Frank Baker’s famous sobriquet, “Home Run,” flew into the baseball consciousness for his efforts in the 1911 World Series, when the third baseman touched Rube Marquard and Christy Mathewson for longballs in back-to-back games. The one off Mathewson came in Game 3, and arrived in the top of the ninth with Baker’s Athletics down 1-0 and down to their final two allotted outs. With the contest stunningly, abruptly tied, the tensions then spread into the 10th and then 11th, where Philadelphia scratched two more runs against Mathewson and held on for the win. There have been 40 game-tying home runs in the seventh inning or later of a Fall Classic since Baker’s storied launch against Matty, and some, like the one that came from that showdown, loom larger in the World Series fabric.
There’s Mickey Mantle spoiling Sandy Koufax’s bid for a shutout in Game 4 in 1963. Hank Aaron produced such an event in Game 6 in 1957, 29 years to the day after Babe Ruth did it in a Game 4. There’s no Carlton Fisk waving, beseeching the ball to stay fair in the bottom of the 12th in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series without pinch-hitter Bernie Carbo tying the contest with a three-run shot in the bottom of the eighth. On consecutive nights in 2001, teammates Tino Martinez and Scott Brosius pulled the same magic out of the same hat with identical two-out, two-run jacks in the ninth to even matters.
Al Weis for the Miracle Mets in 1969 … Mule Haas in 1929 … Lou Brock in 1967 … Toronto’s Kelly Gruber in 1992 … the Dodgers’ Pedro Guerrero off Ron Guidry in 1981 … Jackie Bradley, Jr. in the eighth inning of Game 3 of the 2018 World Series, a colossally rippling swing that set the stage for an endurance test never before seen in World Series history.
And then there’s Shohei Ohtani, who took a swing against Seranthony Domínguez on the first pitch of an at-bat in the bottom of the seventh on October 27, 2025 to initiate another marathon and install another interjection into his own legend.
*Blue Jays @ Dodgers, World Series Game 3*
Long, long, long after Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow threw the first of 609 pitches, Freddie Freeman swung on that 609th and deposited it over the fence for an 18-inning, 6-5 Dodgers victory.
The 18 innings needed to decide matters match for the longest ever for a Fall Classic, tied with the 18-inning affair that began on October 26, 2018: a 3-2 win for the Dodgers over the Red Sox in Game 3. In that contest, Max Muncy hit a solo homer for the victory. We’ll come back to walk-off home runs later on, but first, batting first …
Shohei Ohtani’s line should be instantly transported to a glass display case in Cooperstown: 4-for-4 with five walks, four extra-base hits (two homers and two doubles), 12 total bases, three runs scored and three driven in. Most all of these components require some World Series record-book referencing.
~The nine times reaching safely sped by the previous high of six, shared by Stan Hack (G6, 1945) and Kenny Lofton (G3, 1995).
~The five walks (which, alone, would have tied Ohtani for the fourth most times reaching safely in a World Series game) established a new record, passing the four from these players: Fred Clarke (1909, G7), Dick Hoblitzell (1916, G2), Ross Youngs (1924, G7), Babe Ruth (1926, G7), Jackie Robinson (1952, G5), Doug DeCinces (1979, G4) and David Ortiz (2013, G6).
~The four extra-base hits tied the record held by Frank Isbell (four doubles) from Game 5 of the 1906 World Series. Isbell didn’t draw any walks in his effort.
~The 12 total bases tied Babe Ruth (1926, G4; 1928, G4) and Reggie Jackson (1977, G6) for the third most. Here’s everybody with at least 12, broken down just a bit.
14 Albert Pujols in Game 3 in 2011. Three homers and two singles (0 walks).
13 Pablo Sandoval in Game 1 in 2012. Three homers and a single (0 walks).
12 Babe Ruth in Game 4 in 1926. Three home runs (two walks).
12 Babe Ruth in Game 4 in 1928. Three home runs (0 walks).
12 Reggie Jackson in Game 6 in 1977. Three home runs (one walk).
12 Shohei Ohtani in Game 3 in 2025. Two doubles and two homers (five walks).
~Ohtani joined Lenny Dykstra (Game 4, 1993 WS) as the only leadoff hitters to have at least three RBI and three runs scored in a Fall Classic. Dykstra did Ohtani one better in each category, with four and four.
