The 25 greatest postseason home runs

There can't be a list of the greatest postseason homers of all-time that doesn't begin with the most famous of them all. Mazeroski's walk-off Game 7 blast forever lives in baseball lore as it remains the only World Series Game 7 walk-off homer to date. The Pirates' infielder didn't waste any time when he stepped up to the plate to lead off the ninth inning, taking a 1-0 fastball over the Forbes Field fence. Entering that moment, Mazeroski had only hit 48 career home runs across his first five seasons, making the heroics even more spectacular. 

On the brink of elimination, Fisk put the weight of his team on his back in the bottom of the 12th inning in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. The Red Sox were down 3-2 in the series with the score tied when Fisk turned a down-and-in sinker into a picturesque moonshot that famously stayed fair as Fisk rapidly waved his hands hoping to summon the baseball Gods in his favor. The scene remains a classic image in the game's history, though unfortunately it did not result in the Red Sox winning the series as the Reds bounced back in the next game to win it all. 

Look away, Philadelphia fans. Carter touched them all when he unloaded on a Mitch Williams fastball. The shot flipped the score, with Toronto trailing in the final frame. The home run signified the first time any team that was trailing hit a walk-off to win the championship. Carter also gave the Blue Jays their second straight World Series, becoming the seventh franchise to achieve the back-to-back honors. 

Some moments just seem too perfect. Gibson not only stepped in as a pinch-hitter cold off the bench, but also worked Dennis Eckersley to a full count in the bottom of the 9th with two outs and his Dodgers squad trailing 4-3 in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. That was when Gibson, who also wasn't playing because of injuries to both of his legs, dramatically launched a walk-off that saw him hobble around the bases while pumping his fist in what would become one of the most recognizable images in the game's history. 

The bat flip heard 'round the world. "Joey Bats" ambushed a fastball so viciously that the adrenaline carried over into his celebration, where he famously tossed his bat in excitement. It's an image that no Toronto fan will ever forget as the three-run dinger gave Toronto a lead they would never relinquish in the winner-take-all Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS. 

This game had everything a baseball fan could ask for. One of the most storied rivalries was in Game 7 in 2003, with a ticket to the World Series on the line. Before the historic homer in extra innings, the Yankees had erased a 4-0 deficit in a rubber match between Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez. Aaron Boone was brought in to pinch-hit against the knuckleball-twirling Tim Wakefield. He took the first pitch and sent it just inside the left field foul post to keep Boston's then-Curse of the Bambino alive and well. 

No player had ever ended a League Championship Series round with a walk-off until Chambliss belted a first-pitch fastball in the bottom of the ninth over the fence to advance the Yankees over the Royals. Fans stormed the field as he was rounding the bases, so much so that Chambliss famously admitted afterward that he wasn't even sure if he touched home due to the amount of fans crowding the plate. 

At a neutral site in Texas due to the pandemic, Bellinger lifted the Dodgers to a series win over the Braves in Game 7. Bellinger unloaded on a seventh-inning pitch from Chris Martin that gave the Dodgers a 4-3 lead they would never let up. One of the defining parts of this storybook swing was the celebration at home when Bellinger jumped up to mash forearms with teammate Enrique Hernandez and wound up briefly dislocating his shoulder. 

Spencer Strider was not only dueling the Phillies, but also the raucous crowd at Citizens Bank Park. After intentionally walking Kyle Schwarber, Hoskins stepped in and mashed a fastball over the middle for a three-run bomb that put the Phils up 4-0. This would propel the team to not only the Game 3 win, but an eventual series win over the defending champions. Making this more of a spectacle was the emphatic bat spike that Hoskins delivered after connecting with the pitch. 

Shane Bieber was in an unusual spot as the long-time starting pitcher was coming out of the bullpen in extra innings. He hung a 2-0 slider that preceded one of the most iconic moments in Los Angeles Dodgers history as Will Smith turned on one that easily sailed over the Rogers Centre wall to put the Dodgers up 5-4. The Blue Jays couldn't respond in the bottom of the 11th, resulting in LA going back-to-back seasons with a ring. That moment also marked the first time a player ever hit an extra-innings homer in a winner-take-all World Series game. 

This was a night Freese will never forget. Prior to his illustrious walk-off homer in the 11th inning, the St. Louis infielder delivered a two-out triple that brought in two to tie the game in the ninth. A few innings later, he stepped back into the box and launched a 420-foot blast over the center field wall to force a Game 7 that his team would eventually win. To no surprise, Freese would be named the series’ MVP after setting an MLB record with 21 postseason RBIs. 

You don’t earn the Mr. October moniker without a performance like Jackson’s in the 1977 World Series. The box score was otherworldly. He finished with three home runs off three different pitchers, all on the first pitch. The Yankees legend drove in five of the team’s eight runs in the Game 6 victory. Even more amazing was that he blasted a home run in his final at-bat of Game 5 and walked in his first at-bat of Game 7, meaning that he technically hit four consecutive homers across two games. 

