October means pennant races are in full swing. With teams now battling for playoff positions, we at CT thought we’d celebrate some of baseball’s more memorable postseason moments.
1932
While many view modern athletes as arrogant, Babe Ruth may have actually invented athletic bravado. Baseball had never seen anything like Ruth. He shattered nearly every record the sport had ever known. In the third game of the ’32 World Series, Ruth allegedly “called his shot” by pointing to the centerfield bleachers. He slugged the very next pitch clean over the centerfield fence. Decades later, batters are still emulating that moment at the plate.
1951
Back when the Giants and Dodgers were still in New York, Bobby Thomson hit a Ralph Branca pitch over the Polo Grounds’ fences to give the Giants the National League pennant. Referred to as “The Shot Hit ‘Round The World,” Thomson’s home run propelled the Giants into the ’51 Series, which they would eventually lose to the Yankees.
1954
With men on first and second, a deep Vic Wertz fly ball looked to give the Indians the lead. That was until Willie Mays made a jaw-dropping, over-the-shoulder catch that quelled the run, giving the Giants the momentum they would need to sweep the Indians and cement Mays’ place in history.
1956
In 1956, Don Larsen established a feat that has yet to be duplicated. During the fifth game against the Brooklyn Dodgers, Larsen pitched a perfect game, retiring all 27 Dodgers on less than 100 pitches. The Yankees won the Series in seven games.
1960
Pittsburgh Pirate Bill Mazeroski hit the only game seven walk-off home run in World Series history. Although primarily known throughout his career as an outstanding defensive infielder, it is this one hit for which Mazeroski is most famous.
1975
In the 12th inning of game six, Carlton Fisk hit one of the most memorable home runs in postseason history. Fisk’s blast off Reds reliever Pat Darcy bounced off the foul pole, thanks to a little body English from Fisk, to force a decisive game seven, which the Sox would eventually lose.
1977
To the echoes of over 50,000 rabid Yankee fans, Reggie Jackson earned his nickname – “Mr. October” – by hammering three home runs in a single game to give the Yankees another World Series victory.
1986
As if Red Sox fans hadn’t suffered enough already, Bill Buckner’s game six gaffe was another image ingrained in baseball history. With a two out, two run, one game lead against the Mets, Boston seemed poised to finally exorcise the Curse of the Bambino. That was until Mookie Wilson’s grounder dribbled between Buckner’s legs, giving the Mets the victory and a chance to play game seven, and clench th series.
1988
In a late-game pinch-hit situation, Tommy Lasorda inserted a gimpy Kirk Gibson into the lineup to face the untouchable Dennis Eckersley. With two outs in the ninth, Gibson mashed a 3-2 slider over the right field fence. As announcer Jack Buck shouted “I don’t believe what I just saw,” Gibson limped around the bases, pumping his fists. The Dodgers won that Series in five games.
1991
In ’91, the Atlanta Braves and Minnesota Twins played one of the most competitive World Series ever. Five of the seven games were decided by only one run. In a series where Kirby Puckett etched his name into Minnesota sports lore, it was Jack Morris who pitched a 10-inning shutout in game seven to defeat Atlanta and end a World Series for the ages.
1993
In game six, Joe Carter took a Mitch Williams pitch deep over the left field wall, giving the Toronto Blue Jays their second consecutive World Series title. Williams, one of baseball’s most dominant relievers, would never be the same after giving up that homer.
2004
In 2004, after 86 years of suffering, Red Sox fans finally got their just due. Often considered the greatest choke in sports history, the Yankees coughed up a 3-0 series lead to give the Red Sox the American League pennant. Boston then swept the Cardinals to win their first World Series title since 1918.
