List of home run calls in baseball

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The home run is considered by many baseball fans to be one of the most dramatic plays in the sport. The typical home run's trajectory carries it in the air for a few seconds, and there is often some question as to whether or not the batted ball will clear the outfield fence - by far the most common method for hitting a home run. Additionally, professional baseball possesses a long tradition of being broadcast on the radio, exclusively before and concurrently after the advent of television, leading to baseball announcers' use of colorful language and baseball statistics to keep the listeners informed and verbally "paint the picture" of what is happening in the game. The combination of these two aspects has led to a tradition of signature home run calls for radio and television.

Home run calls go back to the introduction of baseball broadcasting. Different announcers would establish unique ways to describe home runs in order to develop their individual style on the air, and would often incorporate familiar aspects of the players or the ballpark. This practice was adopted by advertisers during baseball broadcasts, who would often pay the team to instruct their announcer to incorporate the advertiser's product into the home run call, such as Mel Allen's call of "That's a Ballantine blast!", an advertisement for Ballantine beer. This practice was largely discontinued in the late 1950s, though teams and sponsors still occasionally attach promotions to the home run; for example, promising free tickets to a fan if a home run is hit during the inning.

In modern Major League Baseball broadcasting, most calls are still specific to the broadcaster, and many are humorous or idiosyncratic. Some are appropriate to the ballpark in which the home run is hit. And finally, there are a few specific home runs in baseball history which merit a list of their own. These categories are each treated separately below.

Contents

[edit] List of home run calls by broadcaster

Note that names of specific batters, fielders, pitchers, and other details such as the location of the batted ball, are filled in as needed and are not a constant part of the call.

