Baseball and home runs are connected in time. Most of the biggest moments in the sport are connected to home runs. Strikeouts are exciting and stolen bases are exhilarating, but they don’t compare to the pure electricity of a huge home run.
To make it even better, make it a walk-off home run. It might be the most exciting play in sports. Just see the reaction of the winning team, rushing out of the dugout to maul their teammate at the plate, and weigh the disappointment for the losing team. There is no moment in baseball as life-changing.
Then, there’s the World Series. It’s the biggest series in the sport every year. It has the most eyes. The most recent World Series game drew more than 25 million viewers on average, peaking at 31 million. That game, Game 7 of the Los Angeles Dodgers versus the Toronto Blue Jays, featured one of the greatest home runs in baseball history.
In fact, this Dodgers team had a ton of the biggest home runs. One very special home run, Freddie Freeman walking off the Dodgers in the 18th inning of Game 3 in Dodger Stadium, didn’t make the list. However, Freeman is not striking out here.
10. Freddie Freeman
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. New York Yankees
2024 World Series, Game 1
When Freddie Freeman came up to the plate in Game 1 of the 2024 World Series in extra innings, the series was anyone’s guess. The New York Yankees were in the unfamiliar position as the underdogs, but with Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole on the roster, they could do anything. The Dodgers also had an injured Shohei Ohtani, who wasn’t at the peak of his powers.
Freddie Freeman came up at bat in the 10th inning and the bases loaded. The Yankees scored at the top of the inning, and with two outs, this was a do-or-die situation. Unfortunately for Yankees’ fans, Freeman was ready for the moment. He reeled back and drilled the ball into the night’s sky.
The home run set the tone for the series, which the Dodgers won in five games. Now, more than a year later, the Yankees really haven’t recovered from that loss, while the Dodgers have won a second World Series title.
This also solidified Freddie Freeman’s baseball legacy. He might go down as one of the best World Series performers of all time. This Game 1 shot off of Nestor Cortez was one of his seven World Series home runs. Only a few players have ever had more when the lights shone brightest.
9. Dusty Rhodes
New York Giants vs. Cleveland Indians
1954 World Series, Game 1
In the early days of baseball, there weren’t many home runs hit in general. That’s why, in 1954, some might be surprised to know that Dusty Rhodes because just the second person to ever hit a walk-off home run in a World Series game. Walk-off home runs are considered the pinnacle of baseball entertainment today, but fans a generation ago had to wait decades to see one in the World Series.
And what’s crazy about this home run is nobody ever talks about it. Rhodes hit one of the most important home runs in Giants history, but another play widely outweighs its popularity. In the top of the 10th inning, Willie Mays made “The Catch,” his over-the-shoulder play that is still mimicked and referenced to this day.
Yet, it was pinch hitting Dusty Rhodes who proved to be the real hero. In the bottom of the 10th inning, Cleveland walked Willie Mays and Hank Thompson. Rhodes then swung at the first pitch he saw from Bob Lemon and sent it towards the right field foul pole.
See, back then, the right field fence at the Polo Grounds was just 270 feet from home plate. All Rhodes had to do was keep it fair, and the Giants were walking off.
8. Derek Jeter
New York Yankees vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
2001 World Series, Game 4
Every so often, a team can lose the World Series but still have one of the greatest hits of this century. The 2001 World Series was absolutely insane. New York was still just a few months removed from 9/11, and they needed something to celebrate. The Arizona Diamondbacks were living off the pitching arms of Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson. The Yankees were looking for their fourth World Series in a row, cementing their dynasty even more.
Because of the tragedy in New York, the baseball season was delayed a week. That meant for the first time, we were going to have November baseball. The first instance of this was Game 4 of the 2001 World Series. After scoring two runs in the eighth, the Diamondbacks were looking to steal one in Yankee Stadium. Then, the Yankees rallied in the bottom of the ninth, with Tino Martinez slamming a home run off of Byung-hyun Kim.
Right after the end of the ninth inning, the clock on the scoreboard hit midnight, and the words “November Baseball” showcased to everyone in the stadium. After Mariano Rivera struck out the side in the 10th, the Diamondbacks elected to send Kim back out there. He got the first two people out, but Jeter came up with a chance to increase his legend. He shot a ball to the opposite field that made the seats, sending the crowd home happy.
