Howie Kendrick overcame career-threatening injury. Now he’s a playoff hero

And this is a man who just last week hit a grand slam to secure a National League Division series upset over the Dodgers. For the first time since 2008, back when he was a third-year, part-time player for the Los Angeles Angels, Kendrick hit three doubles in a game. That outburst helped put the Nationals one win away from the World Series in an 8-1 victory that gave them a 3-0 series lead in the National League Championship Series.