  • Mel Allen: "Going... going... gone! HOW a-BOUT that!"
  • Bob Murphy: "Now the set, the pitch on the way....swung on, a high fly ball, well hit, going towards deep (left, center, right) field, its up, it may go, and THERE IT GOES! A Home run! for (Name of player)
  • Lindsey Nelson: "The 2-2 offering...swung on and hit deep to left..its way back there, its going going and it is gone for a Home run!..(Name)....the New York Mets go out in front by a score of (score)...(name) with (line drive) home run over the left field wall"
  • Ralph Kiner: " The 1-0 pitch, It is hit to deep left center field, it could be extra bases, its going going, it is gone!"
  • Gary Cohen: "Back, at the track, at the wall, looking up... and it's outta here!"
  • Gary Thorne: "Back to the wall! Looking up... Good bye! Home Run!"
  • Howie Rose: "And it's hit in the air, deep (right) field (name) back, near the wall, and it's gone!, a home run!, (Name of hitter), hit one over the (###) ft mark in (right) field, a home run for (Name)"
  • Joe Angel: "And you can wave that one...BYE-BYE!"; "ADIOS!"; "HASTA LA VISTA, PELOTA!"; "And the Orioles...are back in the WIN column!"
  • Lou Boudreau: "Kiss it goodbye!" On an especially long drive (like one Dave Kingman hit down Kenmore Avenue): "That one's in Milwaukee!" then adding, "That was on the front porch of the third house across Waveland Avenue. Man 'O man, isn't that somethin'?"
  • Jack Brickhouse: "Deep to [left/right/etc.]... back... back... Hey-Heeeey!" and sometimes "Whoo, boy! Next time around, bring me back my stomach!" Brickhouse used "Hey-Hey" for other sports, and reportedly even when playing cards with friends, but his phrase is most associated with baseball and is even posted vertically on Wrigley Field's foul pole screens.
  • Rodger Brulotte: "Bonsoir, elle est partie!" Brulotte, an announcer for the Montreal Expos, is probably the only one to give his home run call in French. Translation: "Good night, she is gone!"
  • Jack Buck: "Swing and a long one...Adios! Goodbye!" ...and if it were a walk-off home run, Jack "The Almighty" Buck would add, "and that's a winner!"
  • Joe Buck: "This ball is ripped into (right, center,left)field. Back, at the wall..." (followed by the new score or attributing the home run to the player) A Bud Light commercial was aired in 2006 that showed executives begging Joe Buck to take up some sort of catchphrase, and showed him adopting "Slam-a-Lama - Ding Dong!"
  • Harry Caray: "It might be...it could be...it is! A home run! Holy cow!" Harry said "Holy cow!" so often for any notable action on the field that he became identified with it. He said he trained himself to say it all the time in order to avoid any chance of uttering profanities while on the air. Phil Rizzuto (see below) and Halsey Hall also used the phrase frequently. Hall was actually the first to use it in connection with baseball, broadcasting games for the Minneapolis Millers starting in 1933 [1].
  • Jerry Coleman: "To the wall, at the wall and over the wall!" or "...this ball is outta here!" The home run call is often followed by Coleman's trademark "Ohhhh, Doctor!"
  • Ken Coleman: "They usually show movies on a flight like that!"
  • Felix DeJesus: "Say goodbye to my little friend!"
  • Gene Elston: "It's a long, high drive into deep (location) field. All the way back to the wall. Home run!"
  • Drew Goodman: "Take a good look, you won't see it for long!"
  • George Grande: Uh-oh, that's hit pretty good, forget it, that's outta here... (when calling Visitor's home runs)
  • Wayne Hagin: "Adios!"
  • Tom Hamilton: "Swing and a drive, deep to (outfield - left, left center, etc.), a WAAAAAAAAAAAAY back and it is GONE to souvenir city!"
  • Ryne "Doc" Hancock: "Goodnight, Miss Candy, it's..........a.........Goner!!!!", taken from John Rooney's trademarked call or "Kiss that one goodbye!!!!!"
  • Ken "Hawk" Harrelson: "You can put it on the board...yes!" When the opposition hits one, Hawk merely states, matter-of-factly, "Put it on the board."
  • Harry Hartman: "It's going, going...gone!" Hartman was probably the first to use this very common call in 1929 for the Cincinnati Reds.
  • Russ Hodges: "Bye-bye, baby!" Hodges' more standard home run call, as opposed to the "Shot Heard 'Round the World", described below.
  • [Jerry Howarth]] "And, yes sir,there she goes!" "Let's admire that one"
  • Pat Hughes: "There's a drive hit deep to left/center/right field... This ball's got a chance... ... ... GONE!"
  • Ernesto Jerez: "Sólido, conectando. A lo profundo... y ¡no... nono, nono, no...! ¡Dígale que no a esa pelota!"
  • Harry Kalas: "Swing and a long drive, deep to left field, that ball is (or "watch that baby")... outta here! Home run Michael Jack Schmidt!"
  • Len Kasper: "That ball is driven way back...outta here!" If the opposition hits one, Kasper will often make a similar call with less gusto, except he usually ends it with either "and it's gone" or "and it will get out".
  • Michael Kay: "[Outfielder] going back... (on the track)... looking up... see ya! A lonnnnnng home run for [player]!"
  • Bill King: "It's high! It's deep! It is gone! Holy Toledo!" While Bill King did not have a signature home run call, he often put an exclamation on a particularly brilliant play with his "Holy Toledo!" line. On one of Mark McGwire's typical monstrous shots, King once remarked, "It'll take NASA to track that one!"
  • Jeff Kingery: "That ball is going and it ain't coming back!"
  • Duane Kuiper: "He hits it high...He hits it deeeeep...he hits it...OUTTA HERE!"
  • Vince Lloyd: "Holy mackerel!" or "It's a bell-ringer!"
  • Ned Martin: "Long drive, left field. Way up, and gone. Mercy!"
  • Frank Messer: "A-B-C-ya-later!" (When Yankees games were on radio station WABC.)
  • Jon Miller: "That ball is gone! A home run!" (Miller has also used Bob Prince's home run call on occasion)
  • Brent Musburger: "Deep to right field! Oh baby! Put it on the scoreboard, the kid has done it again!" (A classic call from when he did baseball for ABC during the mid-1990s. This call is specifically for a Ken Griffey Jr home run.)
  • Dave Niehaus: "That ball is belted, deep to left field...and it will fly away!", or for a grand slam "Get out the rye bread and mustard, Grandma, it's 'grand salami time'!" or "My oh my!"
  • Dan Patrick: "Gone." Patrick, who usually reviews sports highlights for ESPN rather than call the games live, deliberately deadpans this call for humorous effect.
  • Bob Prince: "Kiss it goodbye!" or "Spread some chicken on the Hill!" The colorful Prince, nicknamed "The Gunner", would sometimes use the second phrase to exhort a Pittsburgh Pirates player to hit a home run - specifically Willie Stargell, who, in addition to playing for the Pirates, owned a chicken restaurant in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, which gave a free serving of chicken to the customer at the counter whenever Stargell homered. In one game in 1971, when a Stargell home run would have benefitted the Pirates greatly, Prince amended his call to "Spread some chicken on the Hill, and send the Gunner the bill!" Stargell promptly hit a home run, and the restaurant was besieged with requests for free chicken. Prince, true to his word, paid the tab - reportedly $400.
  • Michael Reghi: "A high fly ball hit to deep left. Took it to the track...to the wall... See...you...later!"; "Oh, did he tag that one! It's a BOMB! Going track...wall...SEE...YOU...LATER!"
  • John Rooney: "It's a Goner!" (and if it's a walk-off home run) "...and a White Sox Winner!" -- the latter taken from Jack Buck's trademarked line. Also: "It's a slam!" calling Paul Konerko's 4-run "grand slam" home run in Game 2 of the 2005 World Series.
  • Rosey Roswell: "Open the window, Aunt Minnie, here it comes!"
At least once, Rowswell's assistant, Bob Prince, broke a water glass in the background. Rowswell, without missing a beat, told his audience, "Aunt Minnie never made it..." This call went by the wayside when television came along, because fans could see there were no apartment buildings facing Forbes Field.
  • Vin Scully: "Forget it!"; "She is gone!"; "High drive into deep (left/center/right) field ... (outfielder's name) to the track ... to the wall ... gone!"; (if hit along either foul line) "If it's fair, it's gone, it i-i-i-is ... gone!"
  • Mike Shannon: "Get up baby, get up, get up get up!!! OH Yeeeaaah!!!"
  • Charlie Slowes: "Going, going...and GONE, GOODBYE!"; "(player) with another...BANG! ZOOM!"
  • John Sterling: "Swung on and there it goes! That ball is high! It is far! It is........gone!"
  • Jerry Trupiano: "...swing and there it goes...light tower power for Manny Ramírez!" or "Swing and a drive! WAY BACK! WAAAY BACK! HOME RUN!"
  • Abdón Rodriguez: "Te fuiste Marcelina" is the best known home run phrase in Guatemala.
  • Ernesto Jerez: Spanish spokesman for the ESPN network: "A lo profundoooo, y noooo, no no no no no, díganle que no a esa pelota.
  • Alfonso Lanzagorta: Spanish spokesman for the ESPN2 network:"Para atrás, para atrás, para atrás, y está descansando en paz".
  • Jorge Eduardo Sanchez: Spanish spokesman for the ESPN2 network:"para atras, para atras... ¡y no va a regresar... UNA SALVAJADA DE BATAZO!".
  • Camilo Sarti: "Maderazoooo, y a dormir". Guatemalan spokesman, he only broadcasts to his wife and dog.

