Top 5

[StewartB]

• AT&T Park, San Francisco
• Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore
• Coors Field, Denver
• Safeco Field, Seattle
• Busch Stadium, St Louis

[Leemarlin87]

Lets' start a new one of these

Top 5 moments in Baseball involving your team (make it moments that have happened whilst you've been a fan and if possible reference single moments rather then just saying winning the world series etc)

1) Alex Gonazalez walk off HR of Jeff Weaver in game 4 of the 2003 World series:

down 2-1 in the series to the Yankees who had scored 2 runs in the 9th to take the game to extras and Gonzalez ends it by lining a ball just over the left field corner wall and went on to dominate the final 2 games to win the series, great moment as a fan it was about 5.30 in the morning if I remember and my Mum had just gotten up with my Stepdad who started work at 6, she was amazed to see me still up watching and when Gonzalez hit that shot I leapt up and let out a massive yesss which made them jump in the kitchen in the next room, Great memories I can't believe that series was 9 years ago now, incredible to think I was only 16 at the time

2) Josh Beckett fielding ground ball for the final out to finish his complete game shutout of the Yankees in Game 6 and clinch World series:

Similar story of me leaping up and jumping deliriously as we won the whole thing, never thought it would happen and was just so happy that we had upset Goliath in there own backyard as well.

3) Jeremy Hermida hits Grand Slam in his first ever ML at-Bat:

Still remember this like it was yesterday as well, Hermida makes his major league debut as a pinch hitter with the bases loaded and smacks a Grand Slam vs the Cards, only the 2nd guy in history to to do it at the time been done twice since I think but he is still the only 1 to do it as a pinch hitter, couldn't believe when I was just checking the date it was 2005, shame he never really made it the majors after this explosive start, remember it well as it was on TV on that strange betting channel when C5 lost the Wednesday night baseball rights for the 2nd half of that season, still got the tape of it somewhere I think.

4) Anibal Sanchez throws No-Hitter:

Great night for the team as Sanchez no hits the D'backs for the teams 4th no hitter in franchise history, this was back in 2006 man time has really flown by with these moments and they still feel as raw and fresh like they happened just yesterday.

[galraen]

1. The Catch

Oct. 15, 1972, was Game Two of the 1972 World Series. The favored Cincinnati Reds hosted the AL champion Oakland A’s. The A’s had surprisingly won the first game, 3-2 (the first of a record six games decided by one run in this World Series), on the strength of a pair of home runs by little-known catcher Gene Tenace. The Reds badly wanted to win Game Two. Teams that drop the first two home games in a World Series have awful odds to win it all.

Oakland, however, took an early lead, scoring one in the second inning on an RBI single by ace pitcher Catfish Hunter. In the third, Oakland got an additional run from a solo shot by leftfielder Joe Rudi. The A’s made the 2-0 lead stick, maintaining it into the ninth.

In the ninth, Hunter began to tire, though. First he allowed a leadoff single to Tony Perez. Then he let a pitch go that nearly cost the A’s the lead. Cincinnati’s Dennis Menke connected on a Hunter pitch with a massive shot that went deep to left. For a little bit, it looked like the ball might go out for a two-run homer, but it didn’t quite have enough to go over the fence.

Instead it went to Rudi, who was about to make an all-time great circus catch. It wasn’t just an ordinary catch at the wall as several factors made it worse. First, this was back in the day when World Series games were still played during the day and wouldn’t you know it, the sun was glaring right in Rudi’s eyes as he looked for the ball. Yeah, he had his sunglasses on, but still, it’s the sun. Second, based on the angle and where Rudi was, he had to catch it backhanded. Third, the ball wasn’t just by the wall, it was headed for the top of the wall, so Rudi would have to jump to catch it.

Rudi fought the sun and made a backhanded catch while crashing into the wall in Cincinnati’s Riverfront Stadium. If he hadn’t, a run would be in, and the tying runner would stand in scoring position.



Joe also caught the final out in the 1972 world series.

2. May 1st 1991, the Athletics are playing the Yankees in the Coliseum. Tim Leary's pitching for the Evil Empire with Rickey Henderson on second base. Rickey takes off and swipes the 939nth stolen base of his career to break Lou Brock's all time record. Later the same day Nolan Ryan threw his 7th no hitter of his career, breaking his own record.

