On the heels of his incredible effort to identify the „best“ 100 baseball players of all time, Joe „Writing Machine“ Posnanski somehow managed to churn out another fantastic work, a collection of over 100 important, influential or inspiring moments in the sport's history that show „Why We Love Baseball“.
This has inspired me to take on a similar exercise, and to try and think of what the most important baseball moments of my own life are, at least so far. Obviously, this will be a much more limited list than any overall Most Important moments that true masters like Posnanski, Jayson Stark, or Tom Verducci could piece together. I am but a single layperson who can only fit in watching baseball in real time on very select days, so the moments I am able to see live are limited. Plus, even when I lived in the states, I was rarely able to attend more than 1 or 2 games a year, all of them regular-season games and nearly none of them with any immediate relevance to playoff runs. Plus, since when I do get the chance to watch the sport live, I nearly always watch my favorite team, the Atlanta Braves, most of the biggest or most important baseball moments of my lifetime were ones I did not experience in the moment. As we shall see, there are a couple of exceptions, but it bears mentioning beforehand that this will be an overwhelmingly Braves-heavy list.
Even if that's the case, I still find this worth doing, as it is very much in the spirit of Posnanski's work. These moments are, for me, the biggest reasons why I love baseball.
12. October 1st, 2013 (NL Wild Card Game): Cueto Drops the Ball
It broke my Dad's heart a little to see me grow up a Braves fan, because he learned to love the game from the suburbs of Pittsburgh during the heyday of the great Pirates teams of the 60's and 70's, led by Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell. It didn't help that the rise of the First Atlanta Dynasty in the early 90's was paralleled by the Pirates collapsing into two full decades of stunning irrelevance. I always did feel at least a little bad about that, so when the city saw a brief resergence in the mid-2010's I was surprisingly pleased and made sure to tune into the team's first playoff appearance in 21 years in 2013.
That first game was a one-off elimination against the Cincinnati Reds, with their then-ace Johnny Cueto on the mound. Even through the television screen, PNC park was hopping, one of the loudest places I ever personally witnessed. Cueto felt it too, and in an early inning, he showed it when he bumbled and dropped the ball between pitches. I recall thinking very clearly at that moment; That's it, game's as good as over. And sure enough the Pirates won easily to advance to the DS. Sadly, that was the extent of it; 3 consequetive playoff appearances brought no further magic, and the franchise has struggled ever since. But it was nice hoping while it lasted.
11. October 1st, 2016: Game-Saving Double Play in next-to-last Turner Field Game
The final series ever played at Turner Field was the one time I was able to see regular season games with real playoff stakes. Not for the Braves, unfortunately; 2016 was the midst of the Dark Times and their season had lost all hope long ago. The Tigers, on the other hand, were still mathematically in contention. They'd won the first game of the series easily and, though down by 3 late in the second game, suddenly had a serious late threat going, with the bases loaded, no one out, and Miggy Cabrera himself at the plate.
After a tense series of pitches, the no-name reliever the Braves had brought in managed to strike Cabrera out. The threat was not fully eliminated until a batter later though, when fresh-faced Dansby Swanson stabbed a shot to left and managed to pull off a double play. Effectively end of the game, and with that, the end of the last serious playoff run the Tigers had.
10. April 5, 2010: „Swing and a drive! Belted right! WELCOME TO THE SHOW!!!“
Ever since Chipper and Andruw Jones started on the downsides of their careers, I'd been waiting and yearning for the next Braves player to be That Dude, a new supernova that would be unassailably recognized as one of the greatest new talents in the game. There had been false starts and misplaced hope- Brian McCann, Jeff Franceour, Jordan Schafer (oh GOD, Jordan Schafer)- but everything pointed to Jason Heyward being the real deal, especially when, in his very first big-league at-bat, he absolutely murdered this pitch LINK from Carlos Zambrano, prompting one of the best, most spine-tingling calls I've ever heard. I was watching this in my dorm room and literally leaped backward over my chair with joy.
Sadly, it didn't last long; I also happened to be at the game a few years later when Heyward got hit smack in the jaw by a pitch, and I genuinely believe that was the moment when he just wasn't the same. He's had a great and meaningful career, but he never ended up being That Dude. That would have to wait for Acuna awhile later. But that call for Heyward's first shot will live rent-free in my head forever.
9. July 25th, 2023: Braves pull off Triple Play in Boston
The most recent game I was able to attend live, after years of absence from the real deal. The game itself was rough- the Braves lost in pretty brutal fashion- but early on they pulled off a highly unorthodox triple play, the only one I've ever seen live. Since triple plays only happen roughly five times a year on average, that's pretty special and merits a place here.
