RetroSimba

Buster Posey of the Giants may bring comparisons to other hard-hitting catchers such as Ted Simmons or Mike Piazza.

But how about Joe Garagiola?

Posey has joined Garagiola as the only rookie catchers in big-league history to have 4 hits and at least 2 RBI in a postseason game.

Posey did it on Oct. 20, 2010, going 4-for-5 with 2 RBI in San Francisco’s 6-5 Game 4 win against Philadelphia in the National League Championship Series.

Garagiola did even better for the Cardinals in 1946, going 4-for-5 with 3 RBI in St. Louis’ 12-3 Game 4 win against Boston in the 1946 World Series.

Posey was the fifth rookie to get 4 hits and 2 RBI in a big-league postseason game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The others: Jacoby Ellsbury of the Red Sox (2007), Miguel Cabrera of the Marlins (2003), Garagiola and Freddie Lindstrom of the Giants (1924).

Garagiola, best known as a broadcaster and humorist, was a 20-year-old rookie catcher for the Cardinals in 1946. He joined the Cardinals in May after completing service with the Army in the Phillipines. He hit .237 in 74 regular-season games for a St. Louis team that won the National League pennant.

In Game 4 of the World Series at Boston, Garagiola had 3 singles and a double. Boxscore

His RBI-single to center in the third scored Stan Musial. He singled again in the fifth. In the seventh, Garagiola drove a double to left, scoring Enos Slaughter. In the ninth, Slaughter scored again on a Garagiola single to right.

The 1946 World Series, won by the Cardinals in seven games, would be Garagiola’s only postseason appearance. He hit .316 (6-for-19) in five games, and did almost all of his damage at Fenway Park. Garagiola hit .417 at Boston in that Series (5-for-12) and .143 (1-for-7) at St. Louis.

In its recap of the 1946 World Series, The Sporting News wrote that St. Louis native Garagiola “was extremely popular with fellow players who frequently were his guests at spaghetti dinners cooked by Mom.”

The report concluded that “Joe is destined to become one of the game’s catching greats, in the opinion of (manager Eddie) Dyer and others.”