Major League Baseball’s biggest event is in full swing. The Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies are slugging it out in the 2022 Fall Classic (aka the World Series). It’s already been an exciting Series, filled with memorable moments. To celebrate MLB’s main event, we’re looking back at the greatest moments the history of the World Series.  

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Greatest World Series Moments

The World Series started in 1903, pitting the champions of the American League against the National League for baseball dominance. Over the years, there’ve been many great moments for fans to cherish – too many for any one article. But a few have stood out and stood the test of time in baseball history. Here are a few of our favorite World Series memories.

5. Chicago Cubs End the Curse (2016)

The world of sports is filled with superstitions, like when players have specific before-game rituals, or when athletes or fans don’t shave their beards during the playoffs. Things were taken to a whole new level in 1945 though when a supposed curse was placed on the Chicago Cubs. It’s one of the most retold baseball legends. Apparently, the Cubs wouldn’t let a goat owned by William “Billy Goat” Sianis onto the field. Sianis was owner of the Billy Goat Tavern. He cursed the Cubs for the slight, declaring they would not win until a goat was allowed on the field. Whether it was mojo or placebo, the Cubs didn’t see another World Series until the team’s storied win in 2016! It was a truly epic moment for Cubs fans and anyone who loves to root for the underdog.

4. “The Catch” Made by Willie Mays (1954)

Willie Mays, the “Say Hey Kid,” is regarded as one of the greatest players to ever grace a baseball diamond. He ranks only behind Babe Ruth in most all-time lists. But his performance in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series is arguably one of the all-time greatest plays ever made. In the eighth inning of a tied first game against the New York Giants, Vic Wertz got up to bat with two men on base for New York. He got in a solid hit, sending it 483 feet from home plate to the warning track of the grounds. Mays reacted instantly, running like the wind for center field. He snared the ball – over his shoulder – while still in motion. They went on to win the game and the series! 

3. Reggie Jackson Becomes “Mr. October” (1977)

Baseball fans always love a Yankees/Dodgers series. It’s a classic battle between long-time rivals that always proves to be memorable. The teams’ 1977 World Series matchup was no different. Entering Game 6, the Yankees were leading three games to two in the series. The Yanks didn’t want to take it to seven games and wanted to clean up the Dodgers then and there. Enter cleanup hitter and Yankees legend Reggie Jackson. After walking in his first at-bat for the game, Jackson would end up hitting a homer in each of his next three appearances at the plate. The Yankees won the game and took the World Series title. Jackson would be named MVP and nicknamed “Mr. October” for his history-making performance. 

2. Red Sox Exorcise 86-Year Curse of the Bambino (2004)

Again with the curses? This time around it was supposedly legendary player Babe Ruth who was to blame. The story goes that a curse or bad omen was placed on the Boston Red Sox after the team sold Ruth to the Yankees at the end of the 1919 season. The Red Sox were known at the time as one of the most successful teams in the league. They won the very first World Series in 1903 and claimed five titles before handing Ruth over to the Yanks. But after selling Ruth, the team went 86 years without a World Series win – despite fans doing lots of crazy things to try and break the “curse.” Legend says they exorcised the curse by finally beating the Yankees for the American League championship, before moving on to win the title. 

1. Bill Mazeroski’s Walk-off Home Run (1960)

MLB fans will likely argue that this is the greatest moment in World Series history, if not one of the greatest home runs in baseball. It is certainly historic, because there’s only been one time that a walk-off home run ended Game 7 of the World Series. It was a pretty dramatic win for the Pittsburgh Pirates, more so because of the setup. Game 7 of a tied series. The Pirates were leading at the top of the ninth 9-7. The Yankees pull off two runs to tie the game up. Mazeroski led off the bottom of the inning, looking for a hit to get on base for the winning run. Instead, he tagged one over the fence to give the Pirates a World Series championship on their own home field.

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