Pinnacle Moments in Baseball History

Pinnacle Moments in Baseball History

AP

At 3:58 PM EST on Oct. 3, 1951, Bobby Thomson swatted a walk-off home run off Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca at the Polo Grounds to give the Giants the National League pennant.

Mark Kauffman/SI

Jackie Robinson stole home in the eighth inning of the 1955 World Series opener ... or did he? Film later showed he should have been called out. The Dodgers got a break, but they ended up losing the game to the Yankees anyway, 6-5.

National Baseball Hall of Fame

The only perfect game in World Series history was thrown by the Yankees' Don Larsen, who went 27 up, 27 down in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series against the Dodgers. The win gave the Yankees a 3-2 Series lead and they would eventually win in seven.

AP

The Yankees outscored the Pirates 55-27 in the 1960 World Series but lost on Bill Mazeroski's one-out homer off Ralph Terry in the ninth inning of Game 7 at Forbes Field.

AP

Carl Yastrzemski amassed 13 hits in 21 at bats over the last six games of the Red Sox's "Impossible Dream" 1967 season. Yaz, who would go on to win AL MVP and the Triple Crown, went 7 for 8 with six RBIs in Boston's final two games against the Twins. The Red Sox finished the season one game ahead of the Twins and Tigers.

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The ball stayed fair, and there would be a Game 7 thanks to Carlton Fisk's bomb off Reds lefty Pat Darcy in the bottom of the 12th of Game 6 of the World Series in '75.

AP

Chris Chambliss' leadoff homer off Kansas City's Mark Littell in the bottom of the ninth of Game 5 of the 1976 ALCS snapped a 6-6 tie and ended New York's 12-year pennant drought. Chambliss needed a police escort to reach home plate after pandemonium broke out at Yankee Stadium.

Walter Iooss Jr./SI

Reggie Jackson homered in three consecutive at-bats during Game 6 against the Dodgers in 1977 to clinch the Yankees' first World Series title since '62.

AP

With a fierce wind blowing out to left field at Fenway Park, the Yankees' Bucky Dent swatted a hanging breaking ball from Mike Torrez over the Green Monster to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead in the 1978 AL East division playoff game. The Yankees went on to win the game 5-4 and the division title.

AP

Ozzie Smith's ninth-inning solo shot off closer Tom Niedenfuer gave St. Louis a 3-2 victory in Game 5 of the 1985 NLCS and a 3-2 series lead over the Dodgers. It was the first home run batting left-handed for the switch-hitting shortstop in 3,001 career at-bats.

AP

On the brink of advancing to the 1986 World Series, the Angels blew a 5-2 ninth-inning lead when Donnie Moore allowed a two-out, two-run home run to Dave Henderson in Game 5. Boston eventually won the game 7-6 in the 11th on Henderson's sacrifice fly.

John Iacono/SI

Orel Hershiser finished the 1988 season with a record 59 straight scoreless innings (he was 5-0 with 55 scoreless innings in September). Hershiser's run of perfection propelled the Dodgers past the Reds in the National League and to an eventual World Series win.

Heinz Kluetmeier/SI

Kirk Gibson shocked the A's -- and the baseball world -- with his pinch-hit, game-winning home run in the bottom of the ninth off Dennis Eckersley in Game 1 of the '88 World Series.

AP

Trailing 2-0 through eight innings of Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS, Atlanta stunned Pittsburgh with a three-run rally. Pinch-hitter Francisco Cabrera won the series with a two-out, two-run single that scored David Justice and Sid Bream, one of the slowest runners in baseball history.

John Iacono/SI

Joe Carter locked up the Blue Jays' second straight world championship with a walkoff home run in Game 6 against Phillies closer Mitch Williams during the '93 World Series.

Scott Clark/SI

Ken Griffey Jr. scored from first base on Edgar Martinez's two-run double off Jack McDowell in the 11th inning of Game 5 of the 1995 ALDS to complete an 0-2 series comeback for Seattle against the Yankees.

Ronald C. Modra/SI

Chipper Jones ended a dazzling 1999 season with a huge final month (.303, 10 home runs, 23 RBIs) to lead the Braves over the Mets in the NL East. The switchhitter would go on to win MVP honors.

John Biever/SI

Making a surprise relief appearance in an 8-8 slugfest of Game 5 of the 1999 ALDS, Pedro Martinez struck out eight Indians in six hitless innings to help Boston complete an 0-2 series comeback.

V.J. Lovero/SI

Derek Jeter redirected an errant relay throw with a flip to home plate, nailing Jeremy Giambi in Game 3 of the 2001 ALDS and kickstarting the Yankees' comeback from an 0-2 series deficit against Oakland.

V.J. Lovero/SI

D'backs reliever Byung-Hyun Kim blew his second save in less than 24 hours as Scott Brosius drew the Yankees even at 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth in Game 5 of the 2001 World Series. New York went on to win 3-2 in the 12th, but Arizona won the Series in seven games.

Chuck Solomon/SI

Pedro Martinez couldn't hold leads of 4-0 and 5-2 in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS, and Boston couldn't score against Mariano Rivera. Enter Aaron Boone, who set off bedlam in the Bronx with a leadoff home run in the 11th inning off Tim Wakefield to give New York a 6-5 victory and its 39th American League pennant.

Bob Rosato/SI

Florida's Ivan Rodriguez hung onto the ball as San Francisco's J.T. Snow barreled over him in Game 4 of the 2003 NLDS, marking the first time a postseason series ended with the potential tying run thrown out at the plate.

AP

The Astros were one out away from celebrating their first NL pennant in 2005 when Albert Pujols hit a shocking three-run home run off closer Brad Lidge to put St. Louis ahead 5-4. Houston wound up winning the NLCS in Game 6.

David E. Klutho/SI

Chris Burke hit one of the most dramatic home runs in postseason history and ended an 18-inning thriller that featured 14 pitchers in Game 4 of the 2005 NLDS. Roger Clemens came out of the bullpen to pitch the last three innings in relief and set up Burke's game-winning shot off of Braves rookie Joey Devine that gave Houston a 7-6 win and clinched the series.

Chuck Solomon/SI

Magglio Ordonez hit a two-out, three-run homer off Huston Street in the bottom of the ninth to give the Tigers a 6-3 win in Game 4 of the 2006 ALCS and a sweep of the Athletics.

Al Tielemans/SI

Mets left fielder Endy Chavez made quite possibly the most unbelievable catch in postseason history. Chavez perfectly timed his leap and reached far over the wall to rob Scott Rolen of a go-ahead home run in the sixth inning of Game 7 of he 2006 NLCS, sending Shea Stadium into a frenzy. Unfortunately, the catch couldn't prevent the Cardinals from advancing.