Top 10 World Series Games of All-Time

The World Series has seen many legendary games, and choosing the best is difficult. The criteria for selecting these games were fairly straightforward. How exciting was the game? Come-from-behind wins will consistently rank high; the later in the series, the more the game becomes legendary, which also magnifies how great the game was. Walk-offs are significant in this list. So sit back and enjoy the greatest World Series games ever played.

10. 1997: Game 7 – Florida Marlins 3, Cleveland Indians 2 (11 innings)

There’s nothing better than a walk-off hit to win a World Series, especially for a franchise in its fifth year of existence. After Craig Counsell tied the game with a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning, Edgar Renteria played the role of hero when he lined a rope off pitcher Charles Nagy’s glove and into centre field to score Counsell for the 3-2, 11-inning victory and the club’s first World Series title.

1997 World Series Game 7

9. 2011: Game 6 – St. Louis Cardinals 10, Texas Rangers 9 (12 innings)

A great Series in general, the Rangers won Games 4 and 5 at home to take a 3-2 lead and led 7-4 in a back-and-forth Game 6. St. Louis, though, rallied as David Freese’s two-run triple tied it at 7 in the ninth. After Texas scored two in the top of the 10th, the Cardinals again answered with two in the bottom of the frame. They ultimately won the game on Freese’s solo homer in the 11th.

2011 World Series Game 6 Highlights (Texas Rangers vs St Louis Cardinals)

8. 1988: Game 1 – Los Angeles Dodgers 5, Oakland A’s 4

It was fitting that one of the most iconic moments in World Series history occurred so close to Hollywood itself. Battling leg issues, Los Angeles star Kirk Gibson came off the bench and hit a two-run homer against Oakland closer Dennis Eckersley for an unlikely 5-4 victory – an image which remains one of the great individual moments ever captured by TV cameras during this series. The 1980s were one of the greatest decades in baseball history.

Extended Cut of Gibson, Dodgers’ walk-off in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series

7. 2001: Game 7 – Arizona Diamondbacks 3, New York Yankees 2

New York’s Rogers Clemens and Arizona’s Curt Schilling battled, and the Yankees went ahead 2-1 on Alfonso Soriano’s homer in the eighth inning. However, legendary closer Mariano Rivera failed to hold that advantage, as the Diamondbacks scored twice in the ninth, capped by legendary Luis Gonzalez’s series-winning RBI single.

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6. 1991: Game 7 – Minnesota Twins 1, Atlanta Braves 0 (10 innings)

While Game 6 of the ’91 series featured the offensive heroics of Kirby Puckett, this contest was all about pitching, or Jack Morris, for that matter. The Twins star hurler outpitched Atlanta’s John Smoltz by throwing 122 pitches over 10 innings before Gene Larkin’s pinch-hit, game-winning single in the bottom of that frame won Minnesota the title.

1991 World Series Game 7 Highlights (Atlanta Braves vs Minnesota Twins)

5. 1956: Game 5 – New York Yankees 2, Brooklyn Dodgers 0

Though this Series went the full seven games, there were few tight finishes. Yet it featured what’s one of the greatest moments in all of sports. Yankees right-hander Don Larsen, who allowed four unearned runs in 1 2/3 innings of a Game 2 loss, tossed his legendary perfect game during a 2-0 victory in Game 5. Larsen struck out seven in the greatest pitching performance in postseason history.

1956 World Series Game 5 Highlights (Brooklyn Dodgers Vs New York Yankees)

4. 1960: Game 7 – Pittsburgh Pirates 10, New York Yankees 9

Pittsburgh scored only 17 runs through six games against New York, which scored 55 times in the Series. But they managed four runs in the first two innings in Game 7, five more runs in the eighth inning, and won 10-9 when Bill Mazeroski hit his solo homer to end it all and secure their victory 10-9; it marked the first home run to decide any World Series matchup ever. Mazeroski’s home run was one of the greatest home runs ever hit.