Obviously, the Yankees were still slain in this series, with Luis Gonzalez hitting a walkoff hit in the bottom of the ninth in Game 7. This goes down as one of the best series in history, and Jeter’s home run was a big part of it.
7. Carl Yastrzemski
Boston Red Sox vs. Cincinnati Reds
1975 World Series, Game 6
Obviously, this is another one that came in a losing effort, but kids to this day still do the “wave it fair” motion that the legendary Carl Yastrzemski did when he was trying to will his fly ball fair to end Game 6 in the 12th inning.
To understand the impact of this home run, first we must understand how insane the game that preceded it was. Bennie Carbo hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game at six. Both the Red Sox and Reds had chances to score in extra innings, but nobody came across the plate.
Then, Yaz came up in the 12th. With the Red Sox’s hopes truly in the balance, their star player needed to step up. He slammed a ball towards the right field line. To the naked eye, it looked sure to go foul. Then, the wave.
Yastrzemski waved that ball into the foul pole. The loud sound of the ball led the Red Sox crowd to erupt. Hope was back on the table. Of course, the Red Sox did not break the Curse of the Bambino until 2004, but on this October night in 1975, it looked like glory was on its way back to Boston.
6. Reggie Jackson
New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
1977 World Series, Game 6
Okay, this one might be more than one “moment,” as the reason its on this list is three different plate appearances, but the first two didn’t feel as special as when that third home run went over the fence. We are of course talking about when Reggie Jackson hit three home runs in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series.
This was the Bronx Zoo, an infamous group of Yankees led by manager Billy Martin. The season was tumultuous, to say the least, but this was by far the most talented team in baseball. Jackson rounded out their superstardom, leaving Baltimore in the offseason for their division rival. Jackson made the Yankees the scariest team in the league.
And he showed why in Game 6. The Dodgers did everything they could to pitch around him. They basically threw him three strikes, and all three of those strikes ended up in the bleachers. That includes the defining third home run, which came in the bottom of the eighth in what was the deciding game of the series.
Jackson smashed the ball again, and the crowd lost its marbles. Jackson became a legend that night, despite already being a multi-time World Series champion. He was now known as “Mr. October.”
5. Miguel Rojas
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays
2025 World Series, Game 7
There was more legendary moments in this Dodgers run to the World Series than any team ever. We can confidently say that. Shohei Ohtani had the greatest game anyone has ever played in the NLCS. Freddie Freeman hit a home run to walk it off in the 18th inning of Game 3. And despite this, they still had to go seven games with the Toronto Blue Jays.
In the deciding seventh game, which was played in Toronto’s Rogers Center, the Jays took an early lead. They scored three runs in the third and one in the sixth to go into the eighth inning with a 4-2 lead. The Dodgers plated one in the eighth, but they were two outs away from handing the World Series title to the underdog.
Miguel Rojas, the Dodgers' nine hitter and by far their least impactful hitter, stepped up to the plate with nobody on and one out. If he failed, the Dodgers were down to their season’s final hitter.
In what continues to be the otherworldly run of the 2025 Dodgers, Rojas puts the ball into the (actually not at all) cheap seats. It was a home run, and Game 7 of the World Series was tied. The Dodgers would go on to get another home run in the 11th inning, when catcher Will Smith hit the World Series-winning shot. Honestly, both home runs could be on this list.
4. Babe Ruth
New York Yankees vs. Chicago Cubs
1932 World Series, Game 3
We’ve talked a few times on this list about moments that are mimicked by children generations after they happened. Whether it’s the Willie Mays catch, Yaz waving a ball fair, or just a general trot around the bases, replaying one’s favorite sports moment is an even bigger pastime than baseball itself. However, one moment is mimicked more than others.
The “called shot” has been done on playgrounds, in sandlots, and even in movies. It all started with Babe Ruth, the most iconic player in MLB history. The stories surrounding the shot vary based on the author. What everyone agrees on is that when Babe Ruth pointed to the stands in 1932, the Chicago crowd took it as predicting a home run.
Then, Ruth hit a home run. It was his second home run of the game, and Lou Gehrig followed that at bat with a home run on the next pitch, his second of the day as well.
