Virginia Cavaliers Official Athletic Site
Open Search
Baseball
. Baseball

Taylor is First Cavalier to Play in Back-to-Back World Series

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Former Cavalier Chris Taylor (2010-12) will play in the World Series for the second-straight year when the Los Angeles Dodgers take on the Boston Red Sox Tuesday (Oct. 23) at Fenway Park. The game will be televised on Fox with first pitch slated for 8:09 EST.

The versatile Taylor started six of the seven NLCS games and played three different positions (LF, CF and 2B). The Virginia Beach native batted .364 (8-for-22) four runs scored a double, triple and an RBI. In the last two NLCS, Taylor has hit .341 (14-for-41) with two doubles, two triples and two home runs. He was named the 2017 NLCS co-MVP.

Taylor received notoriety in this year’s NLCS for his run-saving catch in left field on a ball in the gap hit by Christian Yelich.

During his time in Charlottesville, Taylor played 156 games for the Orange and Blue before being selected in the fifth round of the 2012 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners. He vaulted the Cavaliers into the 2011 College World Series with a walk-off single against UC Irvine in the Super Regionals.

Virginia Baseball World Series History

The Virginia baseball program has been represented in the World Series in the last three seasons with Brandon Guyer (Indians – 2016), Derek Fisher (Astros – 2017) and Taylor (Dodgers – 2017-18).

A total of six former Cavaliers have played in the Fall Classic with two claiming World Series titles. Virginia baseball hall of fame inductee Javier Lopez (1996-98) was a member of four Worlds Series teams, the Red Sox in 2007 and the Giants in 2010, 2012 and 2014. Derek Fisher (2012-14) became the second Cavalier to win a World Series when the Astros defeated Taylor’s Dodgers in 2017.

Cavaliers in the World Series (6)
Derek Fisher – 2017 (Astros)
Brandon Guyer – 2016 (Indians)
Ricky Horton – 1985, 1987 (Cardinals)
Javier Lopez – 2007 (Red Sox), 2010, 2012, 2014 (Giants)
Eppa Rixey – 1915 (Phillies)
Chris Taylor – 2017, 2018 (Dodgers)

Related Stories