It has been said that the triple and the inside-the-park home run are the most exciting plays in baseball. However, I disagree with that assertion. I feel that the most exciting play in baseball is the Walk-off. A walk-off refers to a play that leads to a run scoring to end the game. Normally baseball is measured in outs, and a game ends when the losing team runs out of outs. However, in some games the team scores a run to take the lead in the final half-inning, after which the game ends. The run can score due to everything from a hit to a home run to an error to even a strikeout, but at any rate one team comes away with the joys of victory while the other team has the agony of defeat. Any time a walk-off becomes a possibility the buzz in the ball-park become palpable, and when one actually happens the excitement goes through the roof.
The walk-off is about as old as professional baseball itself, but the term "walk-off" was first credited to Hall of Fame reliever Dennis Eckersley, who in 1988 referred to a game-ending home run as a "walk-off piece," as the pitcher that allowed it has to walk off the field in shame. Incidentally Eckersley would give up one of the most famous walk-off pieces in baseball history later that year. Walk-offs aren't all that uncommon. 193 of the 2,429 regular season games in 2019 (the last full season) ended in a walk-off, plus three more in 37 post-season games. It comes down to 7.9% of all Major League games ending in a walk-off. Nevertheless, many of baseball's most famous moments are walk-offs: Gabby Hartnett's Homer in the Gloamin' in 1938, Bobby Thomson's "Shot Heard Around the World" from 1951, Bill Mazeroski's Yankee-killing home run in 1960, Carlton Fisk's "Wave It Fair" home run in 1975, Ozzie Smith's "Go Crazy" home run in 1985, Bill Buckner's "Behind the Bag" error in 1986, Gibson's "I Don't Believe What I Just Saw" home run in 1988, Kirby Puckett's "We'll See You Tomorrow Night" home run in 1991, Joe Carter's "Touch 'Em All" home run in 1993, Robin Ventura's Grand Single in 1999 Luis Gonzalez's Yankee-slaying single in 2001, David Ortiz's "We'll See You Later Tonight" home run in 2004, and unfortunately David Freese's hit in 2011.
I have seen 12 home runs in the 149 Major League baseball games I attended, equaling about 8.0% of the games I've seen. Back when Facebook had the Facebook notes, I had written about the walk-off games I've seen, making a post once every two years. Well, obviously Facebook has deleted the posts, so I figured I might as well re-write it for this blog. In my original post in 2015 I had ordered the games by win probability added (WPA), but this time I will just do everything in chronological order and list the WPA among other facts.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/1012622782535273/
https://www.facebook.com/notes/350088632769894/
https://www.facebook.com/notes/346225136604238/