Though much of the baseball world’s focus has shifted to a star-studded World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees, it may not be time to turn the page on what we saw in the previous round. The ALCS between the Yankees and Cleveland Guardians provided three instant classics, as the two clubs battled in a trio of contests that came down to the final at-bat.
With the action still fresh in the minds of fans, I took a look at where those contests rank among the best single League Championship games of the last 15 years. Though this list was completely subjective, I weighed several factors in my decision:
Before we get started with the rankings, here are some honorable mentions:
2010 ALCS Game 1: Yankees 6, Rangers 5
The Yankees would show why they were the defending World Series Champions when they stunned the Rangers with a five-run, eighth-inning rally. The Rangers would battle back by winning five of the next six contests, leading this comeback to be just another forgotten classic.
2010 NLCS Game 6: Giants 3, Phillies 2
The defining moment from this contest was Juan Uribe’s eighth-inning home run off reliever Ryan Madson that sent the Giants to the World Series. The rest of the game, however, was pretty underwhelming, and Edgar Renteria’s heroics against the Rangers would overshadow his fellow infielders NLCS heroics.
2011 ALCS Game 2: Rangers 7, Tigers 3
Though this game featured a walk-off grand slam from Nelson Cruz, it gets penalized for only having runs scored in four of the combined 22 half-innings in this 11-inning affair.
2012 ALCS Game 6: Tigers 6, Yankees 4
Had the Yankees completed the comeback after rallying for four runs in the ninth inning, this game would be near the top of the list. Unfortunately for the Bombers, the Tigers would recover with a pair of runs in the 12th, and this game is most remembered for Derek Jeter suffering a broken ankle while diving for a ground ball in extras.
2013 ALCS Game 6: Red Sox 5, Tigers 2
With the Boston Red Sox trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Shane Victorino clinched the American League pennant for the Red Sox with a grand slam. The issue for this game, however, is that the Flyin’ Hawaiians blast was only the second most memorable grand slam in the series.
2013 NLCS Game 1: Cardinals 3, Dodgers 2
In search of his first World Series championship, Carlos Beltran carried the Cardinals to a Game One victory, throwing out the potential go-ahead run at home in the top of the tenth before walking it off with a double in the bottom of the thirteenth. The exciting finish overshadowed nine straight scoreless innings between the two teams, and this contest featured only one lead change.
2014 NLCS Game 2: Cardinals 5, Giants 4
This game featured plenty of memorable moments, from Oscar Tavares pinch-hit homer in the eighth to Joe Panik scoring from second on a Trevor Rosenthal wild pitch in the ninth to Kolten Wong’s walk-off home run. The issue, however, is that the Cardinals would fail to win another game in the series, and Wong’s blast would only be the second most memorable walk-off in this series.
2018 NLCS Game 2: Dodgers 4, Brewers 3
Faced with the possibility of falling behind in the series two-games-to-none, Justin Turner’s two-run homer off Jeremy Jeffress helped the Dodgers overcome a 3-0 deficit. The problem with this game is that there was only one lead change, causing it to fall behind other back-and-forth affairs on this list.
2020 NLCS Game 7: Dodgers 4, Braves 3
It would take a lot for a game played in a neutral ballpark in front of 10,000 fans to make this list, and this contest, which was decided on a Cody Bellinger seventh-inning home run, just falls short.
2021 NLCS Game 3: Dodgers 6, Braves 5
Bellinger would haunt the Braves again a year later, tying the game with an eighth-inning three-run blast before Mookie Betts gave the Dodgers the lead with an RBI double. As memorable as that comeback was, the game was a bit of a snoozefest before the late rally, and the Braves would win two of the next three games to get their revenge on the Dodgers.
2024 ALCS Game 4: Yankees 8, Guardians 6
This game was lots of fun, from Giancarlo Stanton’s three-run moonshot to the Guardians tying the game in the eighth when Anthony Rizzo couldn’t coral a toss from pitcher Mark Leiter Jr. The finish, however, was a bit underwhelming, as the Yankees took the lead in the ninth on a Brayan Rocchio error that would have scored the go-ahead run regardless. It also has the misfortune of being sandwiched between two classics with more memorable moments.
15. 2021 NLCS Game 2: Dodgers @ Braves
The 2021 NLCS is one of the more underrated playoff series in recent memory. It was the second consecutive year the Braves and Dodgers faced off with the World Series on the line, although both clubs looked significantly different from their previous matchup. The Dodgers had added Trea Turner and Max Scherzer at the trade deadline, while the Braves had acquired four different outfielders to replace Ronald Acuna Jr. who had been lost for the season with a torn ACL.
