Walk-Off

A walk-off is any play that ends the game with the home team winning. The term comes from the fact that the visiting team must immediately "walk off" the field in defeat once the winning run scores.

How Walk-Offs Happen

Walk-offs can occur through:

• Walk-off home run: The most dramatic ending
• Walk-off single/double/triple: A base hit that scores the winning run
• Walk-off walk: A bases-loaded walk forcing in the winning run
• Walk-off hit by pitch: Same as above, with bases loaded
• Walk-off balk: A pitcher's balk scores the winning run
• Walk-off error: A defensive mistake allows the winning run to score
• Walk-off wild pitch/passed ball: The winning run scores on a battery error

Why Walk-Offs Are Special

Walk-offs are uniquely exciting because:

• The game ends immediately, no more at-bats needed
• The home crowd erupts in celebration
• Players often mob the hero at home plate
• It's a complete reversal of momentum in one swing

Origin of the Term

Hall of Fame reliever Dennis Eckersley is credited with popularizing "walk-off" in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He used it to describe the lonely walk back to the clubhouse after giving up a game-ending hit.

Famous Walk-Offs

Some of baseball's most iconic moments are walk-offs:

• Bill Mazeroski's 1960 World Series Game 7 home run
• Kirk Gibson's 1988 World Series Game 1 home run
• Joe Carter's 1993 World Series Game 6 home run