Jeffrey Leonard was the San Francisco Giants’ left fielder in 1987, when he hit .280/.309/.467, with 19 home runs, mostly out of the No. 3 spot in the lineup. For much of his career, he was known as kind of a badass, and at the very least a fascinating character. Though San Francisco fans know him primarily as HacMan, to a wider audience he was probably best known for developing a signature home run trot, rounding the bases with his left hand firmly at his side, which he said was One Flap Down.
What made him a minor legend, though, was the 1987 National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, when he .417/.500/.917 with four home runs and 22 total bases across seven games. Though the Giants lost, Leonard was named the NLCS MVP, the only time in MLB history a player from a losing team has been named a playoff series MVP.
Tonight, the Giants play the Cardinals in another NLCS Game 7. And for good luck, I rubbed the HacMan figurine on my buddy George’s desk. (Here’s a different view.)
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