Uncredited broadcaster heard in the movie The Natural: "Goodbye, Mr. Spalding!"

The baseballs used in the National League for many decades were produced by the Spalding sporting goods company.

[edit] List of home run calls by ballpark

Baltimore, Maryland: Baltimore's Oriole Park at Camden Yards has inspired the expression "go yard" to describe hitting a home run there. "Melvin Mora went yard in the second inning off Martinez..." However, this expression is no longer unique to Camden Yards; it has become a generic term for hitting a home run.

Boston, Massachusetts: Boston's Fenway Park features a 37 foot high wall in left field that is commonly referred to as the "Green Monster". A home run hit into the seats at the top of the wall is called a "Monster Shot". Don Orsillo once called "Is it a monster shot? Yes it is!". "It's out onto Lansdowne Street" has been used to describe a ball clearing the wall and landing onto Lansdowne Street which runs next to Fenway Park.

Chicago, Illinois: Waveland Avenue runs behind the left and left-center field fences at Wrigley Field, and well-hit home runs frequently end up falling onto the street, resulting in a call of "It's out on Waveland!" Chicago Cubs catcher Barry Foote once hit a home run which broke a window on the other side of Waveland from the stadium. Dave Kingman and Sammy Sosa did likewise. Glenallen Hill put one on a rooftop. Homers over the right field bleachers land "Out on Sheffield". The apartment windows across Sheffield are mostly safe, though, as it would take a much longer hit to reach them. A really long drive to left-center might go "Up Kenmore Avenue", a street which T's into Waveland. Kingman once hit the third porch roof down that street.

Home runs at U.S. Cellular Field seldom if ever leave the confines. Sometimes a long one by a Sox slugger lands in the concourse behind the bleachers, and "You can put it the board... yes!". The old Comiskey Park saw many a home run ball land "On the Roof!" There used to be signs marking the locations of rooftop shots, but when Bill Veeck re-acquired the Sox in the 1970s, he had the signs removed, as most of them name visiting team players.

Cleveland, Ohio: Home runs clearing the left-field wall (referred to as the "Mini-Monster because of its 19-foot height) usually land "on the Home-Run Porch", a standing-room only area located near the left-field entrance. When a ball flies over or bounces through the entrance fence at the back of the Porch, it enters a plaza between Jacobs Field and Quicken Loans Arena. The plaza has been known as "Albert's Alley" (when Albert Belle was a member of the Cleveland Indians) and "Alomar Alley" (when Sandy Alomar, Jr. and Roberto Alomar both played for the team). A famous home run hit by Mark McGwire on April 30, 1997 was hit "off the Budweiser sign," part of the stadium's freestanding scoreboard.

Kansas City, Missouri: To "go for the fountains" means to hit a deep home run at Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium, which has a display of water fountains beyond the outfield fence.

Los Angeles, California: Bob Prince invented "Let's play some screen-o," referring to the left field screen which cordoned off a portion of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum while the Dodgers played there.

New York, New York: Yankee Stadium features an area, Monument Park, with plaques and monuments of former Yankee players beyond the left-center field fence (originally an area that was in play). Players hitting home runs towards Monument Park have been said to "go for the monuments". Yankee Stadium also features seats in straightaway center field that are painted black and not used during baseball games because they would interfere with a batter's sight lines. A home run to the deepest part of center field, a rare event (such as Reggie Jackson's third homer in the finale of the 1977 World Series), is "into the black," for the black-painted seats that form the batter's background.

San Francisco, California: AT&T Park in San Francisco is located adjacent to McCovey Cove, a small inlet named after Willie McCovey. Home runs that land in McCovey Cove are usually called with a reference to water, such as "He got a splash hit!" TV coverage usually zooms in on kayakers scrambling for the balls, especially if hit by Barry Bonds. AT&T Park also features a counter that tallies the total number of splash hits.

