Honorable Mention - Gabby Hartnett, September 28, 1938
The Pirates led the NL pennant race for much of the 1938 season, but began to fade toward the end of the year. On September 27, the Cubs took the first game of a three-game series against Pittsburgh, cutting their lead to only half a game. The next day, on September 28, Hall of Fame catcher Gabby Hartnett hit one of the most memorable home runs in history. With the score tied 5-5 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, darkness began to envelop Wrigley Field, which wouldn't install lights until 1988. The current rules had no protocol for suspending games due to darkness, which meant that the game would have to be replayed in its entirety the following day. With nobody on and two outs, and the umpires about to call the game, Hartnett stepped into the box against all-star reliever Mace Brown, who quickly got ahead 0-2. In the last glimmer of daylight, Hartnett caught Brown's next pitch and drove it into left-center for a walk-off home run that put the Cubs in first place. As soon as the ball cleared the fence, the stadium erupted as players and fans rushed onto the field, requiring police to take action. The Cubs ended up clinching the pennant three days later, but were swept by the New York Yankees in the World Series. Nevertheless, the home run would forever be known to history as the Homer in the Gloamin'.
10. Chris Chambliss: October 14, 1976
Between 1921 and 1964, the Yankees dominated baseball, winning 29 pennants and 20 World Series during that span. However, they began a prolonged period of mediocrity in 1965, which would last for twelve years. In 1976, they finally broke out of the mire and reestablished themselves as legitimate title contenders. That year, the Yankees were one game away from the Fall Classic when they faced the Royals in Game 5 of the ALCS, a winner-take all. The score was tied 6-6 heading into the bottom of the ninth, when Chris Chambliss stepped into the box against fireballing righty Mark Littell. Chambliss promptly sent the first pitch over the rightfield wall for a walk-off, pennant-winning home run, effectively bringing the Yankees out of their lean period and back into the World Series. When the ball sailed out of play, thousands of fans immediately rushed the field and ran straight for Chambliss. The crowd was so intense that Chambliss couldn't finish rounding the bases, and he later had to touch all the bases with a police escort to make the run official.
9. George Brett: July 24, 1983
In a typical July game in 1983, the Yankees were leading the Royals 4-3 with two outs in the top of the ninth when George Brett hit a go-ahead, two-run home run against Goose Gossage. After Brett finished rounding the bases, Yankee manager Billy Martin requested his bat be examined, claiming there was too much pine tar on it. The umpires agreed and called Brett out, ending the game. When the call was made, Brett stormed out of the dugout and charged the umpires, arguing vehemently until he was restrained by his teammates. The Royals protested the game, and AL President Lee MacPhail upheld their protest, reversing the umpires' call and scheduling a resumption date on August 18. Predictably, the Yankees protested the resumption, but the game was finished with the Royals winning 5-4.
8. Joe Carter: October 23, 1993
In the 1993 World Series, the Toronto Blue Jays held a 3-2 series lead over the Philadelphia Phillies heading into Game 6. The Blue Jays were in control of the game early, winning 5-1 heading into the seventh, when the Phillies rallied for five runs to put them ahead 6-5. The score would hold until the bottom of the ninth, when the Phillies brought in their closer, Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams, who had earned 43 saves that season. Williams issued a leadoff walk to Rickey Henderson, prompting him to use a slide-step for the first time in his career. He induced a flyout but quickly surrendered a single, putting two runners on base with one out for slugger Joe Carter. On a 2-1 pitch, Carter launched an inside fastball over the leftfield wall for a walk-off home run, bringing home the World Series title. The blast was one of only two home runs to walk off the final game of the World Series.
7. Kirk Gibson: October 15, 1988
The 1988 World Series took place between the Los Angeles Dodgers (94-67) and the Oakland Athletics (104-58). The Dodgers were heavy underdogs, and their best player, league MVP Kirk Gibson, had injured both his legs in the NLCS. Instead of being with the team, Gibson was undergoing therapy in the team clubhouse during the game. Late in the game, however, he told manager Tommy Lasorda that he was available to pinch hit, and he started taking practice swings. With the A's leading 4-3 heading to the bottom of the ninth, they brought in star closer Dennis Eckersley, who promptly retired the first two batters he faced. He then gave up a single, and Gibson batted for the pitcher as the winning run. Quickly down 0-2 and taking clumsy swings, Gibson battled back to 3-2 before sending a backdoor slider over the rightfield fence for a walk-off home run, perhaps the most improbable in history. Gibson would not appear again in the World Series, but the Dodgers would upset the Athletics in five games.
6. Carlton Fisk: October 21, 1975
Game 6 of the 1975 World Series is considered one of the greatest games in Fall Classic history. Trailing the Cincinnati Reds three games to two, the Boston Red Sox entered the game on the brink of elimination. Heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, the Sox were down 6-3, and with two outs and two runners on, pinch hitter Bernie Carbo smacked a game-tying three-run homer. The score held at 6-6 until the bottom of the twelfth, when Carlton Fisk led off the inning against reliever Pat Darcy. With a 1-0 count, Fisk hit a high drive down the leftfield line that fast approached the foul pole. As he started toward first, Fisk waved his arms, as if to will the ball fair, and it struck the top of the pole for a walk-off homer, forcing a deciding Game 7. The Red Sox ended up losing the final game, but the famous walk-off remains an iconic moment in baseball history.
