Ranking Dodgers Game 3 Win Among 25 Best World Series Moments of the Past 25 Years
The World Series going on right now is the 121st in the history of Major League Baseball. And in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 6-5, 18-inning win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 3, another all-time moment got added to the list.
But just how high does Freddie Freeman's walk-off rank?
Just so everyone has an idea of how high the standard here is, let's look back on the 25 best World Series moments of the 21st century so far.
The process of choosing these moments was less than scientific. We really stretched the definition of "moment." Some are specific plays; others encompass multiple innings or entire game-length storylines. Either way, the idea is to point to events that give off "Where were you when..." energy.
Not every World Series since 2000 is represented here, and this is not about indulging individual fanbases or participating in schadenfreude. As much as we all remember Aaron Judge dropping the ball last year, there is only sadistic pleasure to be found in recalling it.
The 25 events that did make the list are listed in descending order. We'll hit the bottom 20 four at a time before giving special attention to the top five—including last night's epic.
Nos. 25-22
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25. Game 4, 2020: Brett Phillips' Wild Walk-Off
Date: October 24, 2020
Game Result: Rays 8, Dodgers 7
Series Result: Dodgers 4, Rays 2
It suffices to say that nobody remembers 2020 fondly, and even what was an entertaining World Series doesn't feel real in retrospect. Game 6 was the Dodgers' 78th game of the year, meaning they didn't even play half of a normal season.
All this said, Game 4 was a proper knife fight in which the lead changed not once, not twice, not thrice, but four times. The last came on Phillips' walk-off single against Kenley Jansen, which would have only tied the game if the Dodgers hadn't committed two errors on the play.
24. Game 5, 2017: Alex Bregman Ends an Endless Game
Date: October 29, 2017
Game Result: Astros 13, Dodgers 12 (10 innings)
Series Result: Astros 4, Dodgers 3
This is a tough one because of how the 2017 Astros sullied their own legacy, even if it wasn't until 2020 that everyone found out that their games had not been on the level. They have been and continue to be trashed accordingly.
Even still, you will be entertained if you go back and watch all five hours and 17 minutes of Game 5 of the 2017 World Series. There were seven home runs and six half-innings of at least three runs scored, including a three-run rally for the Dodgers in the top of the ninth that set Bregman up for his walk-off single in the 10th.
23. Game 3, 2018: Max Muncy Finishes an 18-Inning Marathon
Date: October 26, 2018
Game Result: Dodgers 3, Red Sox 2 (18 innings)
Series Result: Red Sox 4, Dodgers 1
This is the longest World Series game in history, and we ought to remember it just as well for the gritty performance that Nathan Eovaldi gave the Red Sox in extra innings. Over six innings, he threw 97 pitches and allowed just one earned run.
That one run, though, ended the game when Muncy lifted a 3-2 pitch over the wall in left-center field at Dodger Stadium. It was the only game the Dodgers won in the series, but still the signature moment in an all-time Fall Classic game all the same.
22. Game 3, 2011: Albert Pujols Joins Reggie Jackson and Babe Ruth
Date: October 22, 2011
Game Result: Cardinals 16, Rangers 7
Series Result: Cardinals 4, Rangers 3
This was not, of course, the biggest moment of the 2011 World Series. But in the annals of Albert Pujols lore, this is a seemingly underrated achievement that still occupies a special place in baseball history.
Prior to this game, only Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson had ever hit as many as three home runs in a World Series game before. Pujols became the third member of that exclusive club, and he somehow hit all three of his home runs after the sixth inning.
Nos. 21-18
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21. Game 1, 2012: Pablo Sandoval Joins Albert Pujols
Date: October 24, 2012
Game Result: Giants 8, Tigers 3
Series Result: Giants 4, Tigers 0
When Pujols went off for three homers in Game 3 of the 2011 World Series, it had been over 30 years since Jackson had become "Mr. October" in doing the same in 1977. So, naturally, it was only a one-year wait until Sandoval also joined the club.
