The Great Home Runs
The ten most memorable and remembered four-baggers
Bygone baseball by C. Philip Francis – June 15, 2004
Part 1
Recent readers of Chatter from the Dugout saw Casey of Mudville strike out in a most dramatic manner. Casey, of course, is fictional, but there have been many home run heroics in the past almost 150 years in major league baseball that are factual; well, almost. Here then are my choices of the top ten climatic, electrifying, and exciting home runs in baseball. Let me know if you do not agree.
1. BOBBY THOMSON of the New York Giants – October 3, 1951: It is called “The shot heard ‘round the world.” In July of 1951 manager Charlie Dressen of the Brooklyn Dodgers was reported as saying, “The Giants is dead.” After they were 13 ½ games behind on August 12, the Giants turned it on winning 37 out of their last 44 games. As the season ended both the Giants and Brooklyn were in a first place tie forcing a three-game playoff.
After the Giants took the first game 3-1 in Ebbetts Field, Brooklyn returning the favor in Game 2 with a 10-0 rout at the Polo Grounds. In Game 3, also at the Giants home park, the National League pennant came down to this: It was the last of the ninth, Brooklyn led by two runs, one out with two runners on, and Bobby Thomson at bat. Starting pitcher Don Newcombe had just been replaced by Ralph Branca who happened to wear uniform number 13.
Strike one! Then Thomson swung on a fast ball high and inside. The ball headed for the left-field stands, sailed over outfielder Andy Pafko, and into the seats just 315 feet away from home plate. Giant’s radio announcer Russ Hodges began shouting, “THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT, THE PENNANTS WIN THE PENNANT, THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT!” as if he could not believe it. The miracle soon ended, however, when the New York Yankees won the World Series
2. BABE RUTH of the New York Yankees – October 1, 1932: Like Thomson’s famous shot heard ‘round in 1951 this home run also has its own name – The Called Shot. But was it a called shot? The New York Yankees and the Chicago Cubs met in the 1932 World Series with Yankees manager, Joe McCarthy, and Cubs skipper, Charlie Grimm. Lore has it that the Cubs poorly treated McCarthy who had managed the Chicago team from 1926-1930 before moving over to lead the New York team. Also, the Cubs apparently gave only half a share to former Yankee player Mark Koenig.
After the Yankees easily won the first two games in New York the Series moved to Wrigley Field in Chicago. In Game 3 the score was 4 to 4 when Ruth stepped to the plate in the fifth inning with one out and the bases empty. The Cub players were loudly heckling the Babe with the crowd both yelling insults and throwing fruit. Cub pitcher Charlie Root threw a perfect strike. Ruth raised one finger as to indicate “Strike one!” Following Root’s second pitch two fingers went up as if to show “Strike two!”
Pitcher Root wasted the next two throws, and it was at this point when Babe pointed to the flag pole in deep center as though he would deposit the next ball exactly right there. Root wound up and fired. The batter swung sending the ball far out into the center field stands near the flag pole stunning both the Cub bench and rooters.
When Ruth raised his hand was it a defiant gesture, or was he simply batting at a fly buzzing his head as some claimed? No one will ever really know, but Lou Gehrig who was in the nearby on-deck circle always insisted that Ruth planned to “call his shot.”
They finished off Chicago the next day ending the Ruthian era, the last great year by the 37-year-old legend.
3. CARLTON FISK of Boston Red Sox – October 21, 1975: STAY FAIR! STAY FAIR! Game 6 of the 1975 World Series with the Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds has been called “one of the most thrilling games in Series history.” Who can forget Sox catcher Fisk skipping and dancing down the first base line and waving frantically trying to keep the ball on the fair side of the foul pole. It was fair by inches. The game was tied after three and one/half hours when Pete Rose walked to the plate, and turned to catcher Fisk to say, “Some kind of game, isn’t it?”
The Reds were up three games to two and ahead 6-3 going into the bottom of the eighth inning when pinch-hitting Bernie Carbo of the Red Sox drilled a three-run homer tying up the game. Boston then filled the bases in the ninth with no outs, but failed to score sending the game into extra innings.
Then came Fisk’s dramatic home run off Reds pitcher Pat Darcy that sent the Series into the seventh and final game. Cincinnati overcame an early 3-0 deficit, and won the game 4-3 and World Series on a ninth-inning single by Joe Morgan with two out.
4. BABE RUTH of the New York Yankees – September 30, 1927: Ned Williamson held the one-season home run record of 27 from 1884 to 1919 when Ruth socked out 29 as a part-time pitcher and outfielder for the Boston Red Sox. When the slugger was sold to the New York Yankees in 1920, he upped the home run number to 54, and then to 59 the following year where it stayed until 1927.
The Bambino hit his first big poke of the year on April 15 off Philadelphia’s Howard Ehmke, and had 43 by September. On September 30th Washington’s southpaw Tom Zackary was on the mound. It was tied at two in the eighth with one on when Ruth came to bat again. With the count at one and one the Babe sent the ball into right field. It was near the line, and as pitcher Zackary yelled, “FOUL BALL, FOUL BALL!” umpire Bill Dineen quickly called it fair. It was number 60, and Babe Ruth would own baseball’s most glamorous record for the next 34 years. Count ‘em, 60.