Major League Baseball (MLB) has been around for over a century, so it’s only natural that there have been some legendary and highly memorable wins that stand out.
Whether your favorite team is playing in the World Series or another large baseball league, the battle for immortality within the sport has resulted in some captivating games and some even more intriguing odds for MLB betting.
Read on to find out more information about 5 of the greatest wins in baseball history.
1. 2016 World Series, Game 7 — Chicago Cubs vs Cleveland Indians
This is commonly referred to as the greatest baseball game of all time.
This was a winner-takes-all game for the championship with two different teams seeking to clinch the title for the first time in decades – full of brilliant late-inning home runs, additional innings, and questionable manager moves. As a team, Chicago Cubs managed to obtain an early lead of 5-1 after scoring two runs at the top of the fourth and fifth innings. Star pitcher Kyle Hendricks dealt from the mound, pitching with near stone-faced efficiency when the first big moves of this game went down. Joe Maddon, renowned Cubs manager, replaced Hendricks with Jon Lester who ended up stumbling in this inning, giving up two separate runs to the Indians.
The Cubs took on an aggressive approach in the top of the 10th and scored two runs to resume the lead and win their first championship in 108 years. This made for quite a memorable win!
2. 1956 World Series, Game 5 — Brooklyn Dodgers vs New York Yankees
Even today, this is the only perfect game and no-hitter tossed in the entire history of the World Series. It’s all thanks to Don Larsen, the Yankees’ prized pitcher.
Larsen pitched a memorable game, throwing a grand total of 97 pitches that finished all 27 Dodger players that came up to the plate. To this day, no player has come close to beating this record-breaking performance! From this point, it was all smooth sailing thanks to the Yankees’ unstoppable and powerful defense. Mickey Mantle hit a low line-drive home run into right field to achieve one of the only two runs scored by the Yankees in the game. This occurred in the fourth inning. The ninth inning saw Larsen induce a fly ball before making pinch hitter Dale Mitchell strike out.
This incredible win gave the Yankees a 3-2 lead in the series.
3. 1975 World Series, Game 6 — Boston Red Sox vs Cincinnati Reds
This dramatic game is said to be one of the greatest Red Sox games of all time. It also brought baseball into the modern era.
Things started well for Boston, with center fielder Fred Lynn hitting a three-run homer in the first inning, but started going downhill in the fifth. Then, with two on and two out, Sox outfielder Bernie Carbo was sent in. He managed to tie this game by executing a three-run blast directly to the straightaway center. The score remained 6-6 when catcher Carlton Fisk smashed the ball over the left-field wall in a remarkable walk-off. Fisk wildly waved his arms, willing the ball to go fair, providing a Red Sox win of 7-6.
4. 2014 American League Wild Card Game — Kansas City Royals vs Oakland Athletics
The Kansas City Royals beat the Oakland Athletics in the longest “winner takes all” baseball games in history.
After an intense back-and-forth, the Royals managed to win and advanced to the next game against the Los Angeles Angels. They’d go on to win the World Series title.
Once the Royals were down by four runs, they bounced back to tie the game in the bottom of the 9th. Only three innings later, Salvador Perez – Royals catcher – hit a line drive to score the winning run.
This ability to recover from what could have been immediate defeat was all down to the Royals’ ability to steal bases and hit the ball. It remains one of the best wins in baseball history.
A four-run rally ensures that this game lives on as one of baseball’s greatest.
5. 1960 World Series, Game 7 — Pittsburgh Pirates vs New York Yankees
This is remembered as one of the craziest wins in the history of the World Series.
In the first two innings of this game, the Pirates quickly jumped into the lead. However, the Yankees slowly began to respond and scored 7-4 at the top of the 8th.
Hal Smith and Roberto Clemente, key Pirates players in this game, plated five runs and pushed the Pirates back to a lead – which was quickly tied with the Yankees. The Yankees’ Mickey Mantle scored a run and tied the game for the Yankees, but it was the Pirates’ Bill Mazeroski that won them the World Series thanks to a solo home run.
He was also the first player in baseball history to achieve a home run in Game 7!
Summary
As a baseball fan, there is a lot to learn about players and teams. But there’s nothing as important as learning about these five iconic wins in the history of the sport.