[edit] List of notable home run calls in baseball history

Bobby Thomson's "Shot Heard 'Round the World"
Date October 3, 1951
Game Brooklyn Dodgers at New York Giants, 1951 National League Playoff Game
Opposing pitcher Ralph Branca
Russ Hodges: "Bobby Thomson... up there swingin'... He's had 2 out of 3, a single and a double, and Billy Cox is playing him right on the third base line. 1 out, last of the ninth... Branca pitches, Bobby Thomson takes a strike called on the inside corner. Bobby hitting at .292. He's had a single and a double and he drove in the Giants' first run with a long fly to center. Brooklyn leads it 4 to 2. Hartung, down the line at third, not taking any chances... Lockman with not too big of a lead at second, but he'll be runnin' like the wind if Thomson hits one. Branca throws... [barely audible crack of the bat]... There's a long drive... It's gonna be, I believe..... THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! [WAHOO! heard in background]... Bobby Thomson hits into the lower deck, of the left field stands! [WAHOO! heard in background again] The Giants win the pennant, and they're goin' crazy! They're goin' crazy! Heeeey-oh! ... [pause while crowd roars] ... I don't believe it! I don't believe it! I do not believe it! Bobby Thomson... hit a line drive... into the lower deck... of the left field stands... and this blame place is goin' crazy! The Giants! Horace Stoneham has got a winner! The Giants won it, by a score of 5 to 4, and they're pickin' Bobby Thomson up, and carryin' him off the field!"

Perhaps the most famous individual home run call of all time, Hodges' jubilant, repetitive, emotional call, which completely dispensed with the broadcast standard that called for a certain amount of detached neutrality, became a catch phrase in American popular culture of the 1950s. The home run call appears on the mostly-musical CD, Baseball's Greatest Hits, Volume I. Ironically, the recording was made off the radio on a primitive home tape recorder, by a Brooklyn Dodgers fan hoping to gloatfully play a Dodgers pennant win back to his Giants fan friends. He could have erased it in disgust, but instead graciously gave it to Hodges as a souvenir.
Bill Mazeroski's World Series winner
Date October 13, 1960
Game New York Yankees at Pittsburgh Pirates, 1960 World Series, Game 7
Opposing pitcher Ralph Terry
Chuck Thompson: "Back to the wall goes Berra... it is... over the fence! Home run! The Pirates win!"

Mazeroski's was the first walk-off home run to end a deciding game of the World Series. Thompson became so excited about the event that he initially announced the wrong score, 10-0, instead of 10-9.
Roger Maris sets the single-season home run record
Date October 1, 1961
Game Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees
Opposing pitcher Tracy Stallard
Phil Rizzuto: "Here's the windup, a fastball -- hit deep to right, this could be it! Way back there! Holy Cow, he did it! Sixty-one for Maris! Look at 'em fight for that ball out there!"

Maris's improbable chase of Babe Ruth's single-season home run record was embraced by former Yankee player Rizzuto. Maris's teammate Mickey Mantle finished the season with 54 home runs.
Hank Aaron sets the career home run record
Date April 8, 1974
Game Los Angeles Dodgers at Atlanta Braves
Opposing pitcher Al Downing
Milo Hamilton, on Atlanta Braves radio: Henry Aaron, in the second inning walked and scored... He's sittin' on 7-14... Here's the pitch by Downing... swinging... there's a drive into left-center field... that ball is gonna beeee... Outta here! It's gone! It's 7-15! There's a new home run champion of all time... and it's Henry Aaron! The fireworks are going... Henry Aaron coming around third... His teammates are at home plate... and listen to this crowd!

Curt Gowdy, on NBC-TV: "The ball's hit deep... deep... it is gone! He did it! He did it! Henry Aaron... is the all-time home run... leader now!"

This home run became well known for its imagery on television. As Aaron jogged from second base to third base, two college-age white men ran up to him from behind, got handshakes and patted him on the back, and sprinted by to the other side of the field, where they were promptly arrested without further incident.
Carlton Fisk "waves" home run fair
Date October 21, 1975
Game Cincinnati Reds at Boston Red Sox, 1975 World Series, Game 6
Opposing pitcher Pat Darcy
Dick Stockton: "There it goes! It's a long drive...if it stays fair...home run!"

Along with Aaron's home run, this became one of the first home runs to be known as much for its image on television as its call on the radio. Fisk's 12th-inning blast in this see-saw game (considered in many sports polls to be one of the most exciting baseball games of all time) went directly down the left field line at Fenway Park. Television camera operators missed a cue from the producer, so rather than tracking the flight of the ball, they instead stayed focused for a few extra, critical seconds on Fisk, who was only a few steps from home plate, frantically trying to "wave the ball fair". The power and drama of that image led to more "reaction shots" being incorporated into sports coverage.
Bucky Dent's famous home run at Fenway
Date October 2, 1978
Game New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox, 1978, one-game playoff
Opposing pitcher Mike Torrez
Bill White: "Deep to left! Yastrzemski will not get it -- it's a home run! A three-run home run for Bucky Dent and the Yankees now lead by a score of 4-2! Bucky Dent has just hit his fourth home run of the year and look at that Yankees bench out to greet him..."

In one swing of the bat, Dent went from an obscure shortstop on a talent-laden team, to becoming forever known in Boston as "Bucky Bleeping Dent".
Steve Garvey's NLCS game-winner
Date October 6, 1984
Game Chicago Cubs at San Diego Padres, 1984 National League Championship Series, Game 4
Opposing pitcher Lee Smith
Jerry Coleman on San Diego Padres radio: "Pitch on the way to Garvey. Hit high to right field, way back! Going, going, it is...gone! The Padres win it! In a game that absolutely defies description, Steve Garvey, in the 9th inning, hit one over the 370-mark, and the Padres beat the Cubs 7 to 5! Oh, Doctor! You can hang a star on that baby!"

