Bill Mazeroski rounding third after hitting his 1960 Walk off Homer. Photo Getty Images
This is a great topic and a great article from ESPN’s Jim Caple yesterday. What single baseball game would you want to travel back in time to see?
Caple surveyed a variety of people, from movie stars to current players to fellow baseball columnists, and listed their choices. His article makes for a great read. Some of the choices were great. I won’t spoil all of them here; you have to read the article.
For me, the knee jerk answer was immediately one of two games:
- Babe Ruth‘s “Called Shot” game from the 1932 World Series (Game 3), or
- Game 7 of the 1960 World Series, which may have been the greatest game in the history of Baseball, featuring Bill Mazeroski‘s walk off home run.
The Called shot game is kind of a baseball cliche; it is one of those lasting legends of the game. But the only reason to go see that game would be to answer this question; the game itself wasn’t that great. The box-score reveals a game where the Yankees jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead on the called shot, the Cubs fought back but then back-to-back homers from Ruth and Lou Gehrig put the game away and it was never close after that. I’d want to go back for the first INNING of that game, see the homer, then go to the 1960 game :-).
As it turns out, I’m not really that interested in finding out whether Ruth really called his shot for this reason: the Boss family happens to have a bit of inside information, believe it or not, on the game itself and whether or not it really occurred. You see, we’re family friends with none other than the son (and grandson, who is my age and who i’ve known since childhood) of former baseball commissioner Kinesaw Mountain Landis, and he was actually AT THE GAME as a child guest of his father. And I’m pretty sure he’ll tell you that Ruth did call the shot.
So, for me, I’d want to see the 1960 game. Check out the box score from Game 7 of the 1960 world series. Here’s the Recap:
- Pittsburgh jumps to a 4-0 lead early.
- Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle help spark a 4-run rally in the 6th to take a 5-4 lead.
- The Yankees extend their lead to 7-5 in the top of the 8th.
- The Pirates rally for FIVE runs in the bottom of the 8th for a 9-7 lead.
- The Yankees’ two hall of famers Berra and Mantle manage to drive in the tying runs in the top of the 9th to make it 9-9.
- Mazeroski blasts a walk-off homer on a 1-0 count to lead off the bottom of the 9th and win the world series.
What a game!! For all of us who thought last year’s Game 6 was amazing, this game looked even more amazing. Plus you’d get to see two legends in Mantle and Berra.
Read the article and tell me in the comments what game you’d want to travel back for. Disco Night? 1975 Game 6? Don Larsen‘s perfect game? Jackie Robinson‘s debut? How about Game 7 of the 1924 series, a 12-inning affair featuring a slew of Hall of Famers and was also the last time Washington won a World Series?