Bill Mazeroski hits Walk off World Series Homerun for Pittsburgh Pirates
October 13, 1960 — With the World Series between the Yankees and Pirates knotted at three games apiece, Game 7 at Pittsburgh’s cavernous Forbes Field.
In the top of the 9th, with a 9-7 lead, the Pirates sent eighteen-game winner Bob Friend to the mound but the Yankees would manage to tie things up.
The Yankees would send Ralph Terry to the mound in the bottom of the 9th to face Pirate 2nd baseman Bill Mazeroski and with a 1-0 count, Mel Allen’s call of the game tells the rest: “There’s a drive into deep left field, look out now… that ball is going, going gone! And the World Series is over! Mazeroski… hits it over the left field fence, and the Pirates win it 10-9 and win the World Series!” As the Pirates erupted, the Yankees stood across the field in stunned disbelief. The improbable champions were outscored, outhit, and outplayed but had managed to pull out a victory anyhow. Years later, Mickey Mantle was quoted as saying that losing the 1960 series was the biggest disappointment of his career. The only loss, amateur or professional, he cried actual tears over. For Bill Mazeroski, it was the highlight.
Bing Crosby, part owner of the Pirates, was too superstitious to watch the series live. Crosby hired a company to record the game and would only watch it a day later if the Pirates won. His tape of game 7 is the only recording of the 1960 series known to survive as television stations routinely taped over televised sporting events. The tape sat untouched for 49 years when it was found in Crosby’s wine cellar in December of 2009. On November 13, 2010, for the 50th anniversary of the series-winning home run, a gala emceed by Bob Costas was hosted in downtown Pittsburgh. The MLB Network would air the game and gala on December 15, 2010.
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