Don Drysdale on ABC-TV: "Deep right field, way back! Cotto going back to the wall...it's gone!!! Home run Garvey, and there will be tomorrow!"

With the Padres down two games to one, and the score tied at 5 in the bottom of the 9th inning, Steve Garvey hit a 1-0 pitch over the right-center field fence, scoring Tony Gwynn from first to give the Padres a come-from-behind 7 to 5 victory to tie the series at two. The next day, the Padres overcame a 3-0 deficit, scoring six unanswered runs to give San Diego a 6-3 win and the National League Pennant.
Ozzie Smith's NLCS game-winner
Date October 14, 1985
Game Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis Cardinals, 1985 National League Championship Series, Game 5
Opposing pitcher Tom Niedenfuer
Jack Buck: "Smith corks one into right down the line! It may go...! Go crazy, folks!! Go crazy!! It's a home run!! And the Cardinals have won the game...by the score of 3 to 2...on a home run by... the Wizard! Go crazy!"

The light-hitting Smith, who played mainly because of his exceptional skill as a fielder, for which he earned the nickname "The Wizard of Oz", was not expected to hit a home run at any time, much less in the ninth inning of a league championship game. Even more improbably, this was the first homer that the switch-hitting Smith had ever hit left-handed as a major-leaguer. Buck's call reflected the Cardinals' fans delirious disbelief.

A frequently-forgotten fact about Smith's homer was that it did not put the Cardinals in the World Series. The hit gave them a 3-2 lead in the series (1985 was the first year that the League Championship Series were best-of-seven). The Cardinals went on to win Game 6 and the NLCS, thanks to a 3-run home run by Jack Clark off Dodger reliever Tom Niedenfuer (accompanied by another classic Jack Buck call, shouting "Adios, goodbye and maybe that's a winner!" as the ball flew well into the left field pavilion bleachers).
Kirk Gibson's World Series pinch-hit homer
Date October 15, 1988
Game Oakland Athletics at Los Angeles Dodgers, 1988 World Series, Game 1
Opposing pitcher Dennis Eckersley
Jack Buck on CBS Radio: "You have a big 3-2 pitch coming here, from Eckersley. Gibson...swings and a fly ball to deep right field! This is gonna be a home run! Unbelievable! A home run for Gibson! And the Dodgers have won the game, 5 to 4! I DON'T BELIEVE...WHAT I JUST SAW!"

Another dramatic and famous call by Buck. Gibson was badly injured in the National League Championship Series that year and was not expected to play at all. The drama of the confrontation - a ninth-inning showdown between the injured slugger and the best reliever in the game, capped with Gibson's limp around the basepaths following his right field blast - etched this moment in baseball history. Buck said afterwards, "I've seen a lot of dramatic finishes in a lot of sports, but this one tops almost every other one."

Vin Scully on NBC-TV: "Sax waiting on deck...but the game right now is at the plate. [pauses as Eckersley pitches, continues after Gibson's swing] High fly ball into right field, She iiiis... goooone!"

Scully then gave an equally famous "call" of the scene by falling completely silent after Gibson's home run, and remaining silent until he reached the plate, allowing the sounds and image to carry the impact of the moment. Eventually he continued: "In a year that has been so IMPROBABLE, the IMPOSSIBLE has happened!"

Don Drysdale on the Dodgers' radio broadcast: "Gibson a deep sigh...regripping the bat...shoulders just shrugged...now goes to the top of the helmet as he always does...steps in with that left foot... Eckersley working out of a stretch. Here's the 3-2 pitch...and a drive hit to right field! WAY BACK! THIS BALL...IS GONE!"
Kirby Puckett's extra-inning walkoff homer
Date October 26, 1991
Game Atlanta Braves at Minnesota Twins, 1991 World Series, Game 6
Opposing pitcher Charlie Leibrandt
Jack Buck on CBS-TV: "Into deep left-center, for Mitchell...and we'll see you tomorrow night!"

John Gordon on Minnesota Twins radio: "The one-oh delivery to Puckett, right down the middle... Deep to left center! Way back, way back, it's gone! Touch 'em all, Kirby Puckett! Touch 'em all!"

Yet another dramatic call by Buck. After the Twins won the first two games of the Series at home, the Braves put the Twins on the brink of elimination by sweeping the three games held in Atlanta. The series now returned to the deafening cauldron of the Metrodome.

Puckett turned the game into his personal showcase. In the third inning, he climbed the Plexiglas panel in left-center to rob the Braves' Ron Gant of a sure extra-base hit. Offensively, he sparked the Twins with a single, triple, sacrifice fly, stolen base, two total RBI, and one run scored. Despite his heroics, the game went into extra innings.