What makes his three-homer outburst from Game 1 of the 2012 World Series extra special is who was on the mound that day. Sandoval hit the first two of his homers off future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander, a proper tone-setter for what ended up being a lopsided Fall Classic.
20. Game 1, 2015: Alex Gordon Stuns the Mets
Date: October 27, 2015
Game Result: Royals 5, Mets 4 (14 innings)
Series Result: Royals 4, Mets 1
In the backdrop of this moment is what happened to the Royals in 2014. They had won eight straight games to get to the World Series, only to run into a buzzsaw in the shape of Madison Bumgarner. It was a bitter end to a magical season.
The Royals were tracking toward more of the same in Game 1 of the 2015 World Series, but then Gordon ambushed Mets closer Jeurys Familia with a 439-foot tank to tie the score at 4-4 with one out in the bottom of the ninth. It was the biggest hit in a World Series that the Royals ultimately won with ease.
19. Game 6, 2022: Yordan Alvarez Turns the Game Upside Down
Date: November 5, 2022
Game Result: Astros 4, Phillies 1
Series Result: Astros 4, Phillies 2
The stench of the 2017 Astros' cheating scandal was still there in 2022, but it didn't linger over everyone equally. Alvarez, for example, had spent that 2017 season in the low minors and didn't get called up until 2019.
He's a truly awe-inspiring hitter in his best moments, and this is the one that takes the cake. His three-run homer in the sixth inning of Game 6 of the 2022 World Series erased a 1-0 deficit and even traveled 450 feet as a sort of exclamation point. Joe Davis nailed it with the call: "This game is turned upside down!"
18. Game 6, 2021: Jorge Soler Sends a Series Winner onto the Train Tracks
Date: November 2, 2021
Game Result: Braves 7, Astros 0
Series Result: Braves 4, Astros 2
The 2021 Braves had to scrap, scrap and scrap some more to get to the World Series. They won only 88 games during the regular season, and they seemed to be altogether doomed when Ronald Acuña Jr. tore his right ACL in July.
Yet Soler was one of the guys who helped save their season, and triumph in the Fall Classic was all but guaranteed as soon as he hit a 446-foot shot for a three-run home run in the third inning of Game 6.
Nos. 17-14
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17. Game 5, 2008: The Phillies Get Brad Lidge to Redemption
Date: October 27, 2008
Game Result: Phillies 4, Rays 3
Series Result: Phillies 4, Rays 1
Unless rain delays are your thing, the 2008 World Series is not one of the better ones from this century. It did, however, deliver the Phillies' first World Series championship since 1980 in the first of two seasons as back-to-back NL champs.
What we mainly remember, though, is Lidge getting the final out in Game 5. It was his record-tying seventh save of the playoffs, and it came three years after Albert Pujols had sent his career into a tailspin with his homer in Game 5 of the 2005 NLCS. Save for Rays fans, nobody was rooting against Lidge in that moment.
16. Game 4, 2022: The Astros Pull off a Combined No-Hitter
Date: November 2, 2022
Game Result: Astros 5, Phillies 0
Series Result: Astros 4, Phillies 2
We can be real that a combined no-hitter never has quite the same ring as a no-hitter in which one pitcher does it all by his lonesome. And in 121 years of playoff baseball, only Don Larsen and Roy Halladay have ever done the latter.
Even so, one of three playoff no-hitters is still one of three playoff no-hitters. And Cristian Javier, Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero and Ryan Pressly really were that good in Game 4 of the 2022 World Series, combining to strike out 14 against just three walks.
15. Game 4, 2005: The White Sox Dominate to the End
Date: October 26, 2005
Game Result: White Sox 1, Astros 0
Series Result: White Sox 4, Astros 0
The 2005 White Sox seem to have fallen into a collective memory hole, which is a shame. But it would have helped if they had broken a sweat at any point that year, and they just didn't. They went wire-to-wire in first place in the AL Central and then went 11-1 in the playoffs.