Uncovered radio of Gehrig talking about the home run shows he believes Ruth was pointing at the flagpole in center field, which was about 500 feet from home plate. Ruth almost hit it off the pole itself. Reporters all wrote about it as if it were a called shot, and that became the lore of the incident. Whether Ruth meant to “call his shot” or if he was just talking smack to the Cubs, either way, it’s become a part of history.
3. Kirk Gibson
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Oakland Athletics
1988 World Series, Game 1
The Los Angeles Dodgers were going into the 1988 World Series with a bunch of injuries, and they were facing a young, hot team in the Oakland Athletics, led by the Bash Brothers, Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco. Gibson was the star of the Dodgers, but he couldn’t even make a go of it in Game 1. He was held out with injuries to both legs.
Then, in the bottom of the ninth, his manager took a chance that he could get something out of his injured star. He called for Gibson to pinch-hit with two outs. The tying run was at first base, but if Gibson was a shell of himself, this seemed like, at best, a risky move.
Sometimes in sports, those risks pay off. Facing one of the best closers in baseball in Dennis Eckersley, Gibson seemed overmatched. Legendary broadcaster Vin Scully mentioned that Gibson was “nowhere to be found” in the dugout, and it turns out he was going through physical therapy at the time. Gibson immediately stopped, went to Tommy Lasorda to say he was available to pinch hit, and took a few swings in the batting cage.
This at-bat felt magical. Actually, at first, it was painful. Gibson fouled his first two pitches back and sent a soft ground ball that went just foul. He looked feeble. He worked the count to 3-2 before the iconic pitch came his way. Eckersley was known to throw the backdoor slider to left handers in this situation, and Gibson was ready for it. He hit the ball, using basically no lower-body strength, and muscled it over the fence to give the Dodgers a 5-4 win. He wouldn’t make another appearance in the World Series, but this one at-bat is more than most players do in a lifetime.
2. Joe Carter
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Philadelphia Phillies
1993 World Series, Game 6
Don’t worry, Blue Jays fans, you have your own World Series moment to behold. The Blue Jays were attempting to hold off the Philadelphia Phillies and avoid a Game 7. They wanted to end it on this night. They were already one-time World Series champs, beating the Twins the previous year. They wanted to go back-to-back.
Joe Carter is a legend in Toronto for what he did in Game 6. He was already one of the stars of this team, but as Tom Cheek said, he would never hit a bigger home run than he did in the bottom of the ninth. With the Blue Jays trailing 6-5, Carter came up with Rickey Henderson and Paul Molitor on base.
Phillies closer Mitch Williams, with his team’s season on the line, got two strikes on Carter before he left one hanging that Carter crushed. Some say Williams made changes to his delivery with fears of Henderson stealing a base, and that gave Carter more time to see his pitches. And he got a hold of one that ended the season.
Joe Carter jumped the bases after this, celebrating with glee on his face. It was just the second time ever that the World Series ended on a walk-off. The first?
1. Bill Mazeroski
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. New York Yankees
1960 World Series, Game 7
There has never been a bigger home run in the history of the sport than the one that came in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series. The game was an incredible back-and-forth affair, with the Pirates taking an early 4-0 lead before the Yankees stormed back to score four in the sixth inning to take the lead. The Pirates scored five runs in the eighth inning, but the Yankees scored two more in the top of the ninth to make it 9-9 going into the bottom half of the inning.
This was the Yankees with as much talent as they ever had. This was Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, and Yogi Berra. They were expected to win the World Series. So, when they came back and tied the game in the ninth, it seemed almost inevitable. But this wasn’t just any Pirates team. This one was given an opportunity and took full advantage of it.
Bill Mazeroski didn’t waste any time. He was known for his defense, but he had an offensive flare in this series. On the second pitch of the inning, Mazeroski smashed a ball towards the left field fence. Berra ran to get there, but he ran out of real estate, and the Pirates became champions in the blink of an eye.
The Yankees stood stunned in the field, unable to comprehend that they had no chance to come back. The World Series was over, and they needed to go home empty handed. Meanwhile, Mazeroski would eventually be elected to the Hall of Fame, and this Pirates team continues to live on in legend.