5. Bucky Dent: October 2, 1978
On the last day of the 1978 regular season, the Yankees and Red Sox both had records of 99-63, forcing a one-game playoff for a postseason berth. In addition to one of the fiercest rivalries in sports, the Red Sox were mired in the Curse of the Bambino, not having won a championship since 1918, the year before they sold Babe Ruth's contract to those same Yankees. The tiebreaker game was also a rare commodity, being the first in the AL since 1948. Through six innings, the Sox held a 2-0 lead, and Yankee shortstop Bucky Dent, not known for his power, strode to the plate with two men on and two outs in the top of the seventh. After fouling a ball off his foot, Dent borrowed a bat from teammate Mickey Rivers and hit a 1-1 offering over the Green Monster, putting the Yankees ahead 3-2. The Yanks would end up winning the game 5-4 and become World Champions, while the Red Sox wouldn't win another World Series until 2004.
4. Bill Mazeroski: October 13, 1960
In the 1960 World Series, the Pittsburgh Pirates were massive underdogs against the New York Yankees. The Yankees had won four pennants and two World Series in the previous five years, while the Pirates hadn't won a pennant since 1927, when they were swept by none other than the Yankees. To the surprise of many, the Series went to Game 7, but despite their home field advantage, things weren't looking good for Pittsburgh. The Yankees' three wins came by scores of 16-3, 10-0, and 12-0, while the Pirates hadn't won by more than three runs in any game. Game 7 was a back-and-forth brawl with lots of twists and turns, but eventually the score was tied 9-9 heading into the bottom of the ninth, when second baseman Bill Mazeroski led off. With a 1-0 count, Maz sent a Ralph Terry offering just over the leftfield wall, walking off the game and the World Series. The home run was the first of only two that walked off the World Series (Carter's being the other), and the only one to walk off Game 7. Despite being outhit .338 to .256 and outscored 55 to 27, the Pirates had stunned the world and taken down the mighty Yankees.
3. Babe Ruth: October 1, 1932
Back in the 1920's and 1930's, Babe Ruth dominated baseball with his extraordinary home run feats. His talent not only resulted in seven World Championships and a score of shattered batting records, but also made a large impact on American culture in general, as he became one of the biggest celebrities in the entire world. As a result, many stories and legends have been told and retold about this remarkable figure, but the greatest one originated in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series. All throughout the Series, the Cubs and Yankees players were heckling back and forth. In games played at Wrigley Field, Cubs fans were particularly brutal, throwing fruits and vegetables at the players from the stands, especially Babe Ruth. When Ruth came to bat in the fifth inning of Game 3, the heckling was as loud as ever, and the Babe was yelling right back. Cubs pitcher Charlie Root was ahead in the count 0-2 when Ruth made a pointing gesture, pictured below. Some accounts say Babe was signaling that he had one strike left, or that he was pointing back at the Cubs dugout. But the popular story is that Ruth said he would hit the next pitch past the flagpole in centerfield, which he promptly did. Whether or not Ruth truly called his shot, the home run has gone down as one of the most significant in baseball history.
2. Hank Aaron: April 8, 1974
During and long after his baseball career, Babe Ruth captured the minds of baseball fans unlike anyone ever had before. He became baseball's all-time home run king in 1921 and retired in 1935 with the incredible total of 714 home runs, more than twice as many as anyone had ever hit to that point. 714 was a number thought to be unrepeatable, a magical number that was bigger than the game itself. Predictably, when a player named Hank Aaron started chasing the record in the early 1970's, people were astonished. However, most fans were not cheering him on, but were hoping that he would succumb to pressure and fall short. The Babe was a figure larger than life, and many people never wanted his records to be broken. What's more, Aaron had never come close to Ruth's personal record of 60 home runs in one season (Aaron's high was 47), and further, racism hadn't quite died out in America by that time, and many people did not want a black man to break the record. Nevertheless, he kept playing and hitting home runs, and he finished the 1973 season with 713 career homers. On Opening Day 1974, Aaron hit number 714, and four days later, in a home game against the Dodgers, he belted an Al Downing offering over the centerfield wall to break the record. The scoreboard only said one thing, but only one thing was necessary: 715.
1. Bobby Thomson: October 3, 1951
On August 11, 1951, the Brooklyn Dodgers held a 13.5 game lead over the second-place New York Giants, leading many to believe that the pennant race was all but over. However, the Giants won 16 games in a row between August 12 and 27, trimming the Dodgers' lead down to six games. By the end of the regular season, the Giants had caught up with the Dodgers by winning their final seven games, while the Dodgers had lost six of their last ten. With both teams finishing at 96-58, a three-game tiebreaker series was played to determine the pennant winner. The teams split the first two games of the series, forcing a deciding Game 3.
The game, played at the Polo Grounds on October 3, 1951, opened with the Dodgers scoring in the first inning on a Jackie Robinson single. The score held at 1-0 until the Giants tied the game in the bottom of the seventh. In the top of the eighth, however, the Dodgers scored three runs, taking a 4-1 lead, and shut down the Giants in the bottom of the frame. Heading into the last inning, the Giants were in dire straits. Luckily for them, they gave up no further runs in the top of the ninth, but still had a three-run deficit to overcome in the bottom of the inning. The Giants led off with two consecutive singles before future Hall of Famer Monte Irvin popped out. Whitey Lockman then followed with an RBI double, which chased starter Don Newcombe from the game. With one out and runners on second and third, the Dodgers brought in reliever Ralph Branca to face slugger Bobby Thomson. With an 0-1 count, Thomson launched an inside fastball from Branca over the leftfield wall for a walk-off home run, sending the Giants to the World Series and capping off the most incredible comeback in baseball history. The home run is known to history as The Shot Heard 'Round the World.
No comments:
Post a Comment