Perhaps no championship event in the history of sport has provided us with as many iconic moments as the World Series. Babe Ruth called his shot. Kirk Gibson limped around the bases. Mookie Wilson hit that “little roller up along first.” Here’s a look at some of the best moments from the past 10 Fall Classics:
10. 2008: Phinally!
We begin at the end, with the current kings of baseball, the Phillies, who overcame terrible weather and rode the strong pitching of Cole Hamels to their first title in 25 years. Brad Lidge (48 consecutive saves in the regular season and playoffs) struck out Eric Hinske for the final out of Game 5.
There’s no mathematical formula to determine the best team of the decade. But there are statistics — and plenty of them — to back up just about any opinion within reason. Three teams, the Phillies, the Red Sox and the Yankees, have separated themselves from the chase pack. Each has a compelling case to make.
Nothing will be settled until the current Fall Classic is over. A Yankees World Series win likely keeps the TOTD award in the Bronx. But a Phillies win will create a huge debate, especially in Philadelphia and Boston.
Should the Phillies win, they will have won the final two World Series of the decade, becoming the first National League team to win back-to-back titles since the 1975-76 Cincinnati Reds. Philadelphia ended the decade by winning three division titles in a row and emerging as the clear Alpha Dog of the senior circuit.
If the Yankees win the World Series, they also will have two titles in the decade, along with four American League pennants and nine playoff appearances. New York also won 965 regular season games from 2000-2009, tops in baseball.
Finally, there’s the team that already has two championships this decade: the Red Sox, who swept their way to two World Series in as many appearances. Boston also reached the playoffs six times and won 920 regular season games.* – Decade running from 2000-2009.
9. 2006: Timid Tigers
The Tigers breezed into the World Series as heavy favorites over the 83-win Cardinals, but left on the wrong end of an ugly five-game defeat. Detroit committed eight errors and became the first team since the 1990 Brewers to have a pitcher make at least one error in five straight games.
8. 2000: All aboard!
It’s likely that no one outside of the New York metropolitan area actually watched the Subway Series between the Mets and Yankees. They missed a heck of a show. Three of the five games were decided by one run, including Game 1, a 4-3 Yankees win that took 12 innings and almost five hours to complete.
7. 2009: Ut-oh!
In the history of the Fall Classic, only one left-handed batter (Babe Ruth) had hit two home runs in one game off a left-handed pitcher. Then Chase Utley duplicated the feat Wednesday night, homering twice off CC Sabathia to stake the Phillies to a 2-0 lead in their Game 1 win.
6. 2002: Snow gets a save
After scoring on a Kenny Lofton triple in Game 5 — and with runner David Bell hot on his heels — Snow prevented an awful collision at the plate by scooping up three-year-old Giants batboy Darren Baker (son of manager Dusty Baker), who had gone out to remove Lofton’s bat before the play was over.
5. 2001: Aura and mystique
With his two-out home run in the ninth inning of Game 4, Yankees first baseman Tino Martinez became the first player in 72 years to hit a game-tying two-run homer in the ninth inning of a World Series game. But Martinez didn’t remain alone for long. The following night, teammate Scott Brosius did the exact same thing.
4. 2003: Brilliant Beckett
The Marlins were heavy underdogs. The Yankees were perhaps feeling the hangover of their dramatic ALCS against the Red Sox. Josh Beckett didn’t care either way. The Florida righty was dominant in two starts, striking out 19 batters in 16.1 innings and spinning a complete game five-hitter in the clinching Game 6.
3. 2005: Wild walkoff
Light-hitting Scott Podsednik had not homered in 568 regular season and playoff at-bats when he stepped to the plate in the ninth inning of Game 2 against Astros closer Brad Lidge. That changed in a hurry, as the White Sox outfielder became the first player with zero home runs in a season to hit a World Series walkoff.
2. 2004: Curse-busters
The icing on the cake of the Red Sox’ magical playoff run was a rout of the 105-win Cardinals in the Fall Classic for their first championship in 86 years. Boston scored 24 runs in the four-game sweep as three of the four St. Louis starters failed to make it through the fifth inning.
1. 2001: Gonzo’s broken bat
In perhaps the most dramatic moments of the most dramatic World Series ever played, the Diamondbacks rallied from a run down in the ninth inning against Yankees closer Mariano Rivera in Game 7. Arizona outfielder Luis Gonzalez dealt the final blow with a broken-bat bloop single over shortstop for the series-winning hit.
