 hitter received just one at-bat in the 1969 NLCS. But the infielder from Long Island played a huge role in completing the Mets’ miracle. Weis went 5-for-11 (.455) with three RBIs and four walks in the World Series, which included the winning hit in Game 2 and the game-tying home run in the Game 5 clincher over the Orioles.
Johnny Podres
Next year finally came for Brooklyn in 1955 thanks to a 23-year-old left-hander who had gone 9-10 in his third big league season. After pitching a complete game to win Game 3 of the World Series, Podres got the ball again in Game 7 and didn’t allow a run in nine innings at Yankee Stadium, leading the Dodgers to a long-awaited triumph over their pinstriped tormentors.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
