It’s World Series time and
there’s no better way to start the celebration of the greatest week-long spectacle
in sports than looking at the ten walk-off home runs in World Series play in
the last 40 years. Today, we will look at the home runs ranked #10 to #6.
Enjoy.
10. October 18, 1988:
Los Angeles at Oakland, Game 3: Mark McGwire
The heavily favoured Athletics
came into Game 3 having dropped the first two games in LA, not exactly the way things
were expected to go. Oakland scored the first run of the game in the third
inning on an RBI single by Ron Hassey, but the Dodgers tied it in the fifth
when Franklin Stubbs drove in Jeff Hamilton with a double.
The game remained tied until the
bottom of the ninth, when Mark McGwire who had hit 32 home runs in the regular
season, came to the plate with one out. With Dodger closer Jay Howell on the
mound, Big Mac smashed his first career World Series home run into the left
field seats to give Oakland a 2-1 victory in Game 3. The A’s were back in the
Series.
9. October 22, 2003:
NY Yankees at Florida, Game 4: Alex Gonzalez
The Florida Marlins were in the
World Series for the second time in their eleven year history. After taking the
first game in Yankee Stadium, the Marlins dropped the next two games by scores
of 6-1 in both. In danger of falling behind in the Series three games to one,
the Marlins quickly scored three runs in the bottom of the first off of Yankee
ace, Roger Clemens. Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run homer and Derek Lee had an RBI
single.
The Yankees got on the board in
the second on a sac fly from ALCS hero Aaron Boone. Due to an incredible
pitching performances by Clemens and Florida starter Carl Pavano, neither team
scored again over the next six innings.
In the top of the ninth, Marlin
closer Ugueth Urbina couldn’t hold the Yankees at bay and a Ruben Sierra triple
scored Bernie Williams and Hideki Matsui to tie the game at three.
In the bottom of the twelfth,
Marlin short stop Alex Gonzalez led off the inning. (This was a different Alex
Gonzalez from the one that committed the error for the Cubs in the sixth game
of the NLCS opening the door to an eight-run Marlin eighth inning.) Gonzalez
hit a high fly ball to left field that barely cleared the fence and gave
Florida a 4-3 win. The World Series was tied.
8. October 23, 2005:
Houston at Chicago White Sox, Game 2: Scott Podsednik
The White Sox were seeking their
first World Series since 1917 and the Astros were in the World Series for the
first time in team history. After taking the first game by a score of 5-3,
Chicago was looking to take a two games to none lead.
Trailing 4-2 going to the bottom
of the seventh inning, the White Sox erupted for four runs on a grand slam by
first baseman Paul Konerko. The 6-4 lead was taken to the ninth, but the Astros
struck for two against closer Bobby Jenks and the score was tied at six.
In the bottom of the ninth,
Podsednik, who had not hit any home runs during the regular season, hit a solo
shot off Astros’ closer Brad Lidge to give the White Sox a 7-6 win and a two
game lead in the Series.
7. October 26, 1999:
Atlanta at NY Yankees, Game 3: Chad Curtis
After taking the first two games
in Atlanta, the New Yorkers were starting to think about their second
consecutive World Series sweep (they had swept the San Diego Padres in 1998.)
But the game didn’t get off to the kind of start the Yanks wanted as a three
run third helped put the Braves into a 5-1 lead as the game headed to the
bottom of the fifth.
But solo home runs by Tino
Martinez, Chad Curtis and a two-run shot from Chuck Knoblauch had the game tied
at five by the end of the eighth.
When Curtis came to the plate in
the bottom of the tenth, he blasted a pitch from Atlanta reliever Mike
Remlinger into the bleachers for a walk off homer. The Yankees took the game,
6-5 and had a 3-0 lead in the Series.
6. October 27, 2011:
Texas at St. Louis, Game 6: David
Freese
This was perhaps one of the most
exciting World Series games ever as twice, the Texas Rangers were one strike
away from winning the World Series. There was only one inning (the third) in
which neither team scored a run.
The Rangers, who held a three
games to lead in the Series, also held a 7-5 lead as the game moved into the
bottom of the ninth. With two on and two out, David Freese came to the plate
and quickly fell behind in the count with a ball and two strikes. But the
Cardinal third baseman slammed a triple off the wall and the game was tied at
seven.
In the top of the tenth, the
Rangers took another two-run lead on a two-run home run by Josh Hamilton. In
the bottom of the inning, the Cards pushed across one run and again were down
to their last strike with Lance Berkman at the plate. Berkman singled to centre
on a 2-2 pitch scoring Jon Jay and the game was tied again, this time at nine.
In the bottom of the eleventh,
Freese came up to the plate again, this time leading off, and hit a long home
run over the centre field fence, walking off the Rangers and giving the
Cardinals a 10-9 win, and forcing a Game 7.
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