Most Important Red Sox Home Run?

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Time for a new baseball thread. The Globe's Chad Finn just ran a column on this topic, calling Johnny Damon's grand slam in Game 7 of the '04 ALCS the most important in modern Red Sox history. His reasoning is that the salami opened up the game to 6-0 and eased the tension for long-tortured Sox fans. I favor Big Papi's clutch 2-run shot in the first inning -- after Damon got gunned out at the plate -- that put Boston up for good, once and for all, and first silenced Yankee Stadium.

 

Other worthy candidates include Papi's walk-off in Game 4, Manny's walk-off in the LDS, and of course the '75 Game 6 taters by Fisk and Carbo.

 

My pick this century is Moreland's pinch 3-run absolute blast in Game 4 of the '18 World Series. Remember, the Red Sox had just lost the longest extra-inning postseason game ever, were getting shut out, 4-zip, by Rich Hill into the 7th... and were on the verge of seeing a tied Series with Game Five looming in LA. Mitch's HR instantly made it a game, the Sox pounded the pen, and never looked back.

 

What's your favorite most important Red Sox home run?

[Thunder]

My favorite will be different from everybody else's because I'm only going with moments I remember watching, and since I've been alive for a lot less time than some of you, that doesn't include some of the best ones.

 

You asked what our favorite is. For me that would be Ortiz in 2013 ALCS game 2. It was also fairly important. No way we were winning that series if we lost that game.

 

If we're talking about most important, I would say Mitch as well. I would rank some from 2004 higher but I do not remember watching those games

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

My favorite will be different from everybody else's because I'm only going with moments I remember watching, and since I've been alive for a lot less time than some of you, that doesn't include some of the best ones.

 

You asked what our favorite is. For me that would be Ortiz in 2013 ALCS game 2. It was also fairly important. No way we were winning that series if we lost that game.

 

If we're talking about most important, I would say Mitch as well. I would rank some from 2004 higher but I do not remember watching those games

 

Papi's slam vs. the Tigers is another great choice, especially since the Sox were about to go down 0-2 and then travel to Detroit for three (if necessary). That Tiger staff was the best in the game, but Boston beat Porcello, Sanchez (who no-hit them in the opener), Verlander and Scherzer. The one guy they couldn't solve was Fister...

[Thunder]

Papi's slam vs. the Tigers is another great choice, especially since the Sox were about to go down 0-2 and then travel to Detroit for three (if necessary). That Tiger staff was the best in the game, but Boston beat Porcello, Sanchez (who no-hit them in the opener), Verlander and Scherzer. The one guy they couldn't solve was Fister...

 

What a rotation that ended up being. 6 combined Cy Youngs, 5 combined no hitters. And countless clutch postseason starts

[notin]

Ortiz ALCS grand slam off Joaquin Benoit (and Torii Hunter’s glove) in 2013...

[jad]

1978 playoff. 9th inning. Yastrzemski took Gossage deep! I remember that as clearly as I recall the day I was born.

[Thunder]

Ortiz ALCS grand slam off Joaquin Benoit (and Torii Hunter’s glove) in 2013...

 

I was up past my bedtime all alone, so I had to be very quiet. It was so hard to do that. I remember my phone wallpaper being Torii Hunter upside down, and the cop celebrating right behind him for most the following winter.

[Thunder]

1978 playoff. 9th inning. Yastrzemski took Gossage deep! I remember that as clearly as I recall the day I was born.

 

So not very well at all then?

[Kman]

I think your memory is a little faulty...Yaz hit a home run off of Guidry in that game early on...the only left handed hitter to do that all that year off of him but in the ninth inning off Gossage Yaz popped up.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

I think your memory is a little faulty...Yaz hit a home run off of Guidry in that game early on...the only left handed hitter to do that all that year off of him but in the ninth inning off Gossage Yaz popped up.

 

Thanks for the clarification, Kman. That Yaz homer -- pulling a fastball off the pitcher of the year to give Boston the lead in a playoff -- was the biggest Red Sox HR of the 70s... for about an hour. Yaz also had an RBI single of Gossage in the 8th, which no one remembers because of the 9th.

 

People also forget the HR that gave the Yankees the final tally in their 5-4 win wasn't Bucky Dent's pop fly, but a demolished meatball from Bob Stanley that Reggie Jackson launched into the bleachers in center. You can find a clip on youtube of NY announcers laughing and Phil Rizzuto exclaiming, "Holy cow, did he hit that!"

 

Back to Red Sox four-baggers: a lot of posters in the Globe thread have fond memories of Mark Bellhorn's clanger off the foul pole in Yankee Stadium -- the Bell tolls for thee. To me, that one sealed the deal and shut down the crowd for good (after Pedro teased them serving up some fat ones). My favorite Bellhorn blast was the reversed call three-run shot that won Game Six; this was before MLB replays and the first time a break finally -- and rightfully -- went Boston's way in a modern postseason game. That's a topic for another good thread...

