11. Bucky Dent stuns the Sox
When: Oct, 2, 1978
Where: Fenway Park, Boston
At stake: The Red Sox led the AL East for much of 1978 before faltering down the stretch, with the defending champion Yankees catching them. In a one-game playoff for the division title and the Red Sox up 2-0 in the eighth inning, the light-hitting Dent hit a three-run homer over the Green Monster to give New York a 3-2 lead that held up.
Legacy: The Yankees went on to win the World Series, and Bucky Dent's name became a curse word in New England.
12. Kirby Puckett's blast forces Game 7
When: Oct. 26, 1991
Where: Metrodome, Minneapolis
At stake: Trailing 3-2 in the World Series to the Atlanta Braves, Puckett made a fantastic catch at the wall in the early innings of Game 6, and ended the game a couple of hours later in the bottom of the 11th inning with a home run off Charlie Liebrandt over the left-field wall.
Legacy: The Twins won in Game 7 the next night on a great performance by pitcher Jack Morris, ending one of the most dramatic World Series in baseball history. Puckett went on to the Hall of Fame.
13. Barry Bonds' 756th
When: Aug. 7, 2007
Where: AT&T Park, San Francisco
At stake: Bonds passed Hank Aaron as the home run king with his 756th career homer off Mike Bacsik of the Washington Nationals.
Legacy: Bonds' legacy is tainted because of steroid allegations, which is why this home run remains low on the list.
14. Ted Williams' Final Swing
When: Sept. 28, 1960
Where: Fenway Park, Boston
At stake: Everybody at Fenway Park that day knew it was the final at-bat for Williams, their best player for more than two decades. Williams, one of the greatest hitters of all-time, went out with a bang against the Orioles in his final at-bat with his 521st career home run.
Legacy: Williams, the last player to hit .400 in a season, was inducted into the Hall of Fame six years later.
15. Barry Bonds' 71st homer in 2001
When: Oct. 5, 2001
Where: Pacific Bell Park, San Francisco
At stake: Bonds becomes the single-season home run leader, passing Mark McGwire, who had set the record with 70 three years earlier.
Legacy: Bonds' legacy is tainted by allegations of steroid use.
16. Aaron Boone beats the Red Sox again
When: Oct. 16, 2003
Where: Yankee Stadium, New York
At stake: The Red Sox were looking to get past the Yankees again, and again they were denied. In Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, another unlikely hero emerged as Boone hit a home run down the left-field line off Tim Wakefield to give the Yankees the pennant.
Legacy: It's Boone's career moment, but the Florida Marlins defeated the Yankees in the World Series.
17. Derek Jeter, assisted by Jeffrey Maier
When: Oct. 9, 1996
Where: Yankee Stadium, New York
At stake: In Game 1 of the American League Championship Series with the Yankees trailing 4-3, and Jeter hit a ball deep to right field . As the ball came down, 12-year-old Yankees fan Jeffrey Maier reached onto the field to catch the ball, keeping it away from Tony Tarasco of the Baltimore Orioles. It was a solo home run that tied the game.
Legacy: It should have been called fan intereference, and it's regarded as one of the worst umpiring calls in baseball history. The Yankees go on to win the game in 11 innings, the series in five games, and then the World Series.
18. Ozzie Smith's NLCS game-winner
When: Oct. 14, 1985
Where: Busch Stadium, St. Louis
At stake: In Game 5 of the NLCS, the light-hitting Smith came to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning. Smith, who had never hit a home run left-handed in his entire career, hit a line drive down the right-field line off the Dodgers' Tom Neidenfuer that cleared the wall, ending the game and giving the Cardinals a 3-2 series lead. They won the series in six.
Legacy: It's the signature hit of Smith's Hall of Fame career, but the Cardinals lost to Kansas City in the World Series that season.
19. George Brett's Pine Tar Homer
When: July 24, 1983
Where: Yankee Stadium, New York
At stake: After the Royals' Brett hit a home run off closer Goose Gossage for a 5-4 lead, Yankees manager Billy Martin protested because Brett had too much pine tar (a sticky substance used for grip) on his bat. It didn't give Brett any competitive advantage, but umpire Tim McClelland calls Brett out after the fact, and an incredible argument breaks out in which Brett had to be restrained.
Legacy: The game was appealed, and the American League office reversed the call. Instead of a 4-3 Yankees victory, the game resumed on Aug. 18 with Brett's home run counting, and the Royals won 5-4. Brett and Gossage both went on to Hall of Fame careers.
20. Mark McGwire's 62nd
When: Sept. 8, 1998
Where: Busch Stadium, St. Louis
At stake: A memorable chase to break the home run record climaxed when McGwire hit a line drive over the left-field wall to become the first person to hit 62 homers in a season. He went on to hit 70.
Legacy: The 1998 chase is now tainted by McGwire's admission that he took performance-enhancing drugs.
Honorable mention: Reggie Jackson's All-Star blast, July 13, 1971, Tiger Stadium; Cal Ripken's homer in his 2,131st consecutive game, Sept. 6, 1995, Camden Yards; Gabby Hartnett's "Homer in the Gloamin'", Sept. 28, 1938, Wrigley Field; Mickey Mantle's 565-foot home run, April 17, 1953, Griffith Stadium; Scott Brosius' World Series Game 5-winning homer, Nov. 1, 2001, Yankee Stadium.
