Welcome to the second part of
the ten World Series Walk-off home runs in the last forty years. Today, we look
at the homers ranked #5 to #1. Enjoy.
5. October 31, 2001:
Arizona at NY Yankees, Game 4: Derek Jeter
Let’s get right to the dramatic
part—the bottom of the ninth. The D-backs held a two games to one lead in the
Series and had a 3-1 lead going into the ninth. The city of New York was still
in a recovering process from the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the fans in
Yankee Stadium didn’t seem to have the same fire they had during the previous
Series appearances by the Yanks. That was about to change.
With two out, and Arizona closer
Byung-Hyun Kim on the mound, third baseman Scott Brosius hit an electrifying
two-run home run into the left field stands to tie the game at three. Yankee
Stadium was bedlam as the fans were going nuts.
The next inning, Kim was able to
get the first two batters out. Next up was Jeter, the Yankee short stop. During
his at-bat, the clock struck midnight, marking the first time the World Series
had been played in the month of November. On a 3-2 pitch, Jeter hit an opposite
field fly ball that cleared the fence in right and gave the Yankees a 4-3 lead
and a tie in the series.
With that swing, Jeter had
earned himself the nickname, “Mr. November.”
4. October 15, 1988:
Oakland at Los Angeles, Game 1: Kirk Gibson
During the NLCS, Dodger
outfielder Kirk Gibson (a hero for the Detroit Tigers in the 1984 Series)
injured both his legs and it looked doubtful if he would make an appearance in
the World Series. However, Dodger manager Tommy LaSorda included Gibson on LA’s
Series roster.
The Athletics held a 4-3 lead as
the game moved into the bottom of the ninth. The A’s had all-star closer Dennis
Eckersley on the mound to close out another Oakland victory. Eck got the first
two batters out, but pinch hitter Mike Davis, walked on five pitches.
This is where the Hollywood
ending kicked in. LaSorda sent up Gibson to the plate to pinch hit. Gibson
limped all the way from the dugout and didn’t take any practice swings. Gibson
worked the count to 3 and 2 as he fouled off one pitch after another to stay
alive in the at bat.
Finally, Gibson swung at an
Eckersley slider and lifted a high fly ball deep to right field. It cleared the
fence and sent Dodger Stadium into a frenzy. Gibson hobbled around the bases,
pumping his fist in celebration. The trip around the bases would become an
iconic image replayed countless times since, usually during World Series time.
The Dodgers had taken the first
game and would defeat the Athletics in five. Although he wouldn’t play another
game in the Series, Gibson had already left his mark.
3. October 21, 1975:
Cincinnati at Boston, Game 6: Carlton Fisk
After the Reds
took Game 5 to take a three games to two lead in the Series, three days of rain
would delay the sixth game, allowing the Sox to start their ace, Luis Tiant,
who had won both of his starts, in Games One and Four.
Boston scored
three runs in the bottom of the first on a three run homer by Sox centre
fielder Fred Lynn. But by the time they came to bat in the bottom of the
eighth, they had fallen behind the Reds by a score of 6-3. However, Bernie
Carbo smashed a game-tying three run shot, just to the left of dead centre
field.
The game remained
tied as it moved into the ninth, then the tenth, then the eleventh and finally
the twelfth. Leading off the bottom of the inning was Red Sox catcher Carlton
Fisk. On the second pitch, Fisk hit a long fly ball that started curving
towards the foul pole. As he started towards first base, Fisk jumped and waved
his arms, trying to will the ball fair.
It hit the foul
pole (fair ball) and the Red Sox had sent the ’75 Series to a seventh game.
Much like Gibson’s hobble around the bases, Fisk’s body language as the ball
sailed into the Boston night has become and iconic image that is shown
frequently when the World Series comes around.
2. October 26, 1991:
Atlanta at Minnesota, Game 6: Kirby Puckett
The Twins trailed the Braves
three games to two as the two teams got Game 6 underway in the MetroDome in Minneapolis.
The Twins struck quickly for two in the first before the Braves tied it in the
fifth on a two-run home run by Terry Pendleton.
The two teams exchanged runs
again and the ninth inning ended with a tie score, 3-3. The tenth proved
uneventful and the Braves tried to mount a threat in the top of the eleventh
when Sid Bream led off with a single. However, pinch runner Keith Mitchell was
thrown out trying to steal and Twins’ pitcher Rick Aguilera retired the next
two batters and escaped the inning without incident.
In the bottom of the inning,
Twins’ all-star centre fielder Kirby Puckett came to bat. Puckett, who had made
an amazing leaping catch earlier in the game, hit the fourth pitch he saw from
Braves’ relief pitcher Charlie Liebrandt over the left-centre field wall and
into the seats, giving the Twins a 4-3 win and forcing a seventh game.
The home run by Puckett will
forever be remembered with the words from CBS broadcaster Jack Buck, who
exclaimed, “And we’ll see you tomorrow night.”
#1. October 23, 1993: Philadelphia at Toronto, Game 6, Joe Carter
The Blue Jays were in the World
Series for the second consecutive year, having defeated the Atlanta Braves in
six games in the 1992 World Series. After splitting the first two games with
the Phillies in Toronto’s SkyDome, the Jays took two of three at Veterans
Stadium in Philly to bring a three games to two lead back to Toronto.
The Jays wasted little time in
getting their fans fired up. With one out in the bottom of the first, Toronto
centre fielder, Devon White, walked. DH Paul Molitor tripled White home and
scored himself on a Joe Carter sac fly. A John Olerud double was followed by a
Roberto Alomar single and the Blue Jays were up 3-0.
In the top of the third, the
Phillies got on the board when Jim Eisenreich singled in Darren Daulton, but
the Jays quickly got that back in the bottom of the inning when Alomar doubled,
moved to third on a ground out by short stop Tony Fernandez and scored on Ed
Sprague’s sac fly. An inning later, the Jays looked like they would run away
with the game when Molitor hit his second home run of the Series, a blast into
left field, and Toronto was up 5-1.
But in the top of the seventh,
the Phillies came storming back. Led by a three run home run off the bat of
centre fielder Lenny Dykstra, the Phils scored five runs to take a 6-5 lead.
After the Jays left the bases loaded in the eighth, Philadelphia was three outs
away from sending the Series to a seventh game.
With Phillies’ closer Mitch
Williams on the mound, Toronto’s leadoff hitter, Rickey Henderson, walked on
four pitches. White flew out for the first out of the inning. Molitor hit a
line drive single to centre field moving Henderson, the tying run, to second
base. That brought right fielder and cleanup hitter, Carter to the plate.
Carter took the first two
pitches for balls. Williams battled back and threw two strikes, the fourth
pitch of the at bat being a ball out of the strike zone that Carter looked bad
on when he swung.
Carter then took his place in
Blue Jays’—and baseball’ history—when he lined the 2-2 pitch down the left
field line, over the wall and into Toronto’s bullpen for a three-run, walk-off,
World Series-clinching home run. It was the second Series walk-off homer in
history (Bill Mazeroski for the Pirates in 1960 being the first.)
Carter was mobbed by his
teammates as he crossed home plate and the Blue Jays celebrated their second
consecutive World Series title.
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