The World Series is the two best teams in baseball’s chance to battle for lasting glory. If you can survive the marathon MLB season and the grueling sprint of the October postseason, your chance for victory in the World Series is the ultimate reward. Here are the 30 most excting moments in the hsitory of the World Series.
1926 Game 7
Babe Ruth was not known for his speed. Still, he did the unthinkable in the final game of the 1926 World Series when he drew a walk from Grover Cleveland Alexander to get on first base. He tried to steal second to put the tying run that much closer to home base and, predictably, was caught easily due to his sluggish pace, ending the Yankees’ postseason run.
2002 Game 7
After entering Game 6 down two to the Detroit Tigers, the Anaheim Angels never said “die.” They battled through to Game 7, where a stunning base-clearing triple from Garret Anderson put them in a winning position. The sterling pitching of John Lackey kept them in the winning spot until they finally secured a 4-1 win and the Angels’ first (and so far only) Fall Classic win.
2001 Game 5
When the Yankees and Diamondbacks tied things up 2-2 going into Game 5, the question on everyone’s mind was if the series would continue to be only won by the home team. The D-backs made it feel like it would no longer be a home-only series when Miguel Batista held the Yankees to only five hits in the first seven innings. Scott Brosius hammered a homer off closer Byung-Hyun Kim, tying the game up 2-2 and giving Alfonso Soriano his chance to win Game 5 with a walk-off.
1975 Game 6
Game 6 of the contest between the Reds and Red Sox was delayed three days by rain. When the teams finally met again in Boston, the game was a riot, going all the way to the twelfth inning. The Reds nearly won in the 11th inning with Ken Griffey, Sr. on first base. Dwight Evans ended their threat by grabbing a long ball off Joe Morgan, doubling by picking off Griffey.
2004 Game 4
The Red Sox didn’t just squeeze through to win the World Series and end the Curse of the Bambino in 2004. They devastated the Cardinals with a 4-0 route, ending their long World Series drought with a bang. Joe Buck made the historic call that Sox fans cherish to this day: “Red Sox fans longed to hear it. The Boston Red Sox are world champions!”
1957 Game 4
The Milwaukee Braves went into Game 4 of the World Series against the Yankees down two wins. Eddie Matthews absolutely devastated a Bob Grim pitch in the tenth inning, with the ball rattling around in the seats past right field while the two runners rounded home and won the game 7-5 to tie the series.
1932 Game 3
You’ve heard this one before. Babe Ruth may have called his shot in the fifth inning of the third game of the 1932 World Series against the Cubs. Ruth might have been pointing to the Cubs’ dugout to tell them to quiet down and stop heckling him, or he may have pointed out of the stadium to indicate he was about to crunch a homer out of the park. Either way, fans like to think the Babe knew he was about to make history.
1985 Game 6
In one of the most infamous blown calls in baseball history, first base ump Don Denkinger called Royals hitter Jorge Orta safe after Todd Worrell tagged first base. Cardinals fans cried foul, but the ruling on the field stood. The Royals scored off Orta’s position at first base and went on to put the Cards away in seven, cementing animosity for Denkinger in St. Louis.
1980 Game 6
The Phillies took some time to finally find that ever-elusive World Series win. In Game 6 of the 1980 Fall Classic saw Tug McGraw pull off a minor miracle, striking out Willie Wilson when the Royals had loaded the bases at the top of the ninth. With Wilson out, the inning finally came to a close and the Phillies could finally hoist the World Series trophy.
2005 Game 2
When the White Sox finally battled their way back to the World Series in 2005, it was their first time there in 46 years. What’s more, they won Game 2 off the bat of Scott Podsednik, a left fielder who hadn’t homered at all that season across 507 plate appearances. In a perfect underdog moment, Podsednik put the Sox ahead and sent them up 2-0 in the series.
2009 Game 6
The Yankees took a long (for them) break from World Series appearances between 2003 and 2009, finally showing up to face the Phillies in a tense series. In Game 6, up 3-2, the Yankees’ DH Hideki Matsui went on a tear, scoring two runs off Pedro Martinez in the second and a further 2 in the third. While he struck out in the fifth, he drove in two runs to tie a World Series record for single-game RBIs.
1965 Game 5 (and 7)
When the Twins made the 1965 World Series, it was their first Fall Classic appearance since 1933 and their first championship run since relocating to Minnesota. In Game 5, they were tied up 2-2 with the Dodgers and legendary pitched Sandy Koufax took the mound. He shut the Twins out with only four hits and 10 strikeouts, and then appeared again in the decisive seventh game to deliver an astonishing three hit shutout, solidifying a budding Dodgers dynasty.
2003 Game 4
Who doesn’t love extra inning World Series baseball? With the Yankees and Marlins tied up 3-3 at the bottom of the ninth, fans were in for a slugfest in Game 4. The game went to the 12th inning, and Marlins shortstop Alex Gonzalez smashed a no-doubter on a 3-2 count off Yankees pitcher Jeff Weaver. The Marlins won 4-3 to tie the series up.
1995 Game 6
The Braves were hungry for a World Series win in 1995, having appeared in the Fall Classic in 1991 and 1992 but dropping those contests to the Twins and Jays, respectively. When they faced Cleveland in 1995, they were done playing around. Tom Glavine held Cleveland to a single hit, and Atlanta got their first ever World Series win.
1969 Game 5
Who knew that shoe polish could decide a game? With the Orioles up 3-0 in the bottom of the sixth, Baltimore pitcher Dave McNally threw a pitch that bounced off Mets batter Cleon Jones’ shoe. The Mets’ manager, Gil Hodges, showed the ball to umpire Lou DiMuro, demonstrating he shoe polish on it which proved the pitch had hit Jones, which saw Jones take first base. The Mets proceeded to score five runs and got a 5-3 victory, awarding them a 4-1 win in the series.
1997 Game 7
The Marlins became the fastest expansion team to ever secure the Fall Classic win in 1997 when they prevailed over Cleveland in seven games. At the bottom of the eleventh, with the score tied 2-2, shortstop Edgar Renteria hit a line drive over center field that scored Craig Counsell and won Miami their first-ever World Series.
2001 Game 7
While the Yankees had closer Mariano Rivera in Game 7 of the brutal series against the Diamondbacks, Arizona had Luis Gonzales. Gonzales hit an unassuming single over Rivera’s head in the bottom of the ninth, scoring Jay Bell and handing the D-backs their first ever World Series win.
1984 Game 5
The Padres made a huge miscalculation in the fifth game of the 1984 World Series, with reliever Rich Gossage choosing to pitch to Kirk Gibson rather than walking him. Gibson absolutely demolished a long homer off Gossage, pushing in three runners to give the Tigers an 8-4 lead and the series in five games.
1975 Game 6
The Red Sox trailed the Reds 6-3 going into Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. A complex series of roster changes during the game led to an odd matchup, with Reds reliever Rawly Eastwick facing off against Boston’s go-to pinch hitter, Bennie Carbo. Carbo nailed a pinch-hit three-run homer to center field, tying the game and giving the Red Sox the opening they needed to win the game and tie the series.
2011 Game 3
When legendary first baseman Albert Pujols stepped to the plate in Game 3 of the 2011 World Series, he made use of the Rangers’ unique stadium to give the Cardinals the edge. He hit three homers and went 5-for-6 in a clutch game that saw the Cardinals blow the rangers away with a hilarious 16-7 score.
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.
Read More: The 10 Most Exciting NBA Finals Games Ever
1960 Game 7
The only Game 7 walk-off homer in MLB history came 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.
Read More: Top 10 Most Expensive Sports Teams in the World