Yet even if it was a sweep, the 2005 World Series was a doozy in which every game was decided by two or fewer runs. The White Sox didn't gain a lead in Game 4 until the eighth inning, after which Bobby Jenks came in and nailed down the franchise's first championship in 88 years.
14. Game 6, 2009: The Last Ride for the Yankees' Core Four
Date: November 4, 2009
Game Result: Yankees 7, Phillies 3
Series Result: Yankees 4, Phillies 2
This is one of two World Series the Yankees have won in the 21st century, and dare we say that neither series was particularly interesting? Between the 2000 Fall Classic and this one, the only lasting image might be Roger Clemens chucking a bat shard at Mike Piazza.
Or at least, that's the only lasting in-game image. The 2009 World Series ultimately gave us the Yankees' Core Four of Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera gazing in wonder at the Commissioner's Trophy one last time. Even 16 years later, that image still gives Yankees fans the warm fuzzies.
Nos. 13-10
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13. Game 4, 2001: Derek Jeter Becomes 'Mr. November'
Date: October 31, 2001
Game Result: Yankees 4, Diamondbacks 3 (10 innings)
Series Result: Diamondbacks 4, Yankees 3
The Yankees lost both of the first two games of the 2001 World Series, and might have been closed out by Game 5 if D-backs closer Byung-Hyun Kim had been able to nail down consecutive two-run leads in the ninth inning.
What happened instead were game-tying homers by Tino Martinez and Scott Brosius, respectively, both of which set up an extra-inning walk-off for the Yankees. Jeter got the first on a homer in the 10th inning of Game 4, which had started on Halloween before becoming the first World Series game to creep into November.
12. Game 1, 2023: Corey Seager for the Tie, Adolis García for the Win
Date: October 27, 2023
Game Result: Rangers 6, Diamondbacks 5 (11 innings)
Series Result: Rangers 4, Diamondbacks 1
The 2023 World Series brought a matchup that few outside of Texas and Arizona were excited for, and there aren't many memories to mine from the last four games of the series.
The first game, however, is one of the great Game 1s in World Series history. It was a back-and-forth affair early on until the D-backs settled down and handed Paul Sewald a two-run lead in the ninth inning. Seager took care of that with a two-run homer, and García later walked it off with a solo shot in the 11th.
11. Game 7, 2019: Anthony Rendon and Howie Kendrick Stun Houston
Date: October 30, 2019
Game Result: Nationals 6, Astros 2
Series Result: Nationals 4, Astros 3
The 2019 World Series was a weird one. The road team won in all seven games, and only one of the games was decided by fewer than three runs. Game 7 ended up adding to both piles, though it took some twists to get there.
The Astros held a 2-0 lead after 6.1 innings, only to lose it in a span of three batters: a homer by Rendon, followed by a walk to Juan Soto and another homer by Kendrick. The "doink" that the latter made off the foul pole might as well have burst the bubble for Astros fans crammed into what was then Minute Maid Park.
10. Game 6, 2003: Josh Beckett Does It Himself
Date: October 25, 2003
Game Result: Marlins 2, Yankees 0
Series Result: Marlins 4, Yankees 2
After the Yankees took a 2-1 lead over the Marlins, the 2003 World Series felt like it was over. Surely, the Marlins and their 25th-ranked payroll couldn't actually hope to fight back against the Yankees and their first-ranked payroll, right?
Wrong, actually. The Marlins held the Yankees back in Games 4 and 5 and then let Beckett take it from there in Game 6. His complete-game shutout was the first in a World Series clinch game since Jack Morris in 1991, and there (unsurprisingly) hasn't been another one since.
Nos. 9-6
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9. Game 6, 2002: The Angels Erase a 5-Run Deficit
Date: October 26, 2002
Game Result: Angels 6, Giants 5
Series Result: Angels 4, Giants 3
The 2002 World Series is underrated as one of the greats of the 21st century. And yes, we did consider honoring it by recalling the ball that Barry Bonds hit at Angel Stadium which, even 24 years later, still hasn't landed.