The Braves clinched Game 1 on a walk-off single by Austin Riley, and Game 2 would prove to be another instant classic. Corey Seager staked Max Scherzer to an early lead with a first-inning two-run homer, but former Dodger Joc Pederson tied the game in the fourth with a two-run blast of his own. The score would remain tied until the seventh, where Chris Taylor would deliver a clutch two-run double off Tyler Matzek to give the Dodgers a 4-2 lead.
Needing just six outs to even the series headed back to Los Angeles, the Dodgers turned to usual starter Julio Urias to try and bridge the gap to All-Star closer Kenley Jansen. However, things quickly went awry when series MVP Eddie Rosario led off the inning with a single and scored on a single from Ozzie Albies. Austin Riley followed with what became the signature play of the game: A double in the left-center gap that scored a frantic and helmetless Albies, who slid home just before Will Smith’s tag.
With the score now tied, a desperate Dodgers team had no choice but to summon Jansen with two outs in the ninth and a runner on second base. It looked like Jansen would escape the jam until Rosario hit a line drive right to second baseman Trea Turner, but the ball would miraculously sneak under his glove and score pinch-runner Christian Pache with the winning run.
The Dodgers would push this series back to Atlanta by taking Games 3 and 5 but this comeback win proved too much to overcome.
14. 2017 ALCS Game 4: Astros @ Yankees
The first of many Astros-Yankees games on this list, Game 4 of the 2017 ALCS starting off a pitcher’s duel between Lance McCullers and Sonny Gray. Both offenses were completely held in check through five innings, but the Astros would finally cash in in the sixth. A pair of walks and a catcher’s inference knocked Gray out of the game, and Yuli Gurriel delivered the big hit with a three-run double down the left-field line.
Trailing 4-0 in the bottom of the seventh and facing the possibility of falling behind three-games-to-one in the series, the Yankees offense finally woke up. Aaron Judge would deliver the first punch with a monster home run to straightaway center, which put the Yankees on the board and chased McCullers from the game. Didi Gregorius would follow with a triple off the new pitcher Chris Devenski, and Gary Sanchez would make the score 4-2 with a sacrifice fly.
The Yankee Stadium crowd had finally come to life, and the Yankees offense would force the Astros hand with two straight singles to lead off the eighth. In came the hard-throwing Ken Giles, but instead of putting out the fire, the closer would only fan the flames. Brett Gardner brought the deficit within one with an RBI groundout, and Judge would deliver his second big hit in as many at-bats with a game-tying double off the left-field wall. Fellow Baby Bomber Gary Sanchez would put the Yankees in front for good with a two-run double, and the Yankees would go on to win 6-4 to even the series.
ALCS Gm4: Sanchez rips a go-ahead double in the 8th
Like many other games on this list, this contest tends to be forgotten due to what happened next. The Yankees would easily take Game Five to come within a game of the World Series, but the Astros would win the final two games at home to clinch the pennant. Given the legendary World Series and cheating scandal that would follow, this game tends to get lost in the shuffle.
13. 2013 ALCS Game 3: Red Sox @ Tigers
This might be the most unexpected game on the list, but I believe that this game was the best LCS pitcher’s duel since 2010. With the series tied at one after David Ortiz’s heroics in Game Two, the scene shifted to Detroit with a matchup between Justin Verlander and John Lackey. On paper, it looked to be an advantage for the Tigers as Verlander was just two years removed from winning MVP and at the height of his powers. Lackey on the other hand was in his first season back from Tommy John surgery and had been mediocre in his first postseason start against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Yet while Verlander mowed down the Red Sox as expected, Lackey matched him pitch-for-pitch. The veteran right-hander allowed just four hits over 6 2/3 innings, completely neutralizing a lineup that included MVP winner Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder, Torii Hunter, and Victor Martinez.
With the game scoreless headed into the seventh inning, Verlander would finally be the one to blink. He grooved a fastball to power-hitting first baseman Mike Napoli, who sent it over the Tigers bullpen in left-center to give the Red Sox a 1-0 lead.
Napoli breaks scoreless tie with homer
Lackey would finally depart in the seventh inning, which seemed to give life to a stagnant Tigers lineup. With one out in the bottom of the eighth, Austin Jackson worked a walk off future Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow and advanced to third on a Torii Hunter single. Comerica Park finally came to life, and up stepped Cabrera with runners on the corners and just one out. Instead of using his splitter to get the slow-footed Cabrera to pounce into a double play, Junichi Tazawa challenged him with four straight fastballs and caught him chasing with the fourth one to strike him out. The Red Sox weren’t out of the woods yet, though, and manager John Farrell summoned closer Koji Uehara to face Fielder. The eventual ALCS MVP would catch the slugger chasing a splitter out of the zone and would breeze through the ninth to seal a 1-0 win.
