Must See Plays

SI Staff | Jun 3, 2009

Must See Plays /

Must See Plays

Austin Wood

In the longest game in NCAA history, Wood pitched 13 innings, including 12 1-3 of no hit ball, before the Longhorns pulled out a 3-2 win in a 25-inning epic. Wood threw 169 pitches, struck out 14 and gave up two hits. All of that after pitching two innings in a 3-1 win over Army the night before to earn his 15th save of the season.

Travis Tucker

Travis Tucker hit a 3-2 pitch for a grounder through the right side of the infield in the 25th inning on Saturday, scoring the winning run from third in Texas's 3-2 victory over Boston College.

Justin Abdelkader

Detroit's Justin Abdelkader (center) celebrates after scoring on Marc-Andre Fleury in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals.

Samuel Eto'o

A three-time African player of the year from Cameroon, Samuel Eto'o scored 10 minutes into the Champions Final, giving Barcelona a 1-0 lead that it would not relinquish. On the play, Eto'o took a pass from Andres Iniesta, cut around defender Nemanja Vidic and beat Edwin van der Sar from eight yards. The goalkeeper got a touch on the right-footed shot but couldn't keep it from going in at the near post.

Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi's 70th-minute header sealed Barcelona's 2-0 win over Manchester United in the Champions League final.

Rafael Nadal

For 31 matches, dating to his debut on May 23, 2005, Rafael Nadal had never walked off a court at the French Open a loser. That is until last Sunday, when the world's No. 1 ranked player and four-time French Open champ lost to Robin Soderling, 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 7-6 (2).

Carlos Zambrano

Carlos Zambrano threw a tirade for the ages after Pittsburgh's Nyjer Morgan slid safely into home with Zambrano covering the plate. For starters, Zambrano jumped up, argued and was ejected after he appeared to nudge umpire Mark Carlson. Zambrano then pointed in Carlson's face and gave him the ejection sign. He later fired a ball into left, tossed his glove and took a bat to a dugout drink dispenser before heading to the clubhouse. Little wonder that he received a six-game suspension.

Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant helped lift his teammates' level of play and was his usual high-flying self as the Lakers won the Western Conference finals over Denver. As a reward, Bryant will be playing in the sixth NBA Finals of his 13-year career while seeking his fourth league title.

Chris Andersen

Chris ''Birdman'' Andersen blocks a Lamar Odom shot in a losing effort against the Lakers. A fan favorite in Denver, Andersen made 32 blocks in 15 playoff games, including 15 in the six-game conference finals against L.A.

Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard threw down on the Cleveland Cavaliers and ruined the so-called dream NBA Finals matchup between Kobe Bryant and LeBron James as the Orlando Magic advanced to the second championship series in franchise history.

Omir Santos

Scheduled to return to the minor leagues, Santos hit a fifth-inning homer and this game-ending single in the 11th on May 29, causing the Mets to rethink those plans. The team traded a backup catcher so that Santos could stay in New York.

Mike Napoli and Ichiro Suzuki

Angels catcher Mike Napoli makes a heads-up play against the Mariners, tagging Ichiro Suzuki out at the plate in the eighth inning of a 9-8 victory by the Angels.

Evgeni Malkin

One of the NHL's best defensive forwards, Zetterberg appears to be getting the worst of it in a fight with Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin during Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals. The Red Wings jumped to a 2-0 advantage over the Penguins in the best-of-seven series.

Serena Williams

Serena Williams continues to prove why she's one of the best athletes in the world, running her Grand Slam winning streak to 18 consecutive earlier this week as she sought another French Open title.

Jenn Stuczysnki

The Olympic silver medalist at Beijing, Stuczysnki won the women's pole vault title last weekend at the Reebok Grand Prix meet in New York.

Published Jun 3, 2009

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