But there are comebacks, and then there are comebacks. The Angels certainly pulled off one of the latter in Game 6, with a three-run homer by Scott Spiezio and a two-run double by Troy Glaus bookending a six-run rally. It was the first time that a team facing elimination in the World Series had ever overcome a five-run deficit.
8. Game 7, 2014: Madison Bumgarner Survives a Scare to Become a Legend
Date: October 29, 2014
Game Result: Giants 3, Royals 2
Series Result: Giants 4, Royals 3
This might be the only case of an individual player singlehandedly winning a World Series. Bumgarner pitched 21.0 innings for the Giants in the 2014 Fall Classic, allowing only one run and leading the Giants to victory all three times.
It doesn't get much more incredible than him throwing 68 pitches in relief during Game 7. Bumgarner was protecting just a one-run lead with every pitch, and it was in instant jeopardy when Alex Gordon ended up on third after a hit and a misplay with two outs in the ninth. Six pitches later, though, Bumgarner got Salvador Perez to pop out to complete maybe the best postseason a pitcher has ever had.
7. Game 7, 2016: Rajai Davis Makes Cleveland Erupt
Date: November 2, 2016
Game Result: Cubs 8, Indians 7 (10 innings)
Series Result: Cubs 4, Indians 3
Plenty of World Series losers are honored in this list, but this is the only instance of a losing team being honored for one of the games it lost in the given series. And here's why: this hit really was that big... and that epic.
Cleveland was down 6-4 when Davis strode to the plate to face Aroldis Chapman with a man on first base and two outs. When his line drive to left barely cleared the fence, the game was tied and Progressive Field was in full pandemonium. And rightfully so, as Davis' homer ranks fourth all-time on the championship win probability added leaderboard.
6. Game 1, 2024: Freddie Freeman's Historic Grand Slam
Date: October 25, 2024
Game Result: Dodgers 6, Yankees 3 (10 innings)
Series Result: Dodgers 4, Yankees 1
It is fair to accuse the 2024 World Series of not living up to the hype. The Dodgers ended up easily outclassing the Yankees, with the latter's collapse in Game 5 ultimately serving as a microcosm of the series.
At the end of Game 1, though, it sure seemed like the series was going to deliver. There had never been a walk-off grand slam in the World Series before Freddie Freeman stepped to the plate and hit one in the 10th inning. The future Hall of Famer was actually an unlikely hero, as he had been hobbled by an ankle injury that had taken away his power right up until thay moment.
5. Game 3, 2025: Freddie Freeman Puts an End to an All-Timer
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Date: October 27, 2025
Game Result: Dodgers 6, Blue Jays 5 (18 innings)
Series Status: Dodgers 2, Blue Jays 1
No matter the outcome of this year's World Series, the Dodgers and Blue Jays infused enough drama into Game 3 to ensure that people will be talking about it for a long time.
This was partly The Shohei Ohtani Game, as he homered twice (including for the tie in the seventh inning) and got on base a record nine times. It was also partly The Will Klein Game, as he rose from obscurity to earn the win with four shutout innings of relief. The whole game was a defensive spectacle, with six runners getting thrown out in various wild plays.
In the end, as he had been for Game 1 of the World Series last year, there was Freddie Freeman to end it all with a walk-off home run in the 18th inning.
Freeman's walk-off blast put an end to a game that tied the longest ever World Series contest by innings, with only Game 3 of the 2018 World Series going longer in terms of time. The game also set postseason records with 19 pitchers and 37 runners left on base.
It was, in every sense of the word, epic. And for Freeman, it produced yet another clip in what is obviously a Hall of Fame-worthy highlight reel.
