Now that we’re in the thick of
the American and National League Championship Series, we will start focusing on
memorable home runs in both the ALCS and NLCS. Today, we will begin with the
top five most memorable walk-off home runs in ALCS history. Enjoy
#5. October 9, 1996: Baltimore Orioles at New
York Yankees, Game 1: Bernie Williams
This
game will forever be remembered for Derek Jeter’s game-tying home run in the
bottom of the eighth that should have called an out for fan interference, but
the umpire missed it and there was no instant replay reviews back then.
But the game remained tied at
four until the bottom of the eleventh, when Yankee centre fielder Bernie
Williams hit a pitch from Baltimore’s Randy Myers into the left field stands to
give the New Yorkers a 5-4 win in Game 1.
#4. October 16, 2006: Oakland Athletics at
Detroit Tigers, Game 4: Magglio Ordonez
The
Wild Card winning Tigers had been on a role. After losing the first game of the
ALDS to the Yankees, they had come back with three straight victories. They had
also taken the first three games of the ALCS against Oakland and were looking
to sweep with a victory in Game 4 at Comerica Park in Detroit.
But the Athletics led the game
3-0 until the Tigers put together a couple of mini rallies in the fifth (two
runs) and the sixth (one run) to tie the game at three. It remained that way
until the bottom of the ninth.
With two out, Craig Monroe and
Placido Polanco had back-to-back singles off Oakland Closer Huston Street. That
brought up Tigers’ right fielder Magglio Ordonez, whose sixth inning homer had
tied the game. The man they called “Maggs” slammed a three-run walk-off shot
over the left field wall, giving the Tigers a 6-3 win and their first trip to
the World Series since 1984.
#3. October 17, 2004: New York Yankees at
Boston Red Sox, Game 4: David Ortiz
The
Red Sox trailed the ALCS 3-0 after losing the first two games in New York and
being pounded in the third game at Fenway Park by a score of 19-8. And it
looked like the Yankees were about to sweep the series as the game went to the
bottom of the ninth with a 4-3 lead and the best closer in the history of
baseball, Mariano Rivera, on the mound.
However the Red Sox were able to
push across the tying run in the ninth and the game remained scoreless until
the bottom of the twelfth. After Manny Ramirez led off the inning for Boston
with a single, David Ortiz drilled a two-run home run to left field giving the
Red Sox a 6-4 win and the start of the greatest comeback in baseball history.
#2. October 16, 2003: Boston Red Sox at New
York Yankees, Game 7: Aaron Boone
What
a series this was. Probably the most exciting ALCS there has ever been. The Red
Sox took the first game, but the Yankees responded with two wins in a row. Then
the Red Sox tied it. The Yanks took Game 5 but Boston tied it again by winning
Game 6.
As for Game 7, Boston led 5-2
going to the bottom of the eighth with star pitcher Pedro Martinez on the
mound. The Yankees came back to tie the game at five after Boston manager
failed to remove Pedro, even though it was obvious he was tiring.
The game remained tied at five
until the bottom of the eleventh when Aaron Boone hit the first pitch from
Boston knuckleballer Tim Wakefield into the left field seats. The Yankees had
won the game and the series and had broken the hearts of the Red Sox and their
fans once again.
#1. October 14, 1976: Kansas City Royals at New
York Yankees, Game 5: Chris Chambliss
In
this best of five ALCS, the Yankees and Royals split the first two games at
Royals Stadium, with the Yankees winning Game 1 by score of 4-1, and they
Royals taking Game 2, 7-3. The final three games would be played in Yankee
Stadium and the New Yorkers captured the third game, 5-3, while the Royals
evened the series with a 7-4 win in Game 4.
That set the table for a
memorable fifth game and an even more memorable walk-off home run. After
falling behind early, 2-0, the Yankees were able to mount a comeback and grab a
6-3 lead heading into the top of the eighth. But Royals’ third baseman, George
Brett, stunned the Yankee crowd by smacking a three-run home run to right to
tie the game at six.
It stayed that way until the
bottom of the ninth. The lead-off hitter for New York was Chris Chambliss and
he promptly sealed his place in Yankees’ history by belting the first pitch of
the inning over the right-centre field wall to give the Yankees the game and
the pennant.
It set off a crazy celebration
in the Bronx as thousands of fans instantly poured onto the field to celebrate
the Yankees first trip to the World Series in more than a decade. The field got
so congested that Chambliss was unable to touch the plate, having to come out a
few hours later and touch the place were home plate had been. (One of the fans
had swiped it.)
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