The regular season in the MLB is a long and arduous affair. The postseason is a sprint, too, with exhausted teams battling all October to make it to the Fall Classic. When the World Series finally rolls around, it’s the culmination of everything that’s happened that year in baseball. These ten defining moments are the most noteworthy events in the history of the world series!
1977 Game 6
Reggie Jackson won himself the title “Mr. October” during the sixth game of the 1977 World Series. With three home runs and five RBIs in the Yankees’ stunning 8-4 win over the Dodgers, the Yankees won a championship for the first time in 15 years and started another dominant dynasty run.
1993 Game 6
Joe Carter came up clutch in the ninth inning of Game 6 against the Phillies, obliterating a three-run homer and putting Toronto ahead 8-6 to win the Jays’ second consecutive World Series title. Notably, this was the last Canadian victory in a North American major league until Toronto FC won the MLS Cup in 2017.
1991 Game 6
The Braves very nearly won the World Series in 1991, but they were stopped at the last minute by Kirby Puckett. Puckett took the plate in the bottom of the 11th inning and provided the hit that broke the 3-3 tie and sent the Twins to Game 7, which they’d end up winning over the favored Braves.
1954 Game 1
The first game of the 1954 World Series saw Willie Mays make what might be the most famous play in baseball history. The Giants center fielder went all the way back to the wall to pluck a batter ball off Vic Wertz’ excellent shot that would have been a home run. Mays was in full stride and caught the thing over his shoulder. The Giants went on to sweep in four. How’s that for dominance?
2011 Game 6
The Cardinals and the Rangers faced off in the 2011 World Series and it looked like the Rangers were on to clinch the series in Game 6. Then, in an astonishingly close turn of events through extra innings, the Cards battled back and ended up winning with a David Freese solo home run in the bottom of the 11th, pushing the score 10-9 and ensuring a Game 7 that St. Louis won in style.
2021 Game 1
During the first game of the 2021 World Series between the Braves and the Astros, Braves pitcher Charlie Morton became the first man to ever strike out a batter in the World Series while pitching on a broken leg. You read that right: Ground Chuck took a 102 mph shot off the shin, breaking his leg, and proceeded to finish out the inning by striking out Chas McCormick and even pitching in the third inning before getting pulled due to the pain. The Braves, of course, won that game 6-2 and won the series 4-2 in Game 6 on November 2, 2021.
1986 Game 6
Red Sox fans know this game well, as the team was so close to breaking its long World Series drought that they could taste it. A devastating error by Bill Buckner in Game 6 allowed the Mets to win, and the “Curse of the Bambino,” as it was known, continued until 2004.
1975 Game 6
In Game 6 of the 1975 World Series Carlton Fisk of the Red Sox waved at his long ball, begging it to twist back into fair ground. It was the bottom of the 12th and the ball started to curve in, bouncing off the foul pole and delivering a 6-5 win to the Sox in truly thrilling fashion.
1956 Game 5
Baseball fans who love stories of perfect pitching know all about the Yankees and the Dodgers showing down in the 1956 World Series. Don Larsen of the Yankees did something no one had managed before or since: he pitched a perfect game during the World Series. It was one of only 23 times anyone has even pitched a perfect game, and it’s pretty unlikely that any pitcher will ever repeat this feat during the Fall Classic.
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1960 Game 7
The only Game 7 walk-off homer in MLB history game in 1960 when the Yankees and the Pirates duked it out in one of the tightest contests in the history of the World Series. The two traded the lead multiple times before Bill Mazeroski took the plate in the bottom of the ninth and slammed a homer to give Pittsburgh the win, 10-9, in front of a screaming crowd of local fans.
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