Jim Thome and the 10 Most Important Walkoff Homers of 2010
For one reason or another, the Twins always seem to get the better of the White Sox in Minnesota. Last night, that reason was Jim Thome.
The slugger belted a two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th inning off reliever Matt Thornton to give the Twins a 7-6 win. More importantly, Thome's walk-off gave the Twins a four-game lead in the division race over his former team.
Here's a look at the 10 of the most important walk-off homers of the 2010 Major League Baseball season:
No. 10: Jimmy Rollins, June 23 vs.. Indians
1 of 10It's been a tough year for Jimmy Rollins and the injury-ravaged Philadelphia Phillies. But on June 23, Rollins, fresh off a stint on the disabled list, lit up the night in Philly.
Rollins took Indians closer Kerry Wood deep to record his first career walk-off homer and his first hit in nine at bats after being activated from the disabled list, giving the Phillies a 7-6 win.
No. 9: Orlando Cabrera, May 5 vs. Mets
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Orlando Cabrera has been one of the biggest reasons behind the Reds' surprising success this season, providing both clutch hitting and solid defense for Dusty Baker.
On May 5, Cabrera belted a solo shot off Mets' veteran lefty Pedro Feliciano to give the Reds a 5-4 win at Great American Ball Park after Jeff Francoeur had tied the game in the ninth on a sacrifice fly.
No. 8: Johnny Damon, July 6 vs. Orioles
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Beating the Orioles isn't that big of a deal, but the Tigers' rally on July 6 was memorable for a couple of reasons.
After recording his 2,500th career hit earlier in the game, Johnny Damon blasted a two-run shot in the 11th inning off of David Hernandez to give the Tigers a 7-5 win.
The Orioles appeared to have the game won in the ninth before slugger Miguel Cabrera tied it with a two-run homer.
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No. 7: Carlos Gonzalez, July 30 vs. Cubs
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Carlos Gonzalez stepped to the plate with the game tied in the ninth inning needing a home run for the cycle.
He wasted no time, blasting a Sean Marshall fastball into the bullpen in right field to give the Rockies a 6-5 win and to complete the sixth cycle in franchise history.
No. 6: Corey Hart, May 28 vs. Mets
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Things have been rough for the Mets lately, but early in the year things were looking promising for Jerry Manuel's squad.
Johan Santana pitched eight scoreless innings in Milwaukee to extend the Mets scoreless innings pitched streak to 35.
Manuel went to the bullpen in the ninth inning, inserting reliever Ryota Igarashi, who gave up a single to Ryan Braun before Corey Hart belted a 1-1 pitch over the right field wall to give the Brewers the 2-0 win.
No. 5: Nelson Cruz, August 14 vs. Red Sox
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The Texas Rangers are running away the the AL West thanks to one of the most lethal lineups in all of baseball.
The Rangers trailed the Red Sox by six runs in Arlington, but began to chip away and eventually tied the game in the eighth inning.
Knuckleballer Tim Wakefield took the mound in the 11th, and Nelson Cruz homered on the first pitch he saw to give the Rangers a thrilling 10-9 win.
No. 4: Adrian Gonzalez, June 2 vs. Mets
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Francisco Rodriguez was within one strike of preserving a 1-0 win for the Mets in San Diego. After a David Eckstein single of K-Rod tied the game for the Padres, things really took a turn for the worse.
Raul Valdes relieved Rodriguez in the 11th inning and eventually found himself in a bases-loaded jam.
With nowhere to put slugger Adrian Gonzalez, Valdes had no choice but to pitch to Gonzalez, who blasted a 1-1 pitch into the left field seats for his second career walk-off homer and third career grand slam.
No. 3: Jason Giambi, June 24 vs. Red Sox
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The former Yankee shocked Red Sox Nation by blasting a two-run walk-off shot to help the Rockies rally for a 8-6 win at Coors Field.
Giambi came into the game as a pinch-hitter and powered a Jonathan Papelbon fastball into the right field seats to give the Rockies an unlikely victory.
No. 2: Brooks Conrad, May 20 vs. Reds
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Trailing 9-3 entering the top of the ninth inning, Bobby Cox threw up the white flag and pulled Chipper Jones from the lineup.
That opened the door for Brooks Conrad to record one of the most memorable moments of the 2010 season.
Thanks to some shaky defense by the Reds, the Braves embarked on a historic comeback. With two outs and the bases loaded, Conrad hit a ball to deep left field.
Initially, he thought outfielder Layne Nix had made the catch and threw his arms up in disgust.
When he finally realized what happened, he rounded the bases to officially complete the biggest comeback in Braves franchise history.
No. 1: Kendry Morales, May 29 vs. Mariners
10 of 10Kendry Morales provided one of the most memorable moments of the 2010 season, for all the wrong reasons.
After blasting a walk-off grand slam against the Mariners, Morales rounded the bases and prepared for the traditional celebration at home plate.
When he jumped in the air to triumphantly touch home, Morales landed hard and was mobbed by his teammates. He suffered a broken leg, presumably when he landed, and his season was over.
That was the end of walk-off celebrations for the Angels, at least this year.
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