For our final look at League
Championship Series special moments, we will look at the five most memorable
NLCS non-walk off home runs. Enjoy.
5. October 12, 2014: San Francisco Giants at
St. Louis Cardinals, Game 2: Oscar Tavares
The
Giants had taken the first game in St. Louis by a score of 3-0 and the
Cardinals didn’t want to go back to San Francisco down by two games.
But they trailed by a score of
3-2 as the game moved to the bottom of the seventh. The Cardinals sent up Oscar
Tavares to pinch hit and the rookie promptly tied the game with a solo home
run. The Cardinals would eventually win the game in the bottom of the ninth to
tie the series at one.
Sadly, it would be the last home
run Tavares would hit as exactly two weeks later, he would be killed in a car crash
in his native Dominican Republic.
4. October 11, 1993: Philadelphia Phillies at
Atlanta Braves, Game 5: Lenny Dykstra
The
Phillies had split the first four games against the heavily favoured Braves and
were looking to take a lead in the series back to Veterans Stadium in
Philadelphia for Game 6.
The fifth game started out
promising as the Phils took an early 2-0 lead and stretched that to 3-0 as the
game moved to the bottom of the ninth. But Philadelphia closer, Mitch Williams
couldn’t hold the lead and the Braves tied the game at three.
However, in the top of the
tenth, Phillies’ centre fielder, Lenny Dykstra, drilled a full-count pitch from
Atlanta reliever, Jeff Wohlers, over the fence in straight-away centre field to
put the Phils back in the lead. This time, they would hold onto that lead in
the bottom of the inning and Philadelphia had a three games to two lead in the
series.
They would win Game 6 to go to
the World Series.
3. October 16, 1985: St. Louis Cardinals at
Los Angeles Dodgers, Game 6: Jack Clark
After
Ozzie Smith’s “Go crazy!” walk-off home run in the fifth game of the series, it
was easy to believe that nothing would match the drama. However, Game 6
provided that.
Trying to avoid elimination, the
Dodgers held a 4-1 lead going to the top of the seventh inning. But the Cards
scored three runs in the inning and the game was even at four. Then, the
Dodgers retook the lead in the eighth on a Mike Marshall wind-aided home run.
LA took the lead into the top of the ninth, with Tom Niedenfuer—the LA pitcher
who surrended Ozzie’s home run in Game 5—on the mound to try and close out the
series-tying victory.
With one out, Willie McGee
singled. Ozzie was walked and one out later, first baseman Jack Clark came to
the plate with runners at second and third. Rather than intentionally walk
Clark—the Cards’ main slugger—Dodger manager Tommy LaSorda elected to pitch to
him. Clark blasted a fastball 450 feet, and into the left field stands for a
three-run home run and a 7-5 St. Louis lead.
The Dodgers’ batters went
one-two-three in the bottom of the ninth and the Cardinals were off to the
World Series.
2. October 19, 2006: St. Louis Cardinals at
New York Mets, Game 7: Yadier Molina
The
2006 NLCS was a back and forth series. The Mets took the first game, but the
Cards responded by winning the next two. The Mets tied the series by winning
Game 4. St Louis then took a three games to two lead, but the Mets forced a
seventh game by winning Game 6.
Both teams scored an early run
before some brilliant pitching took over. Mets’ starter Oliver Perez and Cards’
hurler Tom Suppan matched zeros as the game moved into the later innings. The
Cardinals narrowly missed taking the lead in the sixth when New York left
fielder, Endy Chavez, leapt at the wall and made an amazing catch of what
looked like a sure home run off the bat of Scott Rolen. The game was still
tied.
In the top of the night, with
both starters gone from the game, the Mets’ reliever Aaron Heilman faced
Cardinals’ catcher Yadier Molina with a man on base. Molina deposited Heilman’s
pitch over the left field wall for what would eventually be the
series-clinching runs.
Final score: Cardinals-3 Mets-1
and St. Louis was going back to the World Series.
1. October 19, 1981: Los Angeles Dodgers at
Montreal Expos, Game 5: Rick Monday
I
am so sorry, Expos’ fans, but this one had to be included.
The first two games of the
best-of-five NLCS were held in Los Angeles, with the Dodgers taking the first
game, 5-1, and the Expos taking Game 2, 3-0. The next three games would be held
at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, and the Expos took Game 3, 4-1, then the
Dodgers tied the series with a 7-1 victory in the fourth game.
The fifth game was played on a
cold and drizzly Monday afternoon (in 1981, Olympic Stadium didn’t have the
“garbage bag” roof that it would have in later years) and the Expos delighted
their fans by taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning when left fielder Tim
Raines doubled and later scored on a double play.
The Dodgers tied the game in the
fifth when Rick Monday scored on a ground out: 1-1. The game would stay this
way until the fateful top of the ninth. With two out in the inning, and
Montreal’s best pitcher, Steve Rogers, on the mound, Monday came to the plate
again and hit a solo home run over the right field fence, breaking the hearts
of the Expos and their fans.
Montreal put the tying and
winning runs on base in the bottom of the ninth but couldn’t get the clutch hit
they needed. Los Angeles won the game 2-1, and headed to the World Series.
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