Welcome to a piece I’ve been working on a quite a bit. One that took a lot of research and scouring of YouTube to put together. The genesis of this article was really quite simple, as I was looking to capture the playoff moments that somehow fall through the cracks of the sports illustrious 123-year history. And when I say moments, I’m referring to the postseason home runs that in spite of their magic, haven’t quite had the staying power of others. This will be a journey through time so sit back, buckle up, and get ready to admire some epic yet somehow under the radar big flies.

That’s a Big Fly B*****S

Forgotten Bomb: Jack Clark go ahead home run off of Tom Niedenfuer NLCS Game 6

Why It’s Forgotten: We begin in the 1985, with a blast from a memorable NLCS between the Cardinals and Dodgers. These two clubs were a pair of 80’s power houses, coming together after impressive regular seasons in the NL. Both teams played a signature style, imprinted on them by their charismatic managers Tommy Lasorda and Whitey Herzog, but for all their small ball genius, this series decided by a clutch dinger. Our first forgotten homer is the blast off the bat of righty slugger Jack Clark in the sixth and deciding game of the series. Dodgers closer Tom Niedenfuer was on the bump trying to close out a win to force a seventh game the next night but he threw a fat first pitch to Clark, who smoked it into the LA evening. Clark told his teammates he was going to take the righty deep on his way to the plate, and as he round first he yelled into the Cards dugout “that’s a big fly b*****s!”

Given that it’s such an awesome moment married up with the badass quote, you’re probably surprised it’s under the radar of league history. But it’s forgotten for two very specific reasons. The first, and this will be a trend in this piece, is that the Cardinals went onto lose the World Series to the Royals in equally wild fashion, blowing the sixth game after a missed call by umpire Don Dekinger, and losing the deciding seventh game the next night. On top of it not standing up, Niedenfuer had a rough few days with the Cards, as he 48 hours prior he surrendered the much more iconic homer below to “the wizard”…I probably don’t need to say this to you folks, but it’s just five simple words. “GO CRAZY FOLKS, GO CRAZY!”

The Madness of 86’

Forgotten Bombs: Billy Hatcher off Jessie Orosco NLCS Game 6, Dave Henderson off Donnie Moore ALCS Game 5

Why They’re Forgotten: Let’s jump ahead a year to one of the most bonkers postseasons in MLB history. The 1986 playoffs featured a Red Sox team trying to reverse the curse of the Bambino, an exciting Angels squad with a mix of young and old stars, a dangerous Astros squad and the juggernaut Mets. Both leagues’ Championships series became instant classics once they wrapped up and our forgotten bombs come from both series in the first of a few two for one’s. We begin with the first clip, a shot that sent the Astrodome into a frenzy. Billy Hatcher’s solo shot off Jesse Orosco in the bottom of the 14th kept the Astros alive in their quest to force a game seven with ace Mike Scott on the hill. Meanwhile our second clip comes from game five of the ALCS, where the Angels entered the ninth inning on the brink of the pennant only to have Don Baylor and near all-time Red Sox hero Dave Henderson homer to send the series back to Boston.

So, why are these forgotten you ask? Well unfortunately for Houston that game seven I mentioned with Mets killer Mike Scott on the hill didn’t come to pass, as the Mets won the game in 16 innings to punch their ticket to the World Series. So, with one moment gone by the wayside, another joins it from Boston, as Dave Henderson’s heroics weren’t finished with his shot in game five. He’d go deep again in game six of the World Series at Shea seemingly all but ensuring the curse would be broken. But the Mets rally and Billy Buck’s error would wipe that out. So, there’s not statue of Henderson, an empty Astrodome and a Mets title parade in 86′. Sadly, the Henderson home run here lives for a tragic reason, as Halos closer Donnie Moore who surrendered the blast struggled to cope with blowing game five to Boston, and tragically took his own life, may rest in peace.