As fans, we all want to see offenses do a little more damage than a combined one run on 10 hits, but there was something truly special about this pitching matchup. It paired two of the era’s best postseason pitchers at very different stages of their careers, and the underdog came out on top. This game also shifted the momentum of this series even further in the Red Sox direction, and they would end up winning the ALCS in six games along the way to another World Series championship.
12. 2017 ALCS Game 2/2019 ALCS Game 2: Yankees @ Astros
This might be cheating a little bit, but these two games were so eerily similar that I couldn’t pick one over the other. Both were played in Minute Maid Park, both saw the Astros send Justin Verlander to the mound, and both ended on a Carlos Correa swing. Even though both games were classics, they fell a bit in the rankings because they blend together in the lore of the Yankees/Astros rivalry.
Though Verlander was sharp in each outing, his 2017 performance was objectively his strongest. Just two months after coming over from the Tigers, the future Hall-of-Fame proved to be worth the investment with a complete-game masterpiece, allowing just one hit over nine innings and striking out 13. The Yankees pitching staff, however, would match him pitch-for-pitch, as Luis Severino and a stout Yankees bullpen allowed just a Carlos Correa solo shot on the board through eight innings.
The game would enter the bottom of the ninth tied at one, and the pressure turned to the Astros top-of-the-order to end the game quickly with Verlander likely done for the day. After Josh Reddick struck out to lead off the inning, Jose Altuve would single to left field off Yankee closer Aroldis Chapman. That brought Correa to the plate, who worked the count full before lining the ball into the left-center gap. Aaron Judge made a great play by quickly cutting the ball off but made the fateful decision of throwing to second base instead of the cutoff man. Seeing this, Altuve charged full steam ahead towards home and Didi Gregorius quickly had to turn and fire towards the plate. The throw easily beat the runner, but catcher Gary Sanchez couldn’t pick the short hop, allowing Altuve to slide home with the game-winning run.
Extended Cut of Correa’s walk-off double in Game 2 – YouTube
The MVP second baseman would also be involved in a bizarre play at home in the 2019 contest, this time on the defensive side of the ball. With the score tied at two in the sixth, the Yankees put runners on first on second with two outs for the scrappy Brett Gardner. The veteran left fielder hit a hard ground ball right at Altuve, who was unable to pick the short hop. Like Altuve two years earlier, LeMahieu tried to catch the Astros napping by attempting to score from second, but the ball deflected right towards Correa at shortstop. The future Platinum Glove winner fired a strike home to catcher Robinson Chirinos, who, unlike Sanchez in 2017, fielded the ball cleanly and tagged LeMahieu for the third out.
Astros’ Carlos Correa gets huge out at home to keep ALCS Game 2 tied! | MLB Highlights
That heads-up play from Correa would prove crucial, as both bullpens would pitch strongly into extra innings. It took until the 11th inning for someone to deliver the big hit, and it would once again be Correa who delivered. The 24-year-old blasted the first pitch he saw from J.A. Happ over the right field wall, sending the Minute Maid Park crowd into a frenzy and evening the ALCS at a game apiece.
Carlos Correa Walk Off Home Run vs Yankees | Astros vs Yankees ALCS Game 2 | October 13, 2019
11. 2016 NLCS Game 1: Dodgers @ Cubs
The story of the 2016 National League Championship series was undoubtedly the massive pressure surrounding the 103-win Chicago Cubs. After coming up short to the Mets in the 2015 NLCS, the Cubs had rolled through the regular season and overcame the pesky, three-time champion San Fransisco Giants in the NLDS. They once again sat on the doorstep of their first World Series since 1945, but the final step would not be a cakewalk. Opposing them were the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers, who still had prime Clayton Kershaw anchoring their rotation and had added NL Rookie of the Year Corey Seager to their already stacked lineup.
All the ingredients of a classic series were there, and the opening game did not disappoint. The Cubs scored in each of the first two innings against Kenta Maeda, taking a 3-0 lead when Javy Baez baited a throw to third after a missed squeeze attempt by Jon Lester and raced home before Justin Turner’s throw. Fortunately for Lester, he would be much better at pitching than he was at bunting, and he delighted the Wrigley Field crowd by dominating the Dodger bats. Andre Either got them on the board with a wind-assisted solo home run in the fifth, but Lester left after six innings with a 3-1 lead.
