Carlton Fisk’s World Series Home Run
Now we’re getting to the home runs that had more than sentimental value. First, a little bit of background. Heading into Game Six, the Red Sox were down three games to two to the Cincinnati Reds and needed a win at Fenway Park just to survive. Heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, Boston was losing by three before Bernie Carbo hit a pinch-hit three-run homer to tie the game.
(The reason I didn’t include Carbo’s home run on the list is because the Red Sox eventually lost this series…nit-picking, I know. It certainly deserves an honorable mention here). The Red Sox had a chance to win the game in the ninth but couldn’t capitalize and it went into extra innings. Heading into the bottom of the twelfth, the score was still tied at six.
Leading off the inning, Carlton Fisk lofted a 1-0 pitch to left field, a ball that hit the foul pole and won the game for the Red Sox. The left field cameraman captured Fisk’s body language as he waved the ball fair before jumping for joy as he began his trot around the bases.
While the Red Sox blew a late lead in the next game and lost the World Series, Fisk’s home run remains a treasured Boston memory and an iconic moment.