A Sign of Things to Come

Forgotten Bomb: Jim Leyritz off Tim Belcher Game 2 1995 ALDS

Why It’s Forgotten: We jump ahead nine years to the 95′ playoffs, the first with a wild card place in the bracket for each league. The Yankees took full advantage of the new playoff format by ripping off a stellar September and grabbing the final playoff spot in Don Mattingly’s final season in the Bronx. Tickets were near impossible to get, and the Yankees rewarded their raucous crowd with a game one victory over the Mariners, one they followed up by taking game two in even more dramatic fashion. In the bottom of the 15th inning, with rain pouring down and catcher Yankee catcher Jim Leyritz at the dish, Mariner’s righty Tim Belcher served up the walk off shot you see above. The homer put the Yanks up 2-0 in the series headed for Seattle where its legend seemed likely to grow.

So why is a walk off homer from the Yankees first trip to the playoffs since 1981 so lost to their history, let along league history? Well for starters it’s not even the most famous home run from the game, as Mattingly hit the first and only homer of his playoff career, earlier in the night, sending the Bronx into a frenzy. Furthermore, both moments are dwarfed by Edgar Martinez series winning double in game five in overall baseball lore. For good measure you can even throw in the fact that Leyritz would go on to hit bigger home runs for the Yankees in his career, almost a year later in the World Series against Atlanta to be exact. As cool as it was, all this home run is a sign of the flare for the dramatic to come from the 90’s Yankee dynasty.

A Legacy Missed in 01’

Forgotten Bomb: Alfonso Soriano go-ahead blast off Curt Schilling Game 7 2001 World Series

Why It’s Forgotten: We jump ahead six years to the 2001 World Series, one of the most dramatic series in league history. The Fall Classic took place against the backdrop of America’s heartache following the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks on New York City. The Yankees were taking on the Diamondbacks, trying to heal a city with their playoff run that year. They rallied from a 2-0 series deficit to take a 3-2 series lead thanks to a couple of clutch home runs, but they dropped game six in Arizona, setting up a classic game seven. Late in that game Alfonso Soriano came to the plate and homered off Curt Schilling to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead with Mariano Rivera about to enter from the pen. Unfortunately for the Yanks, their fans and Soriano it wasn’t meant to be.

This homer was forgotten because of the walk off rally by Arizona off Rivera in the ninth inning, pure and simple. As Luis Gonzalez single landed in the outfield, the Yankees dynasty came to an end, even if it didn’t seem like it was quite over yet. The biggest loser perhaps in all of this is Soriano, who was well liked and growing star amongst Yankee fans, but as some holes emerged in his game over the next two seasons, he was traded for A Rod before the 03 season. Much like Henderson in 86′, Soriano missed out on defining his legacy with Yankee fans early on his career, and the Yankees four-peat slipped away with it.

A Trot Around the Bases

Forgotten Bomb: Trot Nixon walk off two-run dinger off of Rich Harden game 3 2003 ALDS

Why It’s Forgotten: Let’s jump ahead two years to the Yankees archrival, the Red Sox, who make their second appearance on this list. The clip above comes from the 2003 American League Division series against the A’s. Boston dropped the first two games of this series in Oakland, putting them on the brink of elimination when they returned to Fenway Park for third game. Ted Lily and Derek Low dueled for seven innings and was tied at 1-1 until the 11th inning when Athletics skipper Ken Macha went to rookie righty Rich Harden, who with the winning run on first would face Trot Nixon. Roll the tape!

You’re probably asking yourself, how could a season saving walkoff blast get ignored. Three words will answer that in Red Sox nation though…Aaron Bleepin Boone. After coming back to win the series against Oakland the Sox would take the Yankees to a seventh game, one they led until the Yankees forced extras and Aaron Boone adding onto Boston’s misery. The homer by the Yankee third baseman became one of the defining plays of the postseason, but this moment was even further buried after Boston won the next year thanks to the heroics of David Ortiz.

