Baseball's Best Game 7s

SI Staff | Oct 28, 2011

Baseball's Best Game 7s /

Baseball's Best Game 7s

Rays-Red Sox

The previously hapless Rays won the AL East in 2008 and had homefield in the ALCS but they were still underdogs against the defending world champion Red Sox. Tampa Bay won three of the first four games but Boston rallied to force a Game 7 at Tropicana Field. The Rays took a 3-1 lead into the ninth and rookie David Price got his first and still only big league save by retiring three straight hitters after a leadoff walk to wrap up an unlikely pennant for Tampa Bay.

Red Sox-Indians

Rookie Dustin Pedroia's seventh-inning home run helped cement Boston's Game 7 ALCS victory and send the Red Sox to their second World Series in four years.

Cardinals-Mets

Yadier Molina's two-run homer off Aaron Heilman in the top of the ninth broke a 1-1 tie, sending the Cardinals to their second World Series in three years. Closer Adam Wainwright sealed the deal, striking out the Mets' Carlos Beltran with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth.

Red Sox-Yankees

Aaron Boone set off bedlam in the Bronx with a leadoff homer in the 11th off Tim Wakefield to give New York a 6-5 victory and its 39th AL pennant.

Diamondbacks-Yankees

The best postseason closer in baseball was holding a 2-1 lead going into the bottom of the ninth. Nevermind what the dandy D-Back duo of Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson had done earlier. The Yanks looked like a lock. But Mariano Rivera got himself in trouble, and Luis Gonzalez won the game 3-2 with a bases-loaded bloop single over a drawn-in shortstop Derek Jeter. Johnson got the win in relief.

Indians-Marlins

Craig Counsell came home with the winning run in the bottom of the 11th on Edgar Renteria's solid base hit to center, giving the Marlins a 3-2 win and a World Series title only five years into their existence.

Pirates-Braves

Shut out by Pirates ace Doug Drabek for eight innings, Atlanta rallied for three runs in the ninth for a dramatic 3-2 victory. A two-run pinch-hit single by little-known and not-long-remembered Francisco Cabrera drove home David Justice and Sid Bream.

Braves-Twins

Minnesota's Jack Morris and the Braves' John Smoltz, Mike Stanton and Alejandro Pena locked up in a scoreless duel. The Twins' Gene Larkin singled home Dan Gladden with the winning run with one out in the bottom of the 10th to give Minnesota its second World Series title in five seasons.

Dodgers-Twins

After throwing a shutout in Game 5, Hall of Fame left-hander Sandy Koufax returned on two days rest and did it again, striking out 10 to win the clincher 2-0.

Yankees-Giants

Ralph Terry, the goat of the 1960 Game 7 loss to the Pirates, was on the mound again in the ninth, but this time he came out a winner as Giants slugger Willie McCovey (left) lined out to to second baseman Bobby Richardson for the final out of the 1-0 game.

Yankees-Pirates

Bill Mazeroski opened the bottom of the ninth with a home run off Ralph Terry of the Yankees to give the Pirates a 10-9 victory and the World Series in seven games.

Dodgers-Yankees

Johnny Podres became a Brooklyn legend when he pitched the Dodgers to their first World Series title. Podres went 9-10 in the regular season before beating the crosstown Yankees in Games 3 and 7, the latter a 2-0 shutout at Yankee Stadium.

Red Sox-Cardinals

Boston shortstop Johnny Pesky hesitated before throwing home, and Enos Slaughter scored all the way from first base on an eighth-inning double by Harry "The Hat" Walker to give the Cards a 4-3 victory.

Cardinals-Yankees

The Rogers Hornsby-led Cardinals beat the Yankees 3-2 thanks to a boneheaded baserunning play by Babe Ruth, who was caught stealing for the last out of the game.

Giants-Senators

The Nats (as they were commonly known then) were destined and won 4-3 in 12 innings, but not without the help of two key errors and two bad-hop hits that jumped over the head of third basemen Freddie Lindstrom. Pitching in relief, Hall of Famer Walter (Big Train) Johnson (left) got the win.

Published Oct 28, 2011

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