Baseball Cards of the Postseason's Most Dramatic Home Runs
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Following a 162-game regular season that more than delivered its share of dramatic playoff races, baseball's postseason has finally arrived, and with it the chance that any of twelve teams might emerge as World Champion. As always, the storylines are plentiful.
- Could the Brewers or Padres win their first ever championship?
- Could the Mariners, fueled by everybody's favorite Big Dumper, make it to their first ever Fall Classic?
- Will a resurgent Cleveland team that at the start of September had a 0.2% chance of winning the AL Central take home its first trophy since Dewey defeated Truman?
- Or, to the chagrin of haters everywhere, will the Baseball Gods simply deliver a Dodgers-Yankees matchup for what seems like the zillionth time?
Regardless of how the postseason plays out, the one thing that is certain, in a tradition going all the way back to 1887, is that there will be cards. Whether any will combine the drama and the magic of these iconic dingers from postseasons past is exactly why the eyes of the baseball world will be glued to ESPN, or is it ABC, or is it Apple+, or is it Amazon Prime, or whatever the heck stations and streaming services fans will need to take in all the action.
1988 World Series Game 1 - Kirk Gibson
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KEY CARD: 1989 Upper Deck World Series #666. If there was ever an evening Dodger fans regretted leaving the ballpark after the seventh inning, this was it! Was it the postseason's most dramatic home run ever? That all depends who you ask. Certainly, fans of the Red Sox, Pirates, or Blue Jays may have a different answer! Giants fans might too, but they'd be wrong. More on that later.)
1975 World Series Game 6 - Carlton Fisk
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KEY CARD: Multiple options, 1990s-present. If there were any way to make the Gibson home run more dramatic, it would be for it to have taken place in an elimination game rather than the series opener. Oh, and rather than the bottom of the ninth, how about deep into extra innings? Still not good enough? How about a ball that might have gone foul had not the batter willed it fair and off the foul pole? Such was exactly the case 13 years earlier with Carlton Fisk's 12th inning game-winner in game 6 of the 1975 Fall Classic. For those who stayed up late enough to watch it, good chance they woke up the next morning and assumed they dreamed it.
1960 World Series Game 7 - Bill Mazeroski
KEY CARD: 1961 Topps #312. If the Fall Classic enjoyed a greater David vs. Goliath moment than the Gibson homer, here it was: a game-seven walk-off homer against the Yankees by a 24-year-old second baseman who to that point boasted a .388 career slugging average. For those old enough to have watched it, Maz's homer may well top the list of great postseason moments.
1993 World Series Game 6 - Joe Carter
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KEY CARD: 1995 Score #625. North of the border there can be no debate when it comes to the Fall Classic's signature moment. The honor resides with Joe Carter, whose ninth inning walk-off blast off Mitch Williams in the sixth game of the 1993 World Series delivered a second straight title to the Jays.
Honorable Mentions
At the moment, the home runs from Gibson, Fisk, Mazeroski, and Carter occupy postseason baseball's Home Run Mt. Rushmore. However, there are several others that at least come close. Here are three to consider.
- 1932 World Series Game 3 - Babe Ruth. The Bambino's famed "Called Shot" might make or even top the list if not for one thing. It evidently never happened.
- 1951 Dodgers-Giants Playoff Game 3 - Bobby Thomson. Without a doubt, even if cheating was involved, Thomson's "Shot Heard 'Round the World" is one of baseball's all-time signature moments. However, at least technically, the entire three-game playoff between Brooklyn and New York is classified as regular season.
- 2024 World Series Game 1 - Freddie Freeman. "Gibby, meet Freddie." 'Nuff said.
Will the 2025 postseason add another homer to the list? Fasten your seatbelts as we're about to find out!
Jason A. Schwartz is a collectibles expert whose work can be found regularly at SABR Baseball Cards, Hobby News Daily, and 1939Bruins.com. His collection of Hank Aaron baseball cards and memorabilia is currently on exhibit at the Atlanta History Center, and his collectibles-themed artwork is on display at the Honus Wagner Museum and PNC Park.