Former Philadelphia Phillies infielder Kim Batiste, who went from goat to hero in the 1993 National League Championship Series, died Thursday in his native Louisiana from complications following kidney surgery. He was 52.
Batiste was carried off the field by his teammates after his walk-off 10th-inning double drove in John Kruk with the winning run of Game 1 of the 1993 NLCS against the Atlanta Braves. Batiste had entered the game as a defensive replacement at third base in the ninth inning, and promptly threw a double-play ground ball into right field, enabling a Braves comeback that sent the game into extra innings.
Just an inning later, in his only at-bat in the series, Batiste lined a double to boost the Phillies to the 4-3 victory and they went on to capture the series in six games. They lost to the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series.
“We were all so happy for Batty,” Phillies legend Larry Bowa, who was coaching third base that night, told the Philadelphia Daily News. “He was a great teammate and a big part of that team.”
That moment led Batiste to becoming something of a folk hero to Phillies fans. He hit .234 with 10 home runs and 64 RBIs in his five-year career, playing shortstop and third base for the Phillies for four seasons and for the San Francisco Giants in 1996. He was a third-round draft choice by the Phillies out of St. Amant High near Baton Rouge in 1987.
“Kim will always be remembered in Philadelphia,” the team said in a statement Thursday. “The Phillies organization sends its condolences to Kim’s family, friends and teammates.”