8. Summer 2012: Chipper Jones' Last Appearances in New York
Chipper Jones announced during Spring Training that 2012 would be his last season in the bigs. Naturally, that made it top priority to seem him play one last time, and fortunately the summer featured the team visiting both the Mets AND the Yankees.
I was able to make the second of the 3-game series in June against the Yankees, on June 19th. Chipper ended up not playing the next day, so the second game of the series was his final on-field appearance against the Yankees. Got to see him barehand a grounder and drive in a run. The second game was on September 9th, Chipper's last-ever appearance at Citi. Given that he had long been a legend for victimizing the Mets on their home turf, this was a special moment, and it really did mean a lot to see him get two standing ovations, one when he brought out the lineup card before the game, and when he pinch-hit at the end, his final plate appearance visiting the Big Apple.
7. November 4th, 2001 (World Series, Game 7): Luis Gonzalez Beats the Unbeatable
I came of age just as the Torre-Jeter Yankees dynasty of the late 90's began to tighten its terrible grip on the sport, winning 4 World Series over 5 years going into the new millenium. As such, I developed the proper and healthy dose of Yankee Hate required of all Real Fans BEFORE my family up and moved to North Jersey, smack-dab in the middle of Axis territory. We arrived just in time to be forced to endure the 3rd straight WS title in '00, so I knew well in advance who I would be rooting for in 2001, braving the mockery of my schoolmates in doing so.
Thankfully, the end of that series turned out to be one for the ages; after an incredible first 6 games that had already cemented the series as an all-timer, the 7th came down to a scrappy, piecemeal D-Backs squad against Mariano Rivera, the greatest closer in history and one who up to then had been virtually untouchable in the postseason.
It was technically past my bedtime by the time the last game was winding up, but I knew I couldn't miss this, so while my parents were watching downstairs, I snuck into their bedroom-adjacent where the second TV was and turned on the game. I was just in time to catch the final showdown between Luis Gonzalez and Rivera, which ended in a bloop single over the head of Jeter himself to seal the first real blow to finally chink the armor of the Evil Empire. I went to sleep that night dreaming of the taunts I would be able to finally return the next day.
6. May 20th, 2010: Brooks Conrad Rocks a Walk-Off, Pinch-Hit Grand Slam
This game was the perfect example of the magical randomness of baseball, and how even the most meaningless early-season game can, out of nowhere, offer up something you've literally never seen before.
Spring afternoon game, Braves-Reds, not nearly deep enough in the year to have any stakes, and to top it off, the Braves started off by absolutely blowing. They entered the 9th down 9-3 and I was not a happy camper. And then....some singles, some walks, a choice error, and all of the sudden it's 9-6, the bases are loaded with NO ONE out, and who's coming up but Jason Heyward, rookie sensation. The call from his Opening Day homer (see above) was still ringing in my ears, and I though THIS IS IT. The legend grows!
The legend did not grow. Heyward struck out on a very good pitch after a tight battle with the new reliever. Now a double play would end it, and with the pitcher's spot up next, the Braves had to go with their last pinch-hitter, career utility man Brooks Conrad.
And what did this lumpy part-timer do? Oh, only hit a walk-off, PINCH-HIT grand slam to win it all. Not only that, because the Braves were down 3, that qualified it as an Ultimate Grand Slam (yes, that is what it's called). How rare is that? Well, at the time, it was only the 23rd time one of those had EVER happened (it has since ocurred 9 more times, for a total of 32). Even better, this was only the 5th PINCH HIT Ultimate Slam, the very first to be seen since 1979. So yeah, after 3 hours of torture, I suddenly got to witness something that had literally not ocurred since before my parents had even met. Baseball!
5. July 5th, 2010: Chipper Homers, Halladay Goes the Distance
On surface, this shouldn't be this high, being a mid-summer game I saw live where the Braves lost. And though that would have usually ruined my mood for a bit, this one was an exception, for two reasons.
First, Roy Halladay himself was pitching for the Phillies and he threw a masterful complete game. So I can say I saw one of the best pitchers of the aughts throw a complete game in the flesh, shortly before the complete game would go the way of the dinosaurs. Can't really complain much about that. Second, and more importantly; this was the only time I was in the stadium when Chipper Jones hit a homer. First inning, right off the bat, straightaway center. When you see your favorite player of all time go yard in person, especially if it's the one time, that's one for the scrapbook, no matter what.