1960 World Series Game 7 Highlights (New York Yankees vs Pittsburgh Pirates)

3. 1986: Game 6 – New York Mets 6, Boston Red Sox 5 (10 innings)

There are World Series rallies, then there was the 10th inning of Game 6. Boston was one strike away from winning its first World Series since 1918. But the Mets had other ideas, scoring three times in the bottom of the frame and capping the improbable 6-5 victory when Mookie Wilson’s roller went through the legs of Bill Buckner to allow Ray Knight to score the winning run and turn Shea Stadium upside down.

1986 World Series Game 6 Highlights (Boston Red Sox vs New York Mets)

2. 2016: Game 7 – Chicago Cubs 8, Cleveland Indians 7 (10 innings)

Entertainment- and emotion-wise, Game 7 may have been one of the most outstanding World Series matches ever seen. Dexter Fowler’s lead-off homer for Chicago and David Ross’ final home run helped give them a 6-3 lead going into the eighth inning before Aroldis Chapman allowed Rajai Davis’ two-run homer. As soon as it got there, rain delayed proceedings before Chicago scored twice during extra innings to pull out an 8-7 victory to end their 108-year-long World Series drought.

2016 World Series Game 7 Highlights (Chicago Cubs vs Cleveland Indians)

1. 1975: Game 6 – Boston Red Sox 7, Cincinnati 6 (12 innings)

Game 6 of the 1975 World Series remains one of the most memorable moments in baseball. Boston’s Bernie Carbo stunned Fenway Park with his three-run, game-tying homer in the eighth inning. Carlton Fisk delivered one of the greatest sports moments with his solo homer off of Green Monster’s left field foul pole and made for one of its most exciting finishes ever, giving Boston 7-6 victory and forcing Game 7. This series had some of the greatest baseball players of the 1970s in it.

1975 World Series Game 6 Highlights (Cincinnati Reds vs Boston Red Sox)

Honorable mentions

2017: Game 5 – Houston Astros 13, Los Angeles Dodgers 12 (10 innings)

At one of the wildest Fall Classic games ever seen, both teams scored at least three runs in three of the four innings – Los Angeles’ Clayton Kershaw was rocked for six runs in 4 2/3 innings! Even with five homers from their team being hit off his mound by Houston, who pulled off an astonishing 13-12 win to take a 3-2 Series lead.

 1993: Game 6 – Toronto Blue Jays 8, Philadelphia Phillies 6

Joe Carter provided Toronto with its greatest moment ever during their World Series victory: an 8-6 win against Mitch Williams with Carter hitting a three-run homer down the left-field line to give Toronto an 8-6 victory and their second World Series championship ever.

2001: Game 5 – New York Yankees 3, Arizona Diamondbacks 2 (12 innings)

If the magic of Game 4 wasn’t enough for them, the Yankees weren’t content to stop there; they wanted more dramatics results in Game 5. Byung-Hyun Kim again attempted to protect a lead in the ninth before Scott Brosius hit an important two-run homer that tied it. New York eventually won it by scoring on Alfonso Soriano’s RBI single and took home three victories from their five game winning streak.

1991: Game 6 – Minnesota Twins 4, Atlanta Braves 3 (11 innings)

Kirby Puckett will forever remain beloved to Twins fans. Still, nothing tops his love by any measure than what happened in Game 6 against Atlanta during the 11th inning – Puckett hit a Charlie Leibrandt 2-1 pitch into left center field stands to send the Metrodome into an uproar and help win 4-3; legendary Jack Buck even told us, “See you… tomorrow night.”

1975: Game 7 – Cincinnati Reds 4, Boston Red Sox 3

Game 7 between the Reds and Red Sox often gets overshadowed by Game 6, yet it should remain one of the greatest underrated World Series finales ever. Boston led 3-0 going into the sixth inning, until Cincinnati started chipping away and eventually took control with Joe Morgan’s bloop single in the ninth. A 4-3 Red victory sealed their title!