The game was now in the hands of a deep Cubs bullpen, but after a scoreless seventh, things began to unravel in the eighth. Nine-hitter Andrew Toles led off the frame with a single, and grizzled vet Chase Utley drew a walk to bring the go-ahead run to the plate. Justin Turner would follow with a ground ball to third that looked like the first out of the inning, but Toles beat Kris Bryant to the bag to load the bases with nobody out. Taking no chances, Cubs’ manager Joe Maddon would bring in Aroldis Chapman for the rare six-out save. It looked like the hard-throwing lefty would pull a magic act by striking out Seager and Yasiel Puig, but Adrian Gonzalez ripped a base hit up the middle to tie the game at three.
While the Wrigley Field crowd sat in stunned silence after watching another late-inning lead slip away, the Cubs offense began to rally off reliever Joe Blanton. Ben Zobrist led off the inning with a double, and Jayson Heyward would receive an intentional walk to put runners on first and second with one out. After Baez flew out to right, rookie manager Dave Roberts would make the curious decision to issue another intentional walk to Chris Coghlan to bring the pitcher’s spot to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded. Maddon would turn to Miguel Montero, who had been demoted to third catcher after the emergence of Wilson Contreras. The veteran had spent nearly all of the postseason riding the bench, but he would meet the moment and then some.
Montero belts grand slam to give Cubs lead
With the party already starting at Wrigley Field, Dexter Fowler would follow with a solo home run of his own to give the Cubs a five-run lead. The Dodgers would manage to scratch across a run in the ninth, but Hector Rondon would close out the 8-4 victory. The win would prove critical for the rest of the series, as even when the Dodgers won the next two games, the Cubs were able to return home for Game 6 to clinch the pennant.
10. 2023 NLCS Game 4: Phillies @ Diamondbacks
In terms of its impact on the state of the series, perhaps no single game flipped the script like Game Four of the 2023 NLCS between the Phillies and the Diamondbacks. The 84-win Diamondbacks shocked the Dodgers with a three-game sweep in the NLDS, but the magic appeared to have run out when they arrived in Philadelphia. The Phillies took Game 1 by a 5-3 margin before embarking on a home-run barrage in Game 2 to give them a 2-0 series advantage as the series headed to Arizona.
Even though the Diamondbacks won on a walk-off in Game 3, the odds appeared stacked against them in Game Four. They would be forced to use throw a bullpen game from their staff against Phillies left-hander Christopher Sanchez. Though they would jump out to an early 2-0 lead, their bullpen began to falter against an explosive Phillies lineup. Philadelphia would tie the game in the fifth on a Brandon Marsh double before taking a 4-2 lead in the sixth on an Emmanuel Rivera throwing error.
The score would be 5-3 in the eighth when the Phillies handed the ball to potential future Hall-of-Fame closer Craig Kimbrel. A day after allowing the walk-off hit, it was clear that the Diamondbacks had Kimbrel figured out again. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. led off the inning, and Longoria hit a sharp liner right to left fielder Kyle Schwarber for a loud first out. Kimbrel had dodged a bullet, but his luck would quickly run out. 23-year-old Alex Thomas, who posted a .647 OPS in the regular season, would work the count full before smacking a two-run home run into the pool in right field to tie the game.
Alek Thomas TIES NLCS GAME 4 in the bottom of the 8th!
Perhaps shell-shocked from a game that slipped away, manager Rob Thomson kept his beleaguered veteran on the mound, and that would prove to be a critical mistake. Kimbrel would allow a single to Ketel Marte and hit Corbin Caroll, which finally forced Thomson to pull him in favor of Jose Alverado. Yet Alvarado wouldn’t be able to contain the surging Diamondbacks either, as Gabriel Moreno greeted him with an RBI single to left field that gave the Diamondbacks a 6-5 lead.
TOO CLUTCH! Gabriel Moreno hits a go-ahead single for the D-backs in the 8th inning of NLCS Game 4!
The Phillies would make one last push in the top of the ninth when Schwarber roped a two-out double into the right-field corner, but closer Paul Sewald would strike out Trea Turner to close out the game and even the series. The unlikely victory proved even more critical the next day when the Phillies lit up ace Zac Gallen in a 6-1 victory. That win could have very easily clinched the series, but because of the Game Four comeback, the Diamondbacks still had life. They would claim both games in Philadelphia to clinch their first National League pennant since 2001.