3. September 4th 2002. The A's had won 19 consecutive games and had 11 -5 lead going into the top of the eighth. Jeff Tam and Chad Bradford combined to give up 5 runs in the inning to make the score 11-10; in the top of the ninth the original Cardiac Closer, Billy Koch blew the save by giving up one run to tie the game. Scott Hatteberg came to the plate with one out and launched a home run to win the game, setting a new AL record for consecutive wins.

4. October 6, 2006. Third game of the ALDS. Two for the price of one. First is the memory of Mark Kotsay hitting a fly ball to right centre, Torri Hunter makes a hopeless dive to catch the ball, it scoots past him and Kotsay flies round the bases with his shirt tail hanging out and flapping in his own jets stream as he scores on an inside the park home run. Second is Maco Scutaro coming to the plate, the crowd goes into it's Marco Scutaro (Left side chanting Mark, Right side Scutaro), Marco scorches a double down the right sideline to kill the game. A's sweep the Piranas but get swept in turn by the Tigers in the ALCS.

5. October 3rd, 2012. Grant Balfour enters the game for the fifth time in five days, and strikes out the Rangers yet again, clinching an unbelievable comeback by the A's to win the division. We had trailed the Rangers by as much as 13 games just prior to the All Star Break and hadn't lead the division outright until the final day of the season. Not to be forgotten is Brandon Moss's 3 run double which broke the game open in the 4th inning

[Adam31]

Not seen this... why not

1) "Back to Foulke...Red Sox fans have longed to hear it.. THE BOSTON RED SOX ARE THE WORLD CHAMPIONS"

I remember watching this game, i watched games 1 and 4 i think. Being 12, and with school, I was limited to what i could watch. I remember not really knowing how into this i was (only started following the team about 16 months earlier). Yet that Yankees ALCS (especially in '04) had me gripped, and seeing how much it meant to everyone, and giving Oxford had never given me a promotion or anything to shout about, I really enjoyed this.

2) Jon Lester strikes out Alberto Callaspo, for his No-Hitter

It's no secret, Jon Lester is my favourite pitcher, he has been for years, other than Johnny Damon (before he joined the Yankees) he's my favourite Red Sox player ever. This was such a great moment, just to see a no-no thrown by a Red Sox, but giving that in 2007, 2008 and 2009 i really didn't watch many games, channel 5 had lost the rights, and i was too young to earn enough money for MLB.TV, so i remember watching (illegally i 'm pretty sure) and just being absolutely gripped.

This is before we even discuss the fact Lester had recovered from cancer, and that tangent. I remember absolutely leaping from my chair when he got this strikeout, absolutely brilliant moment.

3) Papelbon strikes out Seth Smith (?), wins 2007 World Series

This should be number 2, but i could only watch the first inning (NASN had a half hour free view for baseball games in 2007, then switched off). I resorted to listening to it on the radio, which certainly took a little gloss off it. I still remember being delighted, but there's certainly something a bit more special about actually seeing these moments.

4) J.D Drew's walk off, Game 5 2008 ALCS

3-1 down in the series, 7-0 in the game, i think almost everybody accepted this was over. Even the Red Sox with all their past comebacks wouldn't pull this one off. So to see the furious comeback was brilliant, then as Drew hits the ball into the outfield and clears the outfielders and the commentary just says ..."we'll see you in Tampa", i genuinely believed the Red Sox would go on and win the series (which if it wasn't for Matt Garza, they would've).

5) Ryan Kalish Grand Slam, 2010 Regular Season (12-5 win vs Rays)

Albeit a game in September with nothing on it for the Red Sox, i was at Fenway Park for 2 days (lost the night before to the White Sox) and this was the best moment from my time there, I remember my deats being down the right field line. As people started leaving, we started shuffling round the ballpark, sitting in different seats, see what it was like.

This grand slam came over when we were sat in the bleachers, about 7 rows behind the Rays bullpen, and this ball landed just in the back of the pen, really close to where we were. Was a millisecond where i though i had a shot of getting it, alas, not to be. Great moment though.