4. Game 7, 2016: RIP, Curse of the Billy Goat
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Date: November 2, 2016
Game Result: Cubs 8, Indians 7 (10 innings)
Series Result: Cubs 4, Indians 3
One way or another, the 2016 World Series was going to be a long-awaited breath of fresh air. Either the Cubs would win their first title in 108 years, or Cleveland would win its first in 68 years.
There were multiple points when Cleveland seemed destined to come out on top, including after it took a 3-1 lead in the series and after Rajai Davis shocked Aroldis Chapman with his game-tying homer in Game 7.
In the end, though, the final out was squeezed by the Cubs when Kris Bryant fielded a ground ball and threw it to Anthony Rizzo.
So much had to happen for that to happen, including Jason Heyward's purportedly rousing speech during a rain delay and Ben Zobrist's go-ahead double in the 10th inning.
Both things will stick in Cubs lore forever, though it hopefully won't be another 108-year wait for their next World Series title.
3. Game 4, 2004: RIP, Curse of the Bambino
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Date: October 27, 2004
Game Result: Red Sox 3, Cardinals 0
Series Result: Red Sox 4, Cardinals 0
The 2016 Cubs had to wait longer to taste World Series glory, and it came at the end of a harder-fought series. Why, then, are the 2004 Red Sox ranked above them?
Context is everything, friends. The Cubs had their share of near-misses between 1908 and 2016, but not as many as the Red Sox between 1918 and 2004. Heartbreak struck in the World Series in 1946, 1967, 1975 and 1986, and again in the ALCS in 2003. It nearly did again in the 2004 ALCS.
What actually happened, though, is that Game 3 of the 2004 ALCS was the last one the Red Sox lost. They ripped off eight wins in a row to overcome the Yankees and then quickly bury the Cardinals in the World Series.
As this was the first of four championships in a 14-year window for the Red Sox, heartbreak quickly became an uncommon feeling in Boston. But after having to wait 86 years, Red Sox fans have every reason to say they earned that privilege.
2. Game 6, 2011: David Freese for the Tie and the Win
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Date: October 27, 2011
Game Result: Cardinals 10, Rangers 9 (11 innings)
Series Result: Cardinals 4, Rangers 3
The Cardinals and Rangers played exactly 22 half-innings in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series, and only nine of them didn't feature any runs.
Given that and how the game featured 28 hits and five errors, it was a game that defied both cleanliness and predictability. Yet what it certainly had was drama, most of which stemmed from David Freese's bat.
In the ninth inning, there he was hitting a two-out, two-run triple to tie the game. And in the 11th, there he was hitting a solo homer to send the series to a Game 7.
Less remembered from this game is how the Rangers and Cardinals exchanged two-run blows in the 10th inning, courtesy of a two-run homer by Josh Hamilton and a two-run single by Lance Berkman.
Yet what history shows above all is that it was the October of Freese. He drove in multiple runs in three games of the World Series. He finished his playoff run with a 1.258 OPS, five home runs, and 21 RBI overall.
1. Game 7, 2001: Luis Gonzalez Walks off a Classic
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Date: November 4, 2001
Game Result: Diamondbacks 3, Yankees 2
Series Result: Diamondbacks 4, Yankees 3
Even if the Diamondbacks ultimately outscored the Yankees 37-14, the 2001 World Series felt like a nail-biter all the way through. Maybe it's because four of the last five games were decided by one run.
The culmination, of course, was a Game 7 in which all five runs came in the last four innings. The third of those had a strong chance of holding, as Alfonso Soriano's homer off Curt Schilling in the eighth allowed the Yankees to hand the ball to the greatest closer who ever lived.
Instead, Mariano Rivera coughed it up.
It was Luis Gonzalez who won the game, but Tony Womack's game-tying double is technically the biggest hit anyone has had this century. It improved Arizona's championship win probability by 50 percent.
Regardless, Gonzalez is one of only five players in history who can claim to have walked off a World Series Game 7. And it doesn't get any better than that.
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.
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