[Thunder]

I liked Victorino's GS in 2013, not that I would put it on this list as most important

[jad]

I think your memory is a little faulty...Yaz hit a home run off of Guidry in that game early on...the only left handed hitter to do that all that year off of him but in the ninth inning off Gossage Yaz popped up.

 

Kman-- I think you may need to work on your 'irony-detection' skills.

[Slasher9]

the Ortiz slam vs Detroit is the most clutch HR the sox ever had. the walkoff game 4 ALCS 2004 is a C-hair behind.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

I liked Victorino's GS in 2013, not that I would put it on this list as most important

 

Yup, a lot of bearded blasts in the '13 post: Papi, Vic, Napoli's that beat Verlander, 1-0, Gomes 3-run shot that won Game 4 to tie up the WS (the Sox trailed, 2 games to 1)... Lobaton's walk-off vs. Koji (did that really happen?).

[Kimmi]

Some great home run moments mentioned by all.

 

If we're going with the title of the thread being the "Most Important" home run, I would have to say it has to be one from the 2004 ALCS. I would choose Papi's walk off in Game 4. That was the home run that changed the course of history.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

the Ortiz slam vs Detroit is the most clutch HR the sox ever had. the walkoff game 4 ALCS 2004 is a C-hair behind.

 

Can't do better than a four-run homer that wipes out a 4-run deficit. But to me, hitting HRs that finally beat the Yankees will always be the most impactful. Other underrated Ortiz longballs: the 8th inning shot off Gordon that started the Gm 5 comeback in '04 (before his extra-frame walk-off single)...

 

... and the one everyone forgets -- a solo in the 8th of Gm 7 '03 ALCS off Wells, who was brought in just to pitch to Papi. That round-tripper made it 5-2, Boston -- more than enough for Embree, Timlin and Williamson to close it out.

[Bellhorn04]

Time for a new baseball thread. The Globe's Chad Finn just ran a column on this topic, calling Johnny Damon's grand slam in Game 7 of the '04 ALCS the most important in modern Red Sox history. His reasoning is that the salami opened up the game to 6-0 and eased the tension for long-tortured Sox fans. I favor Big Papi's clutch 2-run shot in the first inning -- after Damon got gunned out at the plate -- that put Boston up for good, once and for all, and first silenced Yankee Stadium.

 

Other worthy candidates include Papi's walk-off in Game 4, Manny's walk-off in the LDS, and of course the '75 Game 6 taters by Fisk and Carbo.

 

My pick this century is Moreland's pinch 3-run absolute blast in Game 4 of the '18 World Series. Remember, the Red Sox had just lost the longest extra-inning postseason game ever, were getting shut out, 4-zip, by Rich Hill into the 7th... and were on the verge of seeing a tied Series with Game Five looming in LA. Mitch's HR instantly made it a game, the Sox pounded the pen, and never looked back.

 

What's your favorite most important Red Sox home run?

 

I like all of those.

[Bellhorn04]

Can't do better than a four-run homer that wipes out a 4-run deficit. But to me, hitting HRs that finally beat the Yankees will always be the most impactful. Other underrated Ortiz longballs: the 8th inning shot off Gordon that started the Gm 5 comeback in '04 (before his extra-frame walk-off single)...

 

... and the one everyone forgets -- a solo in the 8th of Gm 7 '03 ALCS off Wells, who was brought in just to pitch to Papi. That round-tripper made it 5-2, Boston -- more than enough for Embree, Timlin and Williamson to close it out.

 

True Sox nuts like me remember it, along with many other details of that game, I assure you.

 

We had a chance to bury the Yanks early in that one, but Mussina came in and stopped the bleeding for them.

 

And Rivera pitched 3 freaking innings.

 

Thank God we got them the next year!

[notin]

No love for Bobby Kielty and his 2007 game 4 pinch home run?

[jad]

Dave Henderson, 1986, whose hr's in the ACLS and WS led to the most catastrophic event in RS history. Without those, we might still be talking about Jim Lonborg.

[Bellhorn04]

Dave Henderson, 1986, whose hr's in the ACLS and WS led to the most catastrophic event in RS history.

 

Merely one of the leading contenders for most catastrophic event. (1978 is my personal choice.)

 

Henderson will always be remembered fondly by Red Sox fans. He did all he could, that's for sure. I was happy for him when he got a ring with Oakland.

[jad]

Merely one of the leading contenders for most catastrophic event. (1978 is my personal choice.)

 

Henderson will always be remembered fondly by Red Sox fans. He did all he could, that's for sure. I was happy for him when he got a ring with Oakland.

 

Yup. My other two favorites on that team (and I mean this in all seriousness), were Buckner and Schiraldi, both of whom were a bad bounce away from being heroes. Buckner eventually got some redemption--fans must have realized that his crucial hit against the Angels got them into the WS. But Schiraldi, I think, never did, even though without him, there would have been no post-season at all for the RS.

[Dojji]