PITTSBURGH — Sixty-six years ago today, Bill Mazeroski delivered the most famous home run in baseball history, walking off the powerful New York Yankees at Forbes Field in Game 7 of the World Series on October 13, 1960, as Pittsburgh secured a dramatic 10-9 victory to claim the championship.
The Pirates were outscored 55-27 in the series and shut out twice, yet Mazeroski's shot over the left-field wall in the bottom of the ninth made the difference. It remains the only Game 7 walk-off home run in MLB history and gave Pittsburgh its third World Series title against a Yankees roster led by Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Yogi Berra and Whitey Ford.
The Hall of Famer from Wheeling, West Virginia, authored what many still consider the greatest moment in Pittsburgh sports, ranked ahead of the Immaculate Reception, Santonio Holmes' game-winning catch in Super Bowl XLIII and Marc-Andre Fleury's save in the 2009 Stanley Cup Final. It also remains the last time a major Pittsburgh team clinched a championship on home soil. Tuesday marked the first anniversary since Mazeroski's death on February 20 at age 89, and the Pirates honored him with a jersey patch this season.
To this day, fans gather annually on October 13 at the remnants of the Forbes Field left-field wall to listen to the original broadcast synced to the moment Mazeroski left the ballyard, an annual reminder of the Pirates' place in baseball history and of a moment many believe will never be duplicated.