~By the reckonings, Ohtani’s Win Probability Added (WPA) for his efforts in this Game 3 come out to the 12th highest (at 0.646) for a batter in a World Series game. David Freese’s 0.964 from his Game 6 in 2011 stands above all others.
~Ohtani’s Game 3 marked his third multi-homer effort of this postseason, after big-bang displays in Game 1 of the NLWC (2 HR) and Game 4 of the NLCS (3 HR). He’s the first to produce three in a single postseason, out-swinging these fellas.
→Willie Mays Aikens in 1980, when he had two in the World Series
→Troy Glaus in 2002, when he had one in the ALDS and one in the World Series
→Chase Utley in 2009, when he had two in the World Series
→Jayson Werth in 2009, when he had one in the NLCS and one in the World Series
→Yordan Alvarez in 2023, when he had one in the ALDS and one in the ALCS
→Nick Castellanos in 2023, when he had two in the NLDS (in back-to-back games)
~Ohtani has eight homers in this postseason, tying Barry Bonds (2002), Carlos Beltrán (2004), Nelson Cruz (2011), Adolis García (2023) and the Dodgers’ Corey Seager (2020) for the second most in any one postseason. Randy Arozarena’s 10 in 2020 is the standard.
~Ohtani has 11 home runs in his 29 career postseason games. He’s one of eight players to have reached double-digits by then.
Most HR Through First 29 Postseason Games
14 Carlos Beltrán
13 Nelson Cruz
11 Giancarlo Stanton, Randy Arozarena, Shohei Ohtani
10 Lou Gehrig, Duke Snider, George Springer
~In the 2025 postseason, Ohtani has tallied 43 bases and reached safely 28 times. There are 15 players who rough-shodded through a postseason to a degree that by the end, they had reached safely at least 30 times and while amassing at least 40 total bases. By decade:
1990s Bernie Williams (1996)
2000s Barry Bonds* (2002), Carlos Beltrán (2004), Albert Pujols (2004), David Ortiz (2004), Álex Rodríguez (2009)
2010s David Freese (2011), Albert Pujols (2011), Jose Altuve (2017), George Springer (2017), Jose Altuve (2019)
2020s Corey Seager (2020), Randy Arozarena** (2020), Corey Seager (2023), Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. (2025)
*With 44 total bases and 43 times on base, Bonds is the only one to have a 40-40 postseason.
**Arozarena’s 64 total bases are the most ever for a player in a postseason
Okay, back to Freddie Freeman and his solo homer to end the marathon.
~Freeman’s jack marked the 19th game-ending home run in World Series history and the second for Freeman, after his walk-off grand slam in Game 1 in 2024. He’s the first player whose name appears twice on this list of 19, a list that also includes two other Dodgers: Kirk Gibson in Game 1 in 1988 and, as referenced earlier, Max Muncy in the 18th inning in Game 3 of the 2018 Fall Classic. Four is a lot for one franchise, four being the most any club has produced.*
Most Walk-off Home Runs in World Series History
Dodgers (4)
*Kirk Gibson with a two-run homer in the ninth in Game 1 in 1988
*Max Muncy with a solo homer in the 18th in Game 3 in 2018
*Freddie Freeman with a grand slam in the 10th in Game 1 in 2024
*Freddie Freeman with a solo homer in the 18th in Game 3 in 2025
Yankees (4)
*Tommy Henrich with a solo homer in the ninth in Game 1 in 1949
*Mickey Mantle with a solo homer in the ninth in Game 3 in 1964
*Chad Curtis with a solo homer in the 10th in Game 3 in 1999
*Derek Jeter with a solo homer in the 10th in Game 4 in 2001
*Aside from the Dodgers and Yankees, no other franchise has more than one.
~Freeman has seven career World Series home runs. 14 other players have at least that many.
