Bobby Thomson’s 15-year career boiled down to one swing — a tomahawk chop off an inside fastball that launched one of the greatest home runs in baseball history. But how does it stack up?
5. Fisk wills it fair » The defining moment in Carlton Fisk’s career came in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. Fisk hammered a fly ball to left field in the 12th inning and began jumping and waving the ball fair. It slammed against the foul pole, forcing a Game 7.
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4. O Canada! » Joe Carter hit 396 career home runs, but none were bigger than his three-run shot off Mitch Williams to win the 1993 World Series. The Game 6 shot made Carter the second player in MLB history to end a Fall Classic with a home run.
3. “I don’t believe what I just saw!” » Kirk Gibson batted only once in the 1988 World Series, but he made sure it counted. Hobbled by leg injuries, Gibson flicked a ninth-inning homer off Dennis Eckersley to win Game 1 and lift the Dodgers to their sixth title.
2. Mazeroski makes history » Before Carter “touched ’em all,” only one other man had ever won a World Series with a home run. Bill Mazeroski, known more for his glove than his bat, hit a Game 7, ninth-inning blast of Ralph Terry to win the 1960 Fall Classic.
1. “The Shot Heard Round The World” » Thomson’s ninth-inning, game-winning homer off Ralph Branca sent the Giants to the 1951 World Series at the expense of the rival Dodgers. Russ Hodges’ radio call (“The Giants win the pennant!”) is one of the best in sports history.