4. November 2nd, 2016: Miracle Cubs Break the Curse
Even with the time difference and knowing it would be murder on my sleep schedule for work, I had to catch as much of the 2016 series as possible. Two long-starved teams, with the guarantee that no matter who would, it would be a defining moment in the sports history? Some things simply must be endured.
And hoo boy, was the final game worth it. All of the games were filled with drama, but the final one of them all lived up to the billing. Multiple plot twists, including a massive shocker of a home run by the ultimale noodle-hitting speedster Rajai Davis, plus an excruciating rain delay, an inspirational clubhouse speech (by Jason Heyward no less!), and then one last come-from-behind drive to secure the end to the oldest championship drought in all of professional sports. This game had it all, and will long stand as one of the greatest moments in sports history.
3. October 2nd, 2016: The Final Game at Turner Field
The last ever game at Turner Field, where I went to my first meaningful live ballgames, was always going to be special no matter what. An all-star selection of Atlanta franchise players plus Hank Aaron himself came out to grace the field in pre-game ceremonies, and for a final time, I got to soak in a special place from my youth before it would be gone for good (at least, as far as baseball is concerned).
Thankfully, the game itself turned out to be pretty damn good too. I got to see another a future inner-circle HOF in Justin Verlander (plus Miggy Cabrera, of course), but the Braves still won in a classic pitcher's duel of a match, with absolutely perfect vibes after Justin Upton went down swinging to end the season, Hank Aaron came back to remove home plate, and everyone danced in the stands. The entire game, and all that came before and after, will remain a cherished memory as long as I live.
2. November 3rd, 2021: „The Braves! Are WORLD CHAMPIONS!“
You're shocked, I know. And I get it! This is a weird spot for this one. I, who spent years pining, bitching, and moaning in exquisite terms over the pain of never having been able to enjoy by team topping the dogpile, finally got what I always wanted. And it's only #2 on the list?
Yes, for a very specific reason, which I will get to. But for this spot, of course it's the entire Game 6 of the '21 World Series. There are loads of individual moments contained within- Fried nearly having his ankle broken, then shutting down the Astros for 6 innings, Sorge literally leaving the yard, Dansby and Freeman (in his last-ever at-bat as a Brave) joining him in the home run department, the final out- but like with the past two picks, it's the whole game's vibe that makes the list, a wonderfully self-contained story of the most unlikely of championship runs.
1. October 23rd, 2021: Matzek Shuts Down L.A., Secures the Pennant
And here it is. My top-ever live baseball moment is NOT from the '21 World Series, but rather the NLCS that preceeded it, where the Braves avenged themselves on the Dodgers and dominated in a 6-game series to clinch the pennant. My reasoning for this is very simple; the only reason that World Series happened at all is because of one man, Tyler Matzek, who saved the 6th game (and in my opinion, the series) from the best chance the Dodgers had to storm back and bury Atlanta once more.
It had been a top series, and the Braves had pretty much had everything under control, up to the late innings of Game 6, up 4-1 and so, SO close to finally sealing their first pennant in 22 years. Then, genuine disaster suddenly loomed- Luke Jackson, who had been so key the whole season, suddenly couldn't get anyone out, and before anyone could cough, the Dodgers were back a run, had runners on second and third with no one out, and Albert Pujols up at bat (with Mookie Betts waiting in the wings). Granted, Pujols was but a barely-mobile shell of his former self at this point. But baseball has too many examples of injured, old, past-their-timers suddenly getting one more moment of glory LINK at just the right/wrong moment for me to feel safe. There was Capital D 'Danger' in the air and everyone knew it.
Enter Tyler Matzek. Another journeyman reliever, who briefly fell out of the MLB entirely due to a case of the 'yips', but battled back and found his way into the middle of a pennant race. In the most gripping and tense series of at-bats I have ever watched, he attacked and maneuvered and played every card right, striking out the side (even getting Betts looking!) to save the inning, the game, and the pennant.
Looking back, this was THE defining inning of that entire playoff run. The World Series itself never felt as tense; there was never that sense of real threat, that Houston was about to take over the series, even when they had a come-from-behind win in Game 5. The NLCS matchup was a whole other level; I remain wholly convinced that, had the Dodgers made out with Game 6, the Braves would have been too thrown off to recover. As such, this is my pick for the best baseball moment I've seen live, even above anything in the WS that followed, for the simple reason that without Matzek in that one inning, the WS would not have happened at all.
Baseball, man. At it's best, it's magic, pure and simple.
-Noah
