AZGOLF wrote: ↑11 Oct 2025 03:41 am
How about some love for Rolen's HR off Clemens. Was that not a series clincher over Houston?
Yeah, I can't believe this one wasn't mentioned until now. It was game 7 of the 2004 NLCS.
I was not even two years old for Ozzie's "go crazy folks" walk off so I don't feel right including that on my personal list. I've kind of broken my list into tiers.
Freese, Game 6, 2011 WS - If his 9th inning triple had been a HR instead of his extra inning shot it might never be topped (unless it was a game 7), but then again we had another comeback in the 10th before this HR. That game was so nuts.
Pujols, Game 5, 2005 NLCS - Most jaw dropping HR of the list, anything but a HR and we don't take the lead, silenced a stadium (the reactions were even better than a home crowd going nuts), got us one more game at Busch II. Only drawback is we lost the series but that's out of the control of that specific HR.
Edmonds, Game 6, 2004 NLCS - elimination game "we'll see you tomorrow night"
Rolen, Game 7, 2004 NLCS - against Clemens, at home, do or die game, but not in the 9th or extras
Molina, Game 7, 2006 NLCS - shocking at the time given Yadi's hitting
Taguchi, Game 2, 2006 NLCS - see Molina above but earlier in the series
Adams, Game 4, 2014, NLDS - against Kershaw in a clincher
I can still remember exactly where I was and who I was with for the first five HRs on that list.
It's interesting how we look at various historical HRs. Some are memorable because a great player hit them (Pujols), or even very good players (Rolen, Edmonds), others are memorable because it was an unlikely hitter (Yadi and So in 2006, Ozzie in 1985). Freese and Adams are weird in that they were corner players that hit HRs but they weren't superstar, or all-star, players. Freese, though, has the home town kid angle working for him as well.
To me what happened in the rest of the series isn't as important as what the context of the moment was when the HR was hit. Bonus points for elimination game (even more for a do or die game), especially later in the playoffs (WS or NLCS vs. NLDS or wild card round), and later in the game (9th inning or extra innings where it's a potential walk off, or extends the game if on the road).