30 greatest World Series in MLB history
3. Cincinnati Reds vs. Boston Red Sox, 1975
In 1975, the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox were pitted against each other in a World Series that would feature five one-run games and one of the most memorable home runs of all-time.
The Reds had the ninth-winningest regular season in MLB history that year, recording 108 wins, and took a 3-2 series lead as the teams traveled to Boston for an elimination game.
Entering the bottom of the eighth inning in Game 6, Cincinnati led by three and was on the verge of closing out the series. But with two outs, the Red Sox pinch-hit outfielder Bernie Carbo for the pitcher. Facing a 2-2 count, Carbo belted a three-run home run to tie the game. Four innings later, catcher Carlton Fisk hit a walk-off home run to left field, striking the foul pole above the Green Monster. Fisk motioning for the ball to stay fair has become one of the most iconic moments of the MLB postseason.
The next day, the Reds fought back from an early 3-0 deficit to tie the game in the seventh inning. In the top of the ninth, Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan hit a single to centerfield that drove in Ken Griffey for the deciding run, giving Cincinnati the first of back-to-back World Series championships.
Pete Rose was named World Series MVP after recording a .370 batting average, .485 on-base percentage, two RBI and three runs.
Carbo delivered arguable the most impressive performance of the series, though. In seven at-bats, Carbo recorded three runs, three hits, two home runs and four RBI. He admitted to ESPN in 2010 that he was stoned on drugs throughout the 1975 World Series, and has only a vague recollection of his tremendous performance.
It was one of the most competitive World Series that the MLB has ever seen, with Boston outscoring Cincinnati 30-29, despite losing the series.
Next: 2. New York Yankees vs. Arizona Diamondbacks, 2001