This was the turning point for Boston. Down 3-0 in the series to their most hated rival, the Red Sox needed something, anything, for their star slugger. Ortiz stepped into the box with one out in the bottom of the 12th. “Big Papi” identified a sinker running inside and immediately turned on it, sending it just over the right field fence. That swing elicited an immense celebration as the team kept its playoff hopes alive. It also set the stage for the greatest comeback in postseason history as Boston would become the first MLB team to ever overcome a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven format en route to their first championship in 86 years. 

The pennant-clinching swing of Altuve came off one of the most dominant closers in the sport, Aroldis Chapman. Adding to the theatrics was that there were two outs in the bottom of the ninth in a 4-4 deadlock. His 407-foot home run over left-center lifted the Astros into the World Series, capping off a legendary ALCS for Altuve, who finished with a .348 average and a pair of homers to earn him MVP for the series. 

This game had it all, including a controversial home run call involving fan interference (which wasn’t called) that wound up giving the Yankees life and ultimately extending this game into extras. That set up Williams’ heroics as he smashed a walk-off solo shot to lead off the bottom of the 11th. This gave the Yankees the surprising Game 1 victory and set Williams on an epic run that would see him bat .474 with two homers to win ALCS MVP. 

As the Los Angeles first baseman said afterward, there are simply some moments you dream of as a kid. This is one of them. Freeman stood in the box with the bases loaded, his team trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the 10th with two outs in Game 1 of the World Series. Oh, and Mookie Betts was intentionally walked right before him to add an extra layer of drama. Freeman wasted no time, roping the first pitch he saw for the first-ever walk-off grand slam in the World Series.  

Unlike most of the home runs on this list, this one didn't result in a win. In fact, Pujols' Cardinals lost the game. Why it's here, though, has to be with the sheer power displayed by the Hall of Famer in this harrowing yet majestic 455-foot blast that rattled Brad Lidge to the core. The ninth-inning homer cut the deficit in half but did not change the score in St. Louis' favor. It did, however, become a signature moment for Pujols, who briefly gave his team hope as they were down to their final out. 

In Game 4, Arozarena got all of Dylan Floro's fastball in the ninth inning. The solo shot is significant not because it gave Tampa Bay the lead (it did tie the score), but rather because it set a postseason record, as it was Arozarena's ninth home run in the 2020 playoffs. Tampa Bay would go on to win that game and extend the Rays' improbable World Series run before falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

The '98 Yankees were a machine. They racked up 114 regular-season wins and would go on to sweep the San Diego Padres in the World Series. That being said, there was a moment of vulnerability in Game 3 when the unhittable Trevor Hoffman was just one out away from shutting the door and cutting the series deficit to 2-1. What transpired on the next changeup stunned the San Diego home crowd as Brosius sent one over the left-field fence to even the score and pave a path for New York to eventually win in extras. 

The Milwaukee Braves only had one World Series to their name. That was in 1957, and a lot of that had to do with this one swing. Going up against a dynasty in the New York Yankees, the eventual home run king put the Braves up 5-4 in the seventh inning following a 370-foot blast. The lead would stay true as Milwaukee tied the series, injecting newfound confidence that would carry them to two more wins to win it all. 

The 2004 World Series MVP had his highlight-worthy moment in Game 3 when he opened the scoring with a moonshot that would give Boston fans true belief that the Curse of the Bambino was nearing an end. It was, in fact, about to end as the 86-year-old curse would wither away, thanks in large part to Ramirez and his .412 average in the World Series. The Red Sox went on to sweep St. Louis. 

This wasn't just one particular home run. You can actually pick any of his record-setting five NLCS dingers for this exercise. To this day, no player has ever hit more over the fence in the LCS round. Seager was a man on a mission against Atlanta en route to winning MVP honors in the series. He bashed three homers in the final two games to help lift Los Angeles to victory. 

The Captain earned himself another nickname with one swing. In what was the first MLB postseason game ever to be played in November, Jeter's walk-off Game 4 homer led to him being dubbed Mr. November. This particular series had a ton of backstory to it, including a nation reeling following the 9/11 attacks and the city most affected by those strikes advancing to the sport's biggest stage. This one swing uplifted the city and provided them with a celebrated moment before they would ultimately fall short to Arizona. 

Remember that iconic Will Smith home run mentioned earlier in this list? That wouldn't have happened had it not been for Rojas rising to the occasion in the top of the ninth. The unlikely hero sent a Jeff Hoffman pitch to deep left field to even the score in Game 7. Toronto was on the cusp of winning it all before this earth-shattering swing, setting the stage for Smith's extra-innings blast to set up the Dodgers' win. 

There will never be a moment like this again, with the expansion of the postseason to include an extra wild card spot the following season. In 2011, the Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers actually played a 163rd game as a tie-breaker to get into the playoffs, which is what qualifies this as "postseason." Longoria played the role of hero in extra innings, blasting a Darren Oliver pitch to oblivion, ending the Rangers' season, all while giving Tampa Bay a playoff berth.