Red-faced

Coming off a season in which he hit .306 with 28 homers and 99 RBIs, Cincinnati Red rightfielder Reggie Sanders proceeded to etch his name among the biggest postseason busts ever with his 4-for-29 performance, including 19 strikeouts, in seven playoff games against the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves. He fanned five times in one game against L.A. and whiffed in five straight at bats over two games against Atlanta. He grounded into two double plays and stranded 16 base runners during the two series.

Scouts for the Braves had watched Sanders (right) struggle down the stretch—he had two homers and seven RBIs the last month of the regular season—and told their pitchers to throw him fastballs up in the strike zone. In Game 3, Greg Maddux fanned Sanders on a high heater with the bases loaded and two out. Sanders continually fell behind in the count and was late with nearly every swing.

Fittingly the Braves' sweep of the Reds ended with Sanders striking out on a high fastball thrown by Mark Wohlers. Sanders's 19 whiffs were four more than. National League batting champ Tony Gwynn had all season, and they tied John Shelby's major league postseason record (1988 Dodgers). However, Shelby needed 12 games to set the mark.

"It's like life," said Sanders, who through it all remained upbeat and gracious. "If someone dies, are you going to be in the dumps the rest of your life? No. I had a great season. I had a bad series. So what? It's not the end of the world. I'll be all right. Maybe next postseason, I'll be the greatest player in the world."

Here's how Sanders fared against the Braves.

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