9. 2024 ALCS Game 3: Yankees @ Guardians
How many games in postseason history have had four epic home runs in the span of four innings? Trailing 3-1 and facing All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase, it all seemed lost for the Yankees until Aaron Judge exorcised postseason demons with a two-out, two-strike home run that just snuck over the right field wall to tie the game. Moments later, Giancarlo Stanton deposited a hanging slider into right-center to give the Yankees a 4-3 lead.
Those home runs, however, would only prove to be an opening act to what would come next. The Yankees scored once more in the top of the ninth and handed closer Luke Weaver, who had been automatic in the postseason, a 5-3 advantage. Weaver would quickly retire the first two hitters before a double by Lane Thomas brought the tying run to the plate in the form of pinch-hitter Jhonkensy Noel. Big Christmas had done virtually nothing since the beginning of September and had barely played all postseason, but none of that mattered when he connected on a hanging changeup, giving us one of the best home runs and one of the best broadcasting calls in postseason history.
BIG CHRISTMAS! Jhonkensy Noel TIES ALCS Game 3 with a 2-run homer in the 9th!!
The Yankees would strand a pair of runners in the top of the tenth, and the Guardians would advance the winning run to third with two outs in the bottom half. That brought David Fry to the plate, who had saved the Guardians season in the ALDS with a go-ahead two-run home run against the Tigers. That home run was awesome, but this is where Fry would officially cement his place in Cleveland sports immortality. He blasted a Clay Holmes pitch over the left field wall to give the Guardians a 7-5 win and send Progressive Field into a frenzy.
GUARDIANS WIN IT!! David Fry WALKS OFF ALCS GAME 3 against the Yankees!!
The big issue with this game, of course, is that the Guardians failed to capitalize on this win. They would drop the next two contests (more on one of them later) and lose the series in five games. So, while this game was undoubtedly awesome, it’s more likely to be a footnote in a memorable series than a true classic.
8. 2015 ALCS Game 6: Blue Jays @ Royals
Facing elimination and taking on a star-studded Royals team in Kaufman Stadium, the Blue Jays handed the ball to hired gun David Price to try and extend the series to a winner-take-all seventh game. Though he allowed a pair of solo home runs, Price would prove effective over 6 2/3 innings and keep the Blue Jays in the game. The issue for them was that Yordano Ventura was even better, allowing just one run over 5 1/3 innings and turning things over to a dominant Royals bullpen to try and protect a two-run lead.
All seemed according to plan when Kelvin Herrera follow Ventura with 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, but fellow reliever Ryan Madson could not do the same. A Ben Revere single would bring the dangerous Jose Bautista to the plate as the tying run. Already possessing one homer on the day, Bautista would send a Madson fastball deep into the Kansas City night, tying the score at three and silencing a frenzied Kaufmann Stadium crowd.
Bautista hits a two-run homer to tie Game 6
Looking to keep the momentum, the Blue Jays would summon phenom closer Roberto Osuna in the eighth. The 20-year-old had allowed just one run in his first 7 1/3 postseason innings, but he would not have it on this day. A leadoff walk to speedster Lorenzo Cain spelled immediate trouble, and an Eric Hosmer single to right appeared to put runners on the corners with nobody out. Cain, however, would not stop at third, bolting home when the throw came into second and easily scoring the go-ahead run.
Hosmer hits RBI single to break tie in 8th
The tension would only grow in the ninth inning, as the usually automatic Wade Davis allowed a single, two stolen bases, and a walk to put the Blue Jays on the cusp of tying the game. Davis would settle down by striking out the next two batters, bringing MVP Josh Donaldson to the plate with runners on second and third and two outs. Donaldson had delivered big hits all season for the Jays, but he could only manage a weak chopper to third base. Mike Moustakas fielded cleanly and threw on to Eric Hosmer to clinch the Royals second consecutive pennant. They would go on to defeat the New York Mets in five games to win their first World Series since 1985, a championship that may not have been possible without Cain’s daring baserunning and Davis’s clutch performances.
Davis induces groundout, Royals win pennant
7. 2023 ALCS Game 5: Astros @ Rangers
Another Justin Verlander start means another ALCS classic. Unlike the previous three entries on this list, this 40-year-old Justin Verlander relied more on veteran moxie in this bout than power and was making what we can now say was likely the last postseason start of his career. The future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer would need every bit of his expertise to navigate a tough Texas Rangers lineup and give the Astros a 3-2 series lead.