His performance during regulation was only a prelude to what would happen in extra innings. As the game entered the bottom of the 11th tied 3-3, Atlanta manager Bobby Cox sent Game 1 starter Charlie Leibrandt to face the heart of the Twins order. Leibrandt would not make it past Puckett, who led off that inning. On his fourth pitch, Leibrandt served up a weak fastball right down the middle of the plate, which Puckett parked just over the left-field wall to force Game 7, prompting Buck's now-famous call. Puckett did not watch the flight of the ball and didn't realize it was a home run until he had already rounded first. The Twins went on to win an equally epic Game 7 behind Jack Morris' 10 shutout innings. After Puckett's disease-forced retirement in 1996, the seat where his shot landed was replaced with a golden-colored plastic seat numbered 34, Puckett's number during all 12 of his years with the Twins.
Joe Carter ends the World Series with a walk-off homer
Date October 23, 1993
Game Philadelphia Phillies at Toronto Blue Jays, 1993 World Series, Game 6
Opposing pitcher Mitch Williams
Tom Cheek on Toronto Blue Jays radio: "Here's the pitch on the way...a swing and a BELT! LEFT FIELD...WAY BACK...BLUE JAYS WIN IT! The Blue Jays are World Series champions as Joe Carter hits a 3-run home run in the 9th inning and the Blue Jays have repeated as World Series champions! Touch 'em all, Joe! You will never hit a bigger home run in your life!"

Sean McDonough on CBS-TV: "Now the 2-2...well hit, down the left field line, way back and GONE!!! Joe Carter, with a three-run homer, the winners, and still world champions, the Toronto Blue Jays!"

After witnessing the ball go over the left field fence at SkyDome, Carter leapt in the air in celebration, and continued to leap for joy as he rounded the bases. After being mobbed by the team at home plate, Carter was carried in glory by his teammates.

Carter's walk-off is the only home run to have ended a World Series with the champions trailing in the deciding game at the time of the decisive homer. However, although Carter delivered the winning shot, it was Paul Molitor who received World Series Most Valuable Player honours, as Molitor hit an even .500 (12-24) and with two home runs and six runs batted in.
Mark McGwire breaks the single-season home run record
Date September 8, 1998
Game Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals
Opposing pitcher Steve Trachsel
Joe Buck on FOX-TV: "Down the left field line - is it enough? GONE!!! There it is, sixty-two! Touch first, Mark! You are the new single-season home run king!"

Mike Shannon on St. Louis Cardinals radio: "Swing and a shot in the corner! It might make it...there it is! 62, folks!"

Oddly, McGwire, who was known for hitting extremely long, high blasts, hit a low line-drive that barely cleared the fence in the left field corner of Busch Memorial Stadium. His 62nd home run of the year, the one that broke Roger Maris's single-season record, was his shortest of the year. It barely cleared the wall in the left field corner, only a yard from the foul pole, and was eventually snagged by a Cardinals groundskeeper.

In running the bases, McGwire stutter-stepped past first base and was directed back by the first base coach, to be sure he touched it, accounting for Buck's call.
Mike Piazza "The Healing Power of a swing"
Date September 21, 2001
Game Atlanta Braves at New York Mets
Opposing pitcher Steve Karsay
Howie Rose on the FSN New York: "Lopez wants it away...and its hit deep to left center..Andruw Jones on the run ...this one has a chance! HOME RUN!..Mike Piazza, and the Mets 3 to 2!"

The very first professional sporting event held in New York City following the attacks of 9/11 could not have been more dramatic and special. The Mets hosted the hated rival Atlanta Braves at Shea Stadium with both teams in the playoff hunt. The Braves held a 4.5 game lead on the 3rd Place Mets who were the defending NL Champions. The dramatic events began before a pitch was thrown. Special Ceremonies took place before the game honoring those who lost their lives on 9/11. It was a very emotional and moving scene. The Mets were trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the 8th inning when Mike Piazza came to the plate with 2 men on and 2 out. The Fans at Shea Stadium had been fairly quiet up until this moment. McGlinchy was ahead on Piazza 0-1 when the Mets slugger drilled the pitch high and so deep, the ball hit the camera well in deep left center (closer to Center). Shea Stadium erupted in cheers and in many ways it was the very first time since that tragic day of September 11, 2001 that New Yorkers were able to exhale and smile. In an article the next day, a writer for one of the NY papers wrote, "There's no telling how far Piazza'a home run went, for how can one measure the healing power of a swing."
Derek Jeter becomes "Mr. November"
Date October 31/November 1, 2001
Game Arizona Diamondbacks at New York Yankees, 2001 World Series, Game 4
Opposing pitcher Byung-Hyun Kim
Joe Buck on the MLB on FOX: "Jeter hits it into right, back, at the wall... Game Over! Yankees win, and the series is tied!"

Michael Kay on the Yankees Radio Network: "And the 3-2 pitch, Swung on and drilled to right field, going back Sanders, on the track, at the wall...SEE YA! SEE YA! SEE YA! A HOME RUN FOR DEREK JETER! HE IS...MR. NOVEMBER!!"

