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Red Sox: Top 10 most important home runs in team history

By Drew Athans

BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 10: David Ortiz #34 of the Boston Red Sox bats during the final at bat of his career during the eighth inning of game three of the American League Division Series against the Cleveland Indians on October 10, 2016 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 10: David Ortiz #34 of the Boston Red Sox bats during the final at bat of his career during the eighth inning of game three of the American League Division Series against the Cleveland Indians on October 10, 2016 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) /
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CIRCA 1978: Carlton Fisk #27, of the Boston Red Sox, portrait during a game from his 1978 season. Carlton Fisk played for 24 years with 2 different teams , was a 11-time All-Star and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000. (Photo by: 1978 SPX/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
CIRCA 1978: Carlton Fisk #27, of the Boston Red Sox, portrait during a game from his 1978 season. Carlton Fisk played for 24 years with 2 different teams , was a 11-time All-Star and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000. (Photo by: 1978 SPX/Diamond Images via Getty Images) /

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.

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