Drama Filled 04’ NLCS

Forgotten Bombs: Jeff Kent game winner off of Jason Isringhausen game 5 2004 NLCS, Jim Edmonds walk off bomb off of Dan Miceli game 6 2004 NLCS

Why They’re Forgotten: We go ahead one year to the very memorable 2004 postseason. This time we’re on the National League side of things where the Cardinals and Astros locked horns in the NLCS. St. Louis was one of the regular season’s better teams with their loaded roaster under Tony LaRusa while Houston rode the hot bat of Carlos Beltran to the playoffs and through the first round against Atlanta. The playoff drama was turned up to eleven in this series as both teams traded blows through four games. The series took an even more dramatic turn in games five and six when the two walk off homers above came off the bats of Jeff Kent and Jim Edmonds.

As great as both moments were, the bad news for them both is that while their classic series was going on, an even more legendary one was taking place on the AL side of the bracket. The Red Sox and Yankees were battling one another for the second year in a row, and it seemed like it was all over but the crying for Boston, until they reversed a 3-0 series deficit to win the pennant. So, with all due respect to soon to be Hall of Famer Jeff Kent and Hall of Very Good center fielder Jim Edmonds…you’ll have to take a backseat to history. These two would meet again the NLCS the following season, with Houston prevailing this time, while the Cards would win it all in 2006.

Who Won in 05’?

Forgotten Bombs: Scott Podsednik walkoff off of Brad Lidge game 2 2005 World Series, Geoff Blum go-ahead shot off Ezequiel Astacio game 3 2005 World Series

Why They’re Forgotten: Our next entry keeps us in the mid-2000’s, still in the Midwest, just on the Southside of Chicago this time. As the Red Sox ended their 86 year wait for a title the year before, the White Sox looked to follow suit in 2005. They put together an impressive regular season winning the Central and claiming the top seed in the American league playoffs. They swept Boston, took out the Angels in five and headed into a World Series matchup with the Astros. After rallying late to win game one they summoned more playoff magic in games two and three, in the clips you see above. These moments came off the bat from two extremely unlikely sources in light hitting center fielder Scott Podsednik and pinch hitter Geoff Blum, but as we’ve already been over, the playoffs love its random heroes and Chicago had plenty on their way to winning it all.

For starters, and this will sound harsh though I don’t intend it to be, but this 2005 White Sox title team is routinely the most forgotten of the 2000’s crop of winners. Most fans don’t seem to recall their success, short of your being a junkie like me, who loves Paul Konerko and Joe Crede, both of whom helped to carry the team to playoff success. These classic moments were certainly special for the White Sox, in spite of their place in history and they need not apologize for whether anyone remembers them more than this Albert blast from the same October.

Close But No Cigar

Forgotten Bomb: Josh Hamilton 2-run shot off of Jason Motte game 6 of the 2011 World Series

Why It’s Forgotten: As we jump ahead to 2011 we increase the pain factor for the losing team, a squad that was in the middle of a Buffalo Bills Esque run. The Texas Rangers, after rebuilding in the late 2000’s, now boasted one of the best teams in baseball. They had won the AL pennant in 2010 before going on to lose to the Giants in five games. That loss only made their front office and roster hungrier to get the job done the next year, so Ron Washington’s team smashed the competition in the AL on route to their second straight pennant and 3-2 series lead over the Cardinals in the World Series. Game six at Busch Stadium was already an instant classic after David Freese doubled home two tie the game in the ninth with two outs. Up stepped AL MVP Josh Hamilton in the tenth and he did what did best.

The lefties homer to right center seemed like it would be the defining moment of this fairy tale chapter of his career. Hamilton had his troubles off the field earlier in his career but had battled back to this moment, manager Ron Washington was a baseball lifer who had overcome his own demons off the field, and the legendary Nolan Ryan who was now a part of the front office and had never won a ring in amazing playing career…now all were seemingly about to get fitted for their World Series rings. But unfortunately, as things tend to go in this article, it wasn’t meant to be for the Rangers, as they would surrender the lead back to the Cards in the bottom of the inning and then David Freese would give Joe Buck a golden chance to mimic his dad in the booth. Rangers lost the game…Rangers lost the series the next night. As beautiful as baseball is…it’s just as cruel.