Since the 9/11 attacks pushed the World Series back a week, it would carry into November if it went past Game 4. Sure enough, the extra-innings Game 4 would push the World Series into November for the first time, and Derek Jeter provided the dramatics with an extra-inning walk-off home run to even the series at 2 games a piece and earn the moniker "Mr. November", coming from a hastily-written banner held up by a fan and shown on TV both before and after the home run. He was 1-for-15 for the series before that at-bat, but battled out of an 0-2 hole with four fouls and three balls before launching the game-winner over the right field wall at 12:03am EST. The Diamondbacks would eventually win the Series in seven games.
Scott Hatteberg hits a walk-off to give the Oakland Athletics their 20th straight win
Date September 4, 2002
Game Kansas City Royals at Oakland Athletics
Opposing pitcher Jason Grimsley
Bill King on Oakland Athletics radio: "Now the pitch. Swung on, there's a high drive, hit way back, right-center field. That one is gone! And it's 20 consecutive victories for the Oakland Athletics on an unbelievable night when they lost an 11-0 lead and now they win it!"

From mid-August to early September 2002, the low-budget, high-energy Oakland A's were the darlings of the national sports media as they rattled off a historic 20-game winning streak. The final three games (against the Minnesota Twins and the Kansas City Royals) ended in dramatic walk-off fashion: a three-run homer by Miguel Tejada to take Game 18 from the Twins 7-5, a bases-loaded single by Tejada (through a drawn-in infield) to win Game 19 by a 7-6 score, and Scott Hatteberg's pinch-hit blast to end Game 20, a 12-11 slugfest.
Boone Sends Yankees to the World Series
Date October 16, 2003
Game Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees, 2003 ALCS, Game 7
Opposing pitcher Tim Wakefield
Joe Buck on FOX-TV: "As Boone hits it to deep left, that might send the Yankees to the World Series. Boone the hero of Game 7!"

Gary Thorne on MLB International: "He hits the ball! WAY BACK, LEFT FIELD!! AARON BOONE, A WALK-OFF HOME RUN!! And the Yankees are the American League champions!"

Charley Steiner on the Yankees Radio Network: "His first at bat of the game, and THERE'S A FLY BALL DEEP TO LEFT! IT'S ON ITS WAY! THERE IT GOES! AND THE YANKEES ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES! AARON BOONE HAS HIT A HOME RUN, AND THE YANKEES WIN THE AMERICAN LEAGUE PENNANT FOR THE 39TH TIME IN THEIR REMARKABLE HISTORY!"

Aaron Boone's home run in the bottom of the 11th clinched the ALCS for the Yankees. After the call, there was silence, except for crowd noise while watching the Yankees celebrate on the field. Aaron Boone's brother Brett was working on the game for FOX. He was shown in the FOX booth after the home run. Other moments in this broadcast was Mariano Rivera crying on the pitchers mound, and Don Zimmer crying in the dugout, a fitting conclusion to Yankee fans, and heartbreak to Red Sox fans at the end of this American League Championship Series.
Adam Dunn's colossal shot into Kentucky
Date August 10, 2004
Game Los Angeles Dodgers at Cincinnati Reds, 2004 National League
Opposing pitcher José Lima
Marty Brennaman on Cincinnati broadcast: "Dunn to center field...and forget it! That's gonna be long gone, done and gone...that's long time out of here! Adam Dunn put the hammer on one from Lima, over the batter's eye, out of the ballpark!

With the Reds down 4 to 1 in the bottom of the 4th, Adam Dunn whalloped a 3-2 pitch to dead center field that kept carrying, completely clearing the fence, grass berm, the entire batter's eye building, and the entire park. The ball reportedly hit the Ohio River on a hop, landing on some driftwood. The river is considered Kentucky territory, technically meaning that Dunn hit the ball into another state. The hit was estimated at 545 feet in distance, registered as one of the longest in decades. Given the new addition of a deck in center field, and the rumors that Adam Dunn will be traded, this could be the first and last hit to ever claim such a feat.

[2]:
Ortiz keeps the Red Sox alive
Date October 17, 2004
Game New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox, 2004 ALCS, Game 4
Opposing pitcher Paul Quantrill
Joe Buck on FOX-TV: "Ortiz into deep right field, back is Sheffield, we'll see you later tonight!"

David Ortiz's home run in the bottom of the 12th kept the Red Sox from being swept, and kept the Sox alive to win the American League Championship and eventually the World Series. Joe Buck says "We'll see you later tonight", a play on his father's famous call of Kirby Puckett's 1991 homer, since the game lasted over 4 hours and went well after midnight. Joe Buck often ends his post-season game broadcasts with "We'll see you tomorrow night!" or a variation thereof, in honor of his father.
Chris Burke ends an 18 inning thriller
Date October 9, 2005
Game Atlanta Braves at Houston Astros, 2005 NLDS, Game 4
Opposing pitcher Joey Devine
Dave O'Brien on ESPN-TV: "Swing and a drive to left field... way back... this one is GOOOONE!... The Astros win it... It's Chris Burke with a late inning walk off home run to give Roger Clemens the win and send the Astros to their second straight NLCS in 18 innings.. Houston pulls it out to go back to the League Championship for the second straight year!"

Milo Hamilton on Houston Astros radio: "Burke is the batter and Ensberg is on deck... and the pitch, swinging... lining it to left... Iiiit's GONE, It's gone, It's gone, Chris Burke. Holy Toledo, what a way to finish... Chris Burke just punched to ticket to St. Louis!"

