Bottom of the Ninth Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bobby Thomson

The 1951 National League season had ended with the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers tied for first place, making it necessary for a three game playoff series to be played. The Giants won the first of these and the Dodgers won the second, with Game 3 played on October 3rd at the Polo Grounds, making the Giants the home team. Going into the bottom of the ninth the Dodgers were leading by a score of 4 to 1, but the Giants mounted a comeback scoring one run and getting two more runners on base to force a pitching change.

Ralph Branca then proceeded to give up a three run home run to third baseman Bobby Thomson, triggering what might be the best known broadcast call in baseball; Russ Hodges' "The Giants win the pennant!" repeated multiple times. (You might have heard it in a particular episode of "M*A*S*H", even if you aren't a baseball fan.) Media dubbed the homer "The Shot Heard 'Round the World", possibly even in Glasgow, Scotland where Bobby Thomson was born.

Answer: Bill Mazeroski

The New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates had split the first six games of the 1960 World Series, forcing a game seven to be played at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, on October 13th. The game was tied at nine runs apiece when Pirates second baseman stepped up to lead off the bottom of the ninth. His solo home run off Ralph Terry brought an end to both the game and the series, with Pittsburgh victorious. This was the first time the fall classic ended with a walk off home run, and it would be three decades before that happened again.

Bill Mazeroski was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001.

Answer: Carlton Fisk

This was the home run in Fenway Park that produced the famous image of Fisk bouncing sideways up the first base line, trying to wave the ball fair. As it happened he was successful, the ball hit the foul pole (which means it was fair) and catcher Fisk's lead off home run off Cincinnati's Pat Darcy was enough to give the Boston Red Sox a 7 to 6 victory, and tie the series at three games apiece. Red Sox fans in particular will remember that Game 7 did not go their way, however, as the Reds went on to win that game, and the series, a day later on 22 October 1975.

Carlton Fisk was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000.

Answer: Chris Chambliss

League championship series were a five game affair at the time, so when New York Yankees first baseman Chambliss led off the bottom of the ninth with a game winning home run, it was a pennant clincher. Fans rushed onto the field making it difficult for Chambliss to complete running the bases, and causing damage to the field.

The homer was given up by Kansas City Royals pitcher Mark Littell. The Yankees progressed to the World Series, but lost that year to the Cincinnati Reds, who swept to victory in four games.

Answer: Kirk Gibson

The pinch hit heroics in the bottom of the ninth of the series' first game would be Gibson's only plate appearance in the 1988 World Series, but would be heralded as one of the greatest home runs ever. Outfielder Gibson's Los Angeles Dodgers went on to win the Series from the Oakland Athletics in five games. Gibson famously did the deed whilst playing on two bad legs (left hamstring, right knee) making running the bases quite an effort. The fact that the opposing pitcher was Dennis Eckersley, one of the best closers at the time, made the feat even more impressive.

Eckersley was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004.

Answer: Joe Carter

Broadcaster Tom Cheek's iconic "Touch 'em all, Joe...!" became one of the best known sports calls to Toronto Blue Jays fans all over Canada (and beyond - I was living in Spain at the time). The outfielder/first baseman's three run homer off Philadelphia's Mitch Williams, at SkyDome, allowed Toronto to repeat as World Series champions, having beaten Atlanta in 1992. It would be 32 years before the Blue Jays returned to the World Series.

Joe Carter became a Member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003.

Answer: Edgar Renteria

The 1997 World Series between the Florida Marlins and the Cleveland Indians (as they were at the time) had gone back and forth, and Game 7 was played on 26 October at the Marlins home stadium. True to form, that game went to extra innings and by the 11th Cleveland's top starter Charles Nagy was pitching in relief.

A series of events loaded the bases, and Cleveland looked like they'd get out of the inning when a force out was made at the plate. Colombian shortstop Edgar Renteria then lined a single off Nagy's glove, Counsell scored from third base, and the Marlins had won their first World Series.

Answer: Aaron Boone

New York Yankees infielder Aaron Boone broke Boston Red Sox fans' hearts with this home run off knuckleball pitcher Tim Wakefield, which propelled the Yankees into the 2003 World Series. This heartbreak was somewhat repaired by the fact that the Florida Marlins defeated the Yankees in six games in the Fall Classic.

Answer: Edwin Encarnacion

The American League wild card teams (non-division winners with best records) in 2016 were the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays, who met in a single "play-in" game at the Rogers Centre (formerly SkyDome) on October 4th. Toronto's first baseman on that occasion, Edwin Encarnacion thrilled the home town fans with his 11th inning shot off Baltimore reliever Ubaldo Jimenez. Toronto went on the defeat the Texas Rangers in the AL divisional series, but were stopped in the ALCS by Cleveland.

Encarnacion won a Gold Medal as a member of the Dominican Republic's team at the 2013 World Baseball Classic.

Answer: Freddie Freeman

Freddie Freeman, of the Los Angeles Dodgers, became the first person to hit more than one walk off home run in a World Series, and he did it in consecutive years! In 2024 the opponents were the New York Yankees, and in the marathon 2025 game they were the Toronto Blue Jays. The Dodgers went on to become champions in both seasons, their eighth and ninth such victories.

Although born in the USA, Freeman's parents are both Canadian, and he has represented Canada at the World Baseball Classic in 2017 and 2023.