The Giants Win the Pennant!

Forgotten Bomb: Travis Ishikawa 3-run shot off Michael Wacha game 5 2014 NLCS

Why It’s Forgotten: We move ahead three years to the 2014 NLC, where the Giants were taking on, oh look everyone, it’s the Cardinals again. This was a series on paper that most had expected to be close and hard fought. St. Louis was still enjoying their long run of success while the Giants were hunting their third championship in the last five years having beaten Texas in 2010 and the Tigers in 2012. Their balanced and veteran group under the leadership of Hall of Fame skipper Bruce Bochy was a model of calm in this pressure packed contests, which served them well in route to a 3-1 series lead. Game five was a contentious affair with the pennant on the line and the Cardinals trying to force the series back to the gateway city, a feat they looked primed to accomplish until Michael Morse homered late to tie the game. Now with Michael Wacha on the hill in 3-3 game, the Giants sent up…Travis Ishikawa?! Welcome to a moment in time….

Wacha’s 12th pitch of the outing sailed out to right field, just cleared the high brick wall in right center and the bay area crowd lost its mind. This one has flown under the radar in the years following the game, mostly because I don’t think most fans remember Ishikawa as a player very much at all. But that’s no disrespect here, he grabbed the moment and seized it to send his team to the World Series. It’s a critical one for San Francisco as it helped to further solidify their dynasty, as they beat the Royals in the World Series, in seven thrilling games. This is truly one of those moments that’s enhanced by the ballpark it took place in, and Joe Buck’s call, a great send up of legendary Giants announcer Russ Hodges call of “the shot heard round the world.”

A Double Shot of Howie

Forgotten Bombs: Howie Kendrick grand slam off of Joe Kelly game 5 of the NLDS, Howie Kendrick two run homer off of Will Harris game 7 of the World Series

Why They’re Forgotten: Our last moment in history comes from the extremely memorable 2019 playoffs. A year in which the Yankees and Astros rivalry reached new heights and plucky team from the nation’s capital finally broke through and delivered on their almost decade worth of promise. The 2019 Nationals were at one point 19-31, left for dead in the standings and primed to sell at the deadline, but a funny thing happened. They started winning…like winning a lot, all the way through the Wild Card game where they miraculously beat the Brewers. Now firmly in the playoffs their reward was a date with the juggernaut Dodgers, but they were up to the challenge and took full advantage of LA’s lack of a clutch gene, taking the series thanks to the grand slam you see above from a very unlikely source. Howie Kendrick, a lifer in the league who had plenty of respect came up huge with that shot to win the NLDS, but he was saving his best for last. Fast forward to the World Series, here comes Howie again in game seven against Astros righty Will Harris…and I guess he had enough pixie dust left in that bat afterall.

Kendrick is the perfect place to tie this all together in my mind, as he is a random October hero, much like other members of this list. He was a better major league player than some of the individuals we’ve named, but I don’t think anyone had him down on the bingo card as getting the two biggest hits in Nationals history. Unfortunately for Howie and the Nats, his heroics and their Series win has been at times drowned out by the Astros cheating scandal that was fully revealed after this series had ended. It was a black eye for the sport that ultimately doesn’t distract from Washington’s accomplishments, but it gets a bit lost in the sauce if you will. Regardless of all that, these homers are two of the more iconic one’s I’ve watched over the years.

I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed putting it together. I’ve been home all week recovering from having my wisdom teeth removed, so I’ve had plenty of time to time to dive deeply into these awesome moments. Hopefully this October brings us more epic moments like these, ones we’ll remember for many years to come. Until then we have exciting pennant race baseball to look forward to over the next two months so lock in and stay tuned to the blog and podcast for continuing coverage of our National Pastime.

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