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During Game 6 of the 1993 World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies, Joe Carter scored a last gasp home run to give the Blue Jays the World Series. Aside from the 1960 Mazeroski home run, Carter’s home run is the only other home run to have ended a World Series.
Run-up to the Joe Carter Walk-Off World Series Winner
The Blue Jays, World Series winners during the 1992 season were looking to cement their place as baseball heavyweights the following season and it was imperative that they proved the 1993 title was not a fluke. They went about that in emphatic fashion, winning the AL East division by an impressive 95-67 record. In the AL Championship game, they dispatched the White Sox in six games to set up a World Series meet with the Phillies. First baseman Joe Carter had been impressive form since joining Toronto during the 1991 season.
He had hit two home runs in the 1992 World Series and had thrown the final out of the series. Heading into game six at Toronto’s Sky Dome, the Blue Jays had a 3-2 advantage over the Phillies. A win would clinch the title for them but a loss would have forced the series into a game 7. During the first inning, the Jays jumped to a 5-1 lead but they capitulated and the Phillies clawed back to overturn the score. The latter scenario looked exceedingly likely as the Jays found themselves trailing 6-5 at the bottom of the ninth inning.
Heading into game six at Toronto’s Sky Dome, the Blue Jays had a 3-2 advantage over the Phillies. A win would clinch the title for them but a loss would have forced the series into a game 7. During the first inning, the Jays jumped to a 5-1 lead but they capitulated and the Phillies clawed back to overturn the score. The latter scenario looked exceedingly likely as the Jays found themselves trailing 6-5 at the bottom of the ninth inning.
The Play
Carter stepped on to the plate, facing Phillies closer Mitch Williams. Carter went ahead in the count 2-1 and Williams evened the count at 2-2 with a breaking ball. Carter was confident that William’s next pitch would also be a slider but he happened to be wrong. Williams instead threw a cut fastball which was good for Carter because he had stayed back on the ball.
With his head down, he swung and struck the ball perfectly and it barely flew over the fence for a three run homerun. Carter hadn’t realized what he had done until the crowd erupted and he followed them with jubilant jumping and air punching. In the frenzy, he nearly missed first base. The Blue Jays had won the game 8-6, retaining the World Series with undoubtedly the most memorable play north of the border.
Aftermath of the Joe Carter Walk-Off World Series Winner
The Blue Jays had become only the second expansion team to clinch two World Series titles, aside from the New York Mets in 1986. Meanwhile their quest to become a respected force in the MLB would take a turn for the worse as they failed to qualify for the post season until 2015.
After five years with the Blue Jays, Carter left to join the Baltimore Orioles for whom he played one season and then retired after one more year with the San Francisco Giants. In an interview he did this year, Carter jokingly reckoned that seeing as it was 23 years since he scored his walk-off homerun and it had been 33 between Mazeroski’s and Carters, it will be another 10 years before another players matches the feat.
The Blue Jays had become only the second expansion team to clinch two World Series titles, aside from the New York Mets in 1986. Meanwhile their quest to become a respected force in the MLB would take a turn for the worse as they failed to qualify for the post season until 2015. After five years with the Blue Jays, Carter left to join the Baltimore Orioles for whom he played one season and then retired after one more year with the San Francisco Giants.
In an interview he did this year, Carter jokingly reckoned that seeing as it was 23 years since he scored his walk-off homerun and it had been 33 between Mazeroski’s and Carters, it will be another 10 years before another players matches the feat.