Verlander would have a lead before he even took the mound, as Alex Bregman took the white-hot Jordan Montgomery deep to put the Astros on the scoreboard. The Rangers offense would manage just a single hit in the first four innings against Verlander but would begin to figure out the Astros ace in the fifth. First came the game-tying blast from the struggling Nathaniel Lowe, then Adolis Garcia delivered the knockout punch to Verlander in the sixth with a three-run homer to put the Rangers up 4-2.
Adolis García CRUSHES a clutch 3-run homer FOR THE LEAD in ALCS Game 5!
Long known for his flair and theatrics, Garcia took his time to admire his no-doubter, which only heightened the tensions between these two division rivals even further. Astros reliever Bryan Abreu would drill Garcia in the wrist in his next at-bat, which emptied the benches and resulted in the ejections of Abreu, Garcia, and Astros manager Dusty Baker.
Benches clear in Game 5 with multiple ejections after Adolis Garcia is hit by a pitch | MLB on ESPN
In a weird way, the hit-by-pitch may have helped the Astros chance at a comeback. Rangers closer Jose Leclerc had entered in the eighth for a four-out save, and the scrum in the bottom half had forced him to sit on the bench much longer than he was used to. Leclerc would look rusty to begin the ninth, allowing a single to Yanier Diaz before walking pinch-hitter Jon Singleton. Up came the last man the Rangers wanted to see at the plate: Postseason legend Jose Altuve. Leclerc was in deep trouble, and Altuve would, as Joe Davis would say, meet the moment again.
Jose Altuve hits a 9th-inning ALCS homer FOR THE LEAD!!
Faced with the possibility of dropping three straight home games and falling behind in the series 3-2, the Rangers would mount a rally of their own in the ninth. Mitch Garver and Jonah Heim led off the ninth with singles, bringing the home crowd back to life as the lineup turned over to Marcus Semien. The MVP candidate would like what looked like a sure base hit, but defensive replacement Grae Kissinger leapt up to make a game-saving catch. Closer Ryan Pressly would then get Corey Seager to fly out and Evan Carter to strike out to clinch an improbable 5-4 win.
Had the Astros rode the momentum to another American League pennant, this game would have surely been near the top of the list. Yet like the 2019 World Series, the Astros won all three road games of a series only to lose all four games. Garcia looked like a man on a mission following the Game 5 shenanigans, and the Rangers would score 20 runs in Game 6 and 7 to advance to the World Series.
6. 2014 NLCS Game 5: Cardinals @ Giants
In a year dominated by elite pitching, Game Five of the NLCS featured a matchup of two aces at the top of their game. Adam Wainwright and Madison Bumgarner finished third and fourth respectively in the NL Cy Young voting, winning a combined 38 games and posting ERA’s below three. Both pitchers already had memorable postseason moments and World Series rings on their resume but were looking to add another chapter in 2014.
Early on, however, the pitcher’s duel took a backseat to a home-run barrage. Rookie Joe Panik gave the Giants the lead in the bottom of the second with a two-run homer into McCovey Cove, but Matt Adams would tie the game the very next inning with a longball of his own. Two batters later, the Cardinals would receive another homer from the most unlikely source, as backup catcher Tony Cruz, who was filling in for an injured Yadier Molina, connected with a solo shot to left to give the Cardinals a 3-2 lead.
Almost in unison, the two aces found their groove, and Cardinals took their one-run lead into the eighth. At 97 pitches, manager Mike Matheny decided that Wainwright’s day was done, and in came All-Star Pat Nishek. Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy countered with pinch-hitter Michael Morse. A slow-footed former 30 home-run hitter, Morse was up there to do one thing, and when Nishek gave him a slider over the middle of the plate, he would connect with the game-tying home run.
NLCS Gm5: Morse crushes game-tying homer in the 8th
The Cardinals immediately gave themselves a chance in the top of the ninth, putting two runners on with only one out for Kolten Wong, who hit a walk-off home run in Game Two. It looked like Wong would play hero again when he hit a hard ground ball between short and third, but the ball deflected off a diving Pablo Sandoval’s glove right to shortstop Brandon Crawford, who threw to second for the force out. Pinch-hitter Oscar Taveras would follow with a weak ground ball back to the mound, and the game headed to the ninth with score still knotted at three.
Needing a scoreless inning to save their season, the Cardinals turned not to closer Trevor Rosenthal but starter-turned-reliever Michael Wacha. The 22-year-old had burst onto the scene during the Cardinals 2013 run to the World Series by allowing just one run over his first three starts but was hampered by injuries in 2014 and was moved to the bullpen for the postseason. He hadn’t pitched since the end of September, and the rust was evident when he allowed a single and a walk to put the winning run in scoring position with just one out. Up to the plate came Travis Ishikawa, who had given the Cardinals a lead earlier in the game by misplaying a fly ball in left field. He would make up for it and then some, blasting a 2-0 fastball over the right-field wall to send the Giants to their third World Series in five years.