Not just did Chris Burke's home run win the longest playoff game ever, it also sent the Astros to the NLCS for the second straight year. The game was 18 innings and took 5 hours, 50 minutes to play, beating the Yankees-Red Sox record set in the 2004 ALCS by 1 minute. Burke became the 5th player to end a postseason series on a home run.
Barry Bonds passes Babe Ruth for second all time in home runs
Date May 28, 2006
Game Colorado Rockies at San Francisco Giants
Opposing pitcher Byung-Hyun Kim
Duane Kuiper on FSN Bay Area: "The numbers Bonds has against Kim, "oh" for nine, five walks, one strikeout and the cove is waiting... the pitch, Bonds hits one HIGH, hits it DEEEEEP to CENTERRR...OUTTA HERE, 715...the wait is over and they are on their feet here at AT&T Park... Bonds passes Babe Ruth, he is second on the all time home run list!"

Dave Flemming on San Francisco Giants Radio: "Three and two. Finley runs. The payoff pitch and a drive to deep cen..."

During Bonds' 715 home run call on KNBR Radio, Dave Flemming's mic was cut off in the middle of the call, so there is no radio call for the historic home run. Flemming later said it was no one's fault. Just an equipment malfunction -- and incredibly bad timing. "The odds of that happening at that moment are infinitesimal," he said. Flemming calls the third, fourth, and seventh innings on Giants broadcasts while Jon Miller the lead voice calls the other innings on radio.
Magglio Ordóñez send the Detroit Tigers to the World Series
Date October 14, 2006
Game Oakland Athletics at Detroit Tigers, 2006 ALCS, Game 4
Opposing pitcher Huston Street
Dan Dickerson on the 1270 XYT Detroit Tigers Radio Network: "Monroe edges off of second...the 1-0. (crack of the bat) Swing and a fly ball ... left field...it's deep...IT'S WAY BACK...THE TIGERS ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES. (crowd cheering) 3-RUN WALKOFF HOME RUN...OH MAN...ORDOÑEZ AROUND THIRD...HE'S INTO A MOB SCENE AT HO-HOME. The Tigers have beaten the A's 6-3 .. completing a 4-game sweep! In one the greatest turnarounds in baseball history, the Tigers three years after losing 119 games, are going to the World Series!"

The Tigers were down in the game 3-0 before Ordoñez's first home run of the game in the sixth inning (a line drive right down the left field line) tied the score at 3. A's manager Ken Macha brought on his closer, Huston Street, in the seventh inning to seal the win. After allowing two singles to eventual ALCS MVP Plácido Polanco and Craig Monroe with two outs, Ordoñez became the 6th player to end a postseason series on a home run.
Barry Bonds takes the career home run lead
Date August 7, 2007
Game Washington Nationals at San Francisco Giants
Opposing pitcher Mike Bacsik
Duane Kuiper on FSN Bay Area: "Three balls and two strikes, the over shift is on, and Bacsik deals. And (Crack of the bat) BONDS HITS ONE HARD... HITS IT DEEP... IT IS... OUTTAHERE!!!! 756. Bonds stands alone. He is on top of the all-time home run list. What a special moment for Barry Bonds, and what a special moment for these fans here in San Francisco. There it is!"

Dave O'Brien on ESPN2: "Bacsik's 3-2 again. (Crack of the bat) There's a swing and a high fly ball, right-center field! Back it goes, racing back Logan jumping up and THAT BALL IS GONE!!! Number 756! Barry Bonds stands alone. And on the night of August 7th, 2007, at San Francisco, California, Barry Lamar Bonds has hit more home runs than any major leaguer in the history of baseball."

Jon Miller on San Francisco Giants Radio: "Bonds one home run away from history (Crack of the bat) and HE SWINGS, AND THERE'S A LONG ONE, DEEP INTO RIGHT-CENTER FIELD, WAY BACK THERE, IT'S GONE!!! A HOME RUN!!! Into the center field bleachers, to the left of the 421-foot marker! An extraordinary shot to the deepest part of the yard! And Barry Bonds, with 756 home runs, he has hit more home runs than anyone who has ever played the game."

The McCovey Cove Armada was denied as Bonds hit home run #756 instead into the bleachers in the deepest reaches of right-center field at AT&T Park. Nationals center fielder Nook Logan jumped on the wall after the ball, similar to Bill Buckner trying to go after Hank Aaron's 715th home run, but it fell several rows into the bleachers. The ball was caught by Matt Murphy of Queens, New York, who was in San Francisco on a layover before flying to Australia and came to the game on a whim.

The game was delayed for 10 minutes for on-field celebrations, including a video message from Hank Aaron congratulating Bonds, and some words of appreciation from Bonds himself toward the fans, the team, and his family. His godfather, Willie Mays, who is fourth on the all-time home run list with 660, was on the field during the celebration.

Bonds returned to the field for the top of the 6th inning, but was substituted before playing during a pitching change, giving him one last standing ovation. He finished the game 3-for-3, just a triple short of hitting for the cycle.

[edit] External links

[edit] See also

[edit] References

Whiteford, Mike (1983). How to Talk Baseball. New York: W.W. Norton. ISBN 0-934878-21-8 (pbk.)