This story was excerpted from Tim Stebbins’ Guardians Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
CLEVELAND -- For Rajai Davis, it feels like time has flown by. It doesn’t seem like all that long ago when he rocked Progressive Field and stamped his name into Cleveland baseball lore with one swing.
“It feels like it really happened yesterday,” Davis said recently.
Of course, Davis was reflecting on his game-tying home run off Aroldis Chapman in the eighth inning of Game 7 of the 2016 World Series. It’s one of the most unforgettable moments in Cleveland franchise history and one that Davis is often reminded of -- whether it be by baseball fans on social media or in his travels throughout the country, certainly in Northeast Ohio.
Davis sent a Chapman fastball screeching down the left-field line, where it cleared the 19-foot wall at Progressive Field and sent the ballpark and a fan base tasting a championship into a frenzy. The visual -- from Davis choked up on his bat to rounding the bases with his right fist in the air -- is one that even current players bring up to him. Davis visits ballparks around the league in his post-playing career role as senior director of on-field operations with MLB.
“I’m always reminded of that actual moment, the feeling of what people were [experiencing],” Davis said. “I'm talking about Hall of Famers. I'm talking about the average fan. I'm talking about former players, current players.
"They all remember where they were. They have a story with the moment."
Game 7 ended in heartbreak for Cleveland, but the memories of that pennant-winning season carry on. The Guardians will celebrate that team this weekend, while former manager Terry Francona is in town with the Reds for a three-game series.
Davis will not be in town for the celebration due to a family commitment, though his presence will be felt, certainly on Saturday. The Guardians will hand out a bobblehead of his Game 7 home run to the first 15,000 fans in attendance.
Among other celebratory elements this weekend, there will be a pregame ceremony featuring members of the 2016 team on Friday, after which Corey Kluber will throw out the ceremonial first pitch to former battery mate Yan Gomes.
Davis’ home run was as iconic as improbable, given he was known more for his speed than his slug. He led the American League in stolen bases in 2016, with 43, before he swiped another three in the Fall Classic. His home run capped off Cleveland’s comeback from what was a 6-3 deficit entering the bottom of the eighth inning.
Game 7 went into a rain delay before the 10th, and we all still wonder what would have happened had play not been halted.
“It’s part of it,” Davis said. “It’s all part of the story that we can tell.”
Davis' home run was the pinnacle of his season individually, and another favorite is when he hit for the cycle on July 2 against the Blue Jays. On July 1, Cleveland won, 2-1, in 19 innings. Davis was substituted for in the bottom of the 14th. He was perhaps more fresh than some of his teammates the next day.
Davis led off on July 2 with a home run, hit a triple in the third and hit a double in the seventh. Facing Toronto closer Roberto Osuna in the ninth, Davis lined a first-pitch sinker to right field for a base hit to complete the eighth cycle in Cleveland history.
“I'm like, ‘OK, is he or is he not going to attack me?’” Davis recalled of facing Osuna. “I'm thinking to myself, ‘Well, if he does, I'm going to be ready for the fastball.’ Boy, I'm glad I was ready.”
Davis retired after the 2019 season, which followed a reunion campaign with Cleveland in ‘18. MLB hired him in February 2021, and his role touches on a variety of areas such as rule changes, amateur baseball and mentoring minority players.
Davis noted he still keeps up with former teammates, including fellow outfielders Brandon Guyer and Coco Crisp. José Ramírez is the only active Cleveland player who played in the 2016 Fall Classic. The third baseman was coming into his own that year. Now, he’s the franchise’s all-time leader in games played and on a path toward the Hall of Fame.
“It's just awesome what he's been able to bring to this organization,” Davis said. “He’s always going to be remembered.”
So will Davis' moment.