S Gm5: Ishikawa sends Giants to World Series with homer
5. 2018 ALCS Game 5: Red Sox @ Astros
In what was a hard-fought series between two 100-win teams at the height of their powers, Game Four proved to be the best. The first hint that this would be a game to remember came in the bottom of the first inning, when Jose Altuve lifted a fly ball to right field that appeared to leave the yard and knot the score at two. The umpire crew, however, saw differently, and they ruled that a fan had prevented Mookie Betts from making the catch. Instead of a game-tying home run, Joe West called Jose Altuve out and ordered George Springer to go back to first.
Jose Altuve’s home run taken away after ump calls fan interference in ALCS — was this call right?
From there, the two teams would trade the lead back and forth, as neither Astros starter Charlie Morton nor Red Sox starter Rick Porcello could slow down the opposing bats. Eventual series MVP Jackie Bradley Jr. would finally put the Red Sox ahead for good when he deposited a Josh James changeup over the right field wall to give Boston a 6-5 lead.
The lead would be extended to 8-6 by the ninth inning, but even a two-run advantage felt dangerous for the struggling Craig Kimbrel. The Red Sox closer had struggled with his command all postseason long, and he would once again load the bases for MVP candidate Alex Bregman. The third baseman would line the first pitch he saw into left field, looking for all the world like a base hit that would score the two runs that would tie the game. But Red Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi thought differently, as he laid out for an incredible catch that secured the save for Kimbrel and gave the Red Sox a 3-1 series lead.
Watch an extended cut of Andrew Benintendi’s game-ending catch
Had Benintendi missed the ball, it’s likely that the ball would have rolled all the way to the fence, emptied the bases, and given the Astros an improbable win to even the series. Instead, the Red Sox would win the pennant the next day before defeating the Dodgers in five games to cement their place as the greatest team in franchise history.
4. 2022 NLCS Game 5: Padres @ Phillies
After taking down the favored Cardinals and Braves in the first two rounds, the Phillies entered Game 5 with a 3-1 series lead and just one win away from their first World Series since 2009. Also working in their favor was their starting pitcher in this contest, as ace Zack Wheeler was coming off a Cy-Young caliber season and had dominated the Padres in the series opener. It looked like Wheeler would once again lead the Phillies to victory, yet another Rhys Hoskins home run had the Phillies up 2-1 headed into the seventh inning.
Much as they did in the Division Series against the Dodgers, however, the Padres would not go quietly. A leadoff single from Jake Cronenworth marked the end of the day for Wheeler, and Josh Bell would greet Seranthony Dominguez with an RBI double. That’s when the steady Philadelphia rain came into play, as Dominguez uncorked a pair of wild pitches to score pinch-runner Jesus Azocar and give the Padres a 3-2 lead.
After a scoreless seventh, the eighth inning arrived with the matchup every baseball fan had been waiting for. With a runner on first and nobody out, two-time MVP Bryce Harper strode to the plate against fire-throwing reliever Robert Suarez. Over his eleven-year career, Harper had established himself as one of the game’s best clutch hitters but had yet to reach the World Series. This was the biggest at-bat of his career, and Harper would once again deliver, sending a 99-mph Suarez fastball over the left-field wall in what announcer Joe Davis appropriately described as “the swing of his life.”
BRYCE HARPER, ARE YOU SERIOUS?! A go-ahead 2-run homer as the Phillies inch closer to World Series!
The Padres mounted a rally in the ninth, but with runners on second and third and two outs, Ranger Suarez got Austin Nola to lift a lazy fly ball to right field to clinch the pennant. Though the Phillies ultimately lost the World Series, Harper’s homer will go down in history as one of the best players of his generation’s signature moment.
3. 2024 ALCS Game 5: Yankees @ Guardians
In contrast to the back-and-forth events of the previous night, Game Five got off to a bit of a slow start. The Guardians scratched out a pair of runs against Carlos Rodon, and Tanner Bibee recovered from a disastrous Game 2 start by shutting out the Yankees through 5. It looked like the Guardians were on their way to sending the series back to New York before series MVP Giancarlo Stanton would change everything with a two-run moonshot that tied the score at two.
GIANCARLO is MADE FOR THE MOMENT! HUGE CLUTCH HOMER by Stanton!
