MLB Power Rankings: Top 10 Moments in Baseball History
There have been many great moments throughout the course of baseball history.
From national league sluggers battling it out in a home-run chase, to a Dodgers player becoming one of the first black players to play in the league, we have experienced a lot in the past 142 years of major league baseball.
The following is my take on the best 10 moments during this time. Enjoy.
10. Don Larsen's Perfect Game in 1956
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Larsen pitched the sixth perfect game in MLB history on October 8, 1956 for the New York Yankees.
What made his perfect game so perfect was the fact that he was the first and only pitcher to ever throw one in World Series history.
He still remains a Yankees legend today, partly because of the great game that he pitched on that October day.
9. Joe Carter's World Series-Winning Home Run in 1993
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Arguably the most dramatic home run in baseball history, Joe Carter takes the claim.
Phillies pitcher Mitch Williams was the unlucky player who gave up the bomb to Carter, that gave the Jays their second straight world title.
Joe's home run is still remembered today in Canada as one of the best moments in Toronto's sports history.
8. Roberto Clemente Killed in Plane Crash in 1972
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Roberto Clemente was a natural at the game of baseball, you could tell by how he played the game.
On December 31, 1972, the 15-time All-Star was heading to Nicaragua to help aid victims after it was pounded by an earthquake just eight days earlier.
Clemente's plane went down somewhere off the coast of Puerto Rico and his body was never found.
It was shocking day for all of baseball, and still is a shock to many who loved to watch the man play baseball for so many years .
7. Babe Ruth Calling His Shot
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In one of the most telling moments of MLB great Babe Ruth's career, he made a promise that he was able to fulfill on the very next pitch.
In game three of the 1932 World Series, Ruth pointed to the outfield while he was facing then-Cubs pitcher Charlie Root.
As we all know now, he then deposited Root's offering into the same area he called.
This has been debated for years, but to me it's clear that this was simply a moment where a star showed why he was one of the best to ever play the game.
6. Pete Rose Is Banned from Baseball
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In a shocking turn of events, one of the best pure hitters to ever play in the majors, received a lifetime ban from the game that he loved.
Pete Rose collected over 4,200 hits in his MLB career, and was first all-time in this category, but this didn't stop him from gambling on the game that he grew up with for years.
Then-commissioner Bart Giamatti made the decision to ban Rose after finding out about his gambling habits, this changing the game forever for this MLB legend.
5. Mark Mcgwire Hits Home-Run Number 62 in the '98 Season
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Known for being one of the best power-hitters during his era, Mark McGwire took his game to all-new heights in 1998 when he broke Roger Maris's 37-year-old record for homers in a single season.
Number 62, as it was called, was hit on September 8, 1998 against Cubs starter Steve Trachsel.
Even though McGwire has since admitted to steroid use during his playing career, this is still one of the best baseball moments ever due to the fact that he and Sammy Sosa swept an entire nation off its feet with a home-run chase for the ages.
4. Cal Ripken Breaks Consectutive Games Played Record
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Baseball's ultimate iron man Cal Ripken made history on September 6, 1995.
Playing in his 2,131st straight game, Ripken surpassed MLB legend Lou Gehrig for first all-time on the consecutive games played list.
A record that is not likely to be broken for a long time, Ripken's games played record is still considered one of the best feats in the history of American sports.
3. Lou Gehrig's Final Farewell Speech
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Lou Gehrig was one of the most talented players to ever play for the New York Yankees.
Unfortunately for Gehrig and the Yankees, he was diagnosed with ALS in 1939, and had a slim chance to live.
On July 4, 1939, Gehrig said during his retirement speech to the Yankee faithful that he had considered himself the luckiest man on the face of the earth due the high levels of gratitude he had received from fans throughout his career.
Gehrig died less than two years later and will always be known for the great player and person that he was, which was displayed during his famous speech that sad day at Yankee Stadium.
2. The Shot Heard Round the World
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In one of the most iconic moments that baseball has ever seen, Bobby Thomson takes the cake with "the shot heard round the world".
He hit it off Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Ralph Blanca to help his Giants win the national league pennant and reserve a spot in the 1951 World Series.
Thomson passed away in 2010, but there is no doubt that this moment lived with him for the rest of his life as he was seen by a hero to so many who witnessed his emphatic home run that day.
1. Jackie Robinson breaks the color barrier
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In 1947, a little-known infielder named Jackie Robinson was called up by the Los Angeles Dodgers to play for the big league team after signing with them the previous year.
Little did he know, Robinson would change the game forever because of his will to play the game of baseball and his courage to not back down against players who were all a different race that he was.
Not only was this one of the best moment in baseball history, but also one of the best in American sports history as well.
