THE FOUR GAME 1 WORLD SERIES WALKOFF HOMERS
Adolis Garcia, welcome to the club
The fourth World Series Game 1 walkoff homer
Last night, Adolis Garcia hit the fourth World Series Game 1 walkoff homer. He hit a no-doubter off Arizona’s Miguel Castro. Here’s the great call from Hall of Famer Eric Nadel.
The first World Series Game 1 walkoff Homer
The first World Series Game 1 walkoff homer was a 9th-inning blast by the Yankees’ Tommy Henrich off the Dodgers’ Don Newcombe in 1949 to break up a scoreless duel. Both Newk and winning pitcher Allie Reynolds went the distance. It was the first walkoff home run in World Series history.
The most forgotten World Series Game 1 walkoff Homer
The second World Series Game 1 walkoff homer may be the most forgotten game-winning home run of all time. Pinch-hiter Dusty Rhodes of the Giants hit a three-run homer off Cleveland’s Bob Lemon to give New York a 5-2 win. Cleveland had won 111 regular season games in a season of just 154 games. But that’s not why this homer is ignored. In the 8th inning of this game, there was a fielding play that will forever be known as “The Catch.”
The third Game 1 World Series walkoff homer
“In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened."
On the other hand, the third World Series Game 1 walkoff homer may be among the top five most-remembered homers of all time. Maybe even in the top three. The game began on a lovely Saturday evening in Los Angeles on October 15, 1988. Oakland was leading the Dodgers, 4-3 with two outs in the 9th inning. The A’s had the greatest closer on the mound, Dennis Eckersley. An out of the Dodgers’ dugout, Kirk Gibson gimped out to pinch-hit.
I know my place. I could not attempt to describe the action in any fashion that even approaches that of the greatest announcer of forever, Vin Scully (Joe Garagiola also gives a lesson in brevity to all color announcers).