The next four innings would be an intense bullpen battle, as both teams deployed their best relievers to keep the game tied. The Yankees would finally mount a rally in the tenth, when an Austin Wells walk and a Brayan Rocchio error put two runners on with two outs. With the series hanging in the balance, Yankees superstar Juan Soto and Guardians fireballer Hunter Gaddis would engage in an epic ten-pitch battle. Gaddis would be the one to blink, leaving a fastball over the middle of the plate that Soto sent over the center field wall to give the Yankees a 5-2 lead.
Juan Soto 3-Run Home Run Sends Yankees to the World Series | 2024 MLB Postseason
While this game wasn’t as beginning-to-end exciting as the Phillies-Padres contest, it gets the edge for one simple reason. As epic as it was, Harper’s blast came in the eighth inning with nobody out, meaning the Phillies would have had a few more chances had Harper not come through. Soto’s blast, meanwhile, came with two outs in the tenth inning, and with the Yankees bullpen on fumes, the advantage would have swung back to the Guardians in the bottom of the tenth.
2. 2013 ALCS Game 2: Tigers @ Red Sox
In terms of an isolated signature moment, nothing can top David Ortiz’s game-tying, eighth-inning grand slam that completely turned the tables and set the stage for Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s walk-off single. Besides the sheer awesomeness of Big Papi, that one swing legitimately saved the Red Sox season. Trailing 5-1 and down to their final four outs, the Red Sox were staring down a trip to Detroit down two-games-to none with a date facing prime Justin Verlander in Game Three. With one swing from their big DH, the Red Sox went from an almost certain defeat to a 1-1 series with all the momentum.
David Ortiz ties the game with grand slam in 2013 ALCS Game 2 – YouTube
The reason this game isn’t number one is because the rest of the game wasn’t quite as epic. After getting one -hit and striking out 17 times against Anibal Sanchez the previous night, the Red Sox were overmatched once again by Max Scherzer. The Tigers offense, meanwhile, exploded in the sixth inning with four runs off Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz to take the crowd out of the game. As exciting as Ortiz’s home run and the ninth-inning rally was, a truly generational classic is intense from the first pitch to the last.
1. 2019 ALCS Game 6: Yankees @ Astros
Whether you like great pitching, elite defense, or clutch home runs, this game had something for you. After beating Justin Verlander in Game Five to stave off elimination, the Yankees traveled back to Houston needing two straight wins to advance to their first World Series in a decade. The odds were stacked against them, and things looked bleak when Yuli Gurriel got the Astros on the board with a three-run homer in the Crawford Boxes.
Facing an assortment of Astros relievers, the Yankees began to chip away at the deficit. Gary Sanchez drove in Didi Gregorius with an RBI single in the second, and Gio Urshela would bring the Yankees within one with a solo homer in the fourth. The score would be 4-2 in the seventh when Aaron Hicks strode to the plate as the tying run. Hicks lifted a fly ball to short left field that looked like a certain base hit, but Michael Brantley laid out for a highlight-worthy catch before throwing behind Aaron Judge at first base to complete the double play.
Michael Brantley’s INSANE Double-Play In Game 6 | ALCS Game 6 (2019)
The momentum was now fully with the home team, and All-Star closer Roberto Osuna would enter in the ninth to try and send the Astros to the World Series. A leadoff single would bring the tying run to the plate, but Osuna would fan Brett Gardner to record the first out. The inning would turn to D.J LeMahieu, the first-year Yankee who had hit .327 during the regular season. Lemahieu lifted a fly ball to right field that just snuck over George Springer’s glove, tying the score at four and silencing the Minute Maid crowd.
DJ Lemahieu Game-Tying 2-Run Home Run vs Astros | Yankees vs Astros ALCS Game 6
With the top of the Astros order looming, the Yankees summoned closer Aroldis Chapman to pitch the bottom of the ninth. After quickly retiring the first two batters, the hard-throwing lefty walked Springer on five pitches to put the tying run on first base. Up came Jose Altuve, who has already established himself as one of the best postseason hitters of all time. After working the count to 2-1, Altuve took a hanging Chapman slider and deposited it into the train tracks, sending the Astros to the World Series and putting the finishing touches on the best league championship game since 2010.
Jose Altuve Walk Off 2-Run Home Run vs Yankees | Astros vs Yankees ALCS Game 6
WBN MLB: https://worldbaseball.com/league/mlb/
Photo Credit: Manager Dave Roberts #30 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates in the clubhouse after becoming the national league champions and advancing to the World Series by winning Game 6 of the NLCS presented by loanDepot between the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Sunday, October 20, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
