'All they need is the opportunity': September isn't so meaningless for these 3 MLB players

As the cooler half of September arrives and bleeds into October, more than 300 Major League Baseball games will unfold, a precious few bearing the scrutiny invited by playoff races or historic achievements.

Dozens more will be played virtually out of the public eye and before far more empty than occupied seats, veterans largely playing out the string and established youngsters chasing numbers that might look more appealing before an arbitrator’s eye come winter.

Yet for a precious few, September baseball will bring a tentative gratification of a surprise opportunity that often comes after a decade-plus of toil, after countless apartment-packing adventures and the helpless curiosity of wondering who they were traded for this time, or which fortunate player claimed their roster spot.

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