18 Mickey Mantle
15 Babe Ruth
12 Yogi Berra
11 Duke Snider
10 Lou Gehrig, Reggie Jackson
8 Joe DiMaggio, Bill Skowron, Frank Robinson
7 Goose Goslin, Hank Bauer, Gil McDougald, Chase Utley, George Springer, Freddie Freeman
~Freeman matched Goose Goslin for the special status of being the only players with multiple walk-off hits in World Series play. Goslin’s two came in 1934 and 1935, both singles in tie games (Game 2 in ’34; Game 6 – to end the World Series – in 1935).
~In addition to his pair of extra-inning walk-off homers in his World Series career, Freeman has a game-ending single in the 13th inning on his résumé (in Game 1 of the 2020 NLWC for the Braves). He and David Ortiz are the two players with a trio of game-ending postseason hits in extra frames. Bernie Williams and Paul Blair are the only others with more than one.
Alejandro Kirk hit a three-run home run for the Blue Jays: the fourth time this postseason he’s had a multi-RBI game. Paul Molitor, with five such games for the Jays during their World Series title run in 1993, is the only player with the franchise to claim more than Kirk.
~Kirk has five homers and 13 RBI this postseason. The five longballs match him with Sandy Alomar in 1997 and Cal Raleigh in 2025 for the most by a catcher (at least 75% of games at catcher) in a postseason. The 13 RBI give Kirk the fifth most for a backstop in a postseason, behind Alomar in 1997 (19), Iván Rodríguez in 2003 (17), Benito Santiago in 2002 (16) and Mike Napoli in 2011 (15).
Max Scherzer got the start for the Blue Jays and lasted four-and-a-third innings, surrendering three runs. At 41 years and 92 days old, the right-hander became the eighth-oldest starter in Fall Classic history. He’s one of nine starters to be past his 41st birthday, and with Scherzer’s fate in the books, the collective history doesn’t offer a lot of huzzahs. Of the nine, only one – Kenny Rogers in his gasp-worthy Game 2 start in 2006, recorded a win; his Tigers are one of the three clubs to hand the ball to the oldster and come out on top.
Starting Pitchers in the World Series – 41 Years Old and Beyond
46 years, 103 days Jack Quinn in Game 4 in 1929. Quinn (5.0 IP, 6 R) gets a no-decision, but his Athletics win, 10-8.
45 years, 342 days Jamie Moyer in Game 3 in 2008. Moyer (6.1 IP, 3 R) gets a no-decision, but his Phillies win, 5-4.
43 years 79 days Roger Clemens in Game 1 in 2005. Clemens (2.0 IP, 3 R) gets a no-decision and his Astros lose, 5-3.
41 years, 346 days Kenny Rogers in Game 2 in 2006. Rogers works eight scoreless innings and records the win in a 3-1 Tigers victory.
41 years, 222 days Pete Alexander in Game 2 in 1928. Alexander (2.1 IP, 8 R) takes the loss as his Cardinals drop a 9-3 decision.
41 years, 167 days Dennis Martínez in Game 6 in 1995. Martínez (4.2 IP, 0 R) gets a no-decision as his Indians lose, 1-0.
41 years, 161 days Dennis Martínez in Game 2 in 1995. Martínez (5.2 IP, 4 R) takes the loss as his Indians lose, 4-3.
41 years, 92 days Max Scherzer in Game 3 in 2025. Scherzer (4.1 IP, 3 R) gets a no-decision and his Blue Jays fall, 6-5.
41 years, 79 days Roger Clemens in Game 4 in 2003. Clemens (7.0 IP, 3 R) gets a no-decision as his Yankees drop a 4-3 affair.
Thanks to Baseball Reference and its extraordinary research database, Stathead, for help in assembling this piece.
Roger Schlueter
As Sr. Editorial Director for Major League Baseball Productions from 2004-2015, Roger served as a hub for hundreds of hours of films, series, documentaries and features: as researcher, fact-checker, script doctor, and developer of ideas. The years at MLB Production gave him the ideal platform to pursue what galvanized him the most – the idea that so much of what takes place on the field during the MLB regular and postseason (and is forever beautifully condensed into a box score) has connections to what has come before. Unearthing and celebrating these webs allows baseball to thrive, for the present can come alive and also reignite the past.