What Is a Walk-Off Homer?

A walk-off homer is a home run that ends a baseball game. It's called a walk-off homer because the fielding team walks off the field after the home run. All walk-off homers are hit by home teams that are tied with or trailing the visiting team before the home run is hit. Visiting teams can't hit walk-off homers because home teams bat last when they are trailing with half an inning left in the game.

Dennis Eckersley

Walk-off homers have been hit throughout baseball history. "Sports Illustrated" magazine reported that Roger Connor hit a walk-off homer in 1881. However, game-ending home runs were not called walk-off homers until 1988. Ironically, the term appears to have been coined by Oakland Athletics' pitcher Dennis Eckersley during the 1988 regular season, according to a 2005 column by William Safire of "The New York Times." A few months later, Eckersley gave up one of the most famous walk-off homers in baseball history when Kirk Gibson of the Los Angeles Dodgers hit a two-home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series that gave his team a 5-4 win. Gibson, who was pinch hitting because he was hurt, limped around the bases and didn't play again in the World Series that the Dodgers won four games to one.

Season-Ending Homers

Walk-off home runs ended eight playoff series, according to Baseball-Reference.com. The two most significant walk-off homers were hit in the last inning of the World Series. In 1960, Bill Mazeroski won the World Series for the Pittsburgh Pirates by leading off the bottom of the ninth inning with a home run off the New York Yankees' Ralph Terry. The Pirates won the game 10-9 and the series four games to three. In 1993, Joe Carter won the World Series for the Toronto Blue Jays by hitting a three-run home run in the ninth inning off the Philadelphia Phillies' Mitch Williams. The Blue Jays won the game 8-6 and the series four games to two.

Famous Walk-Offs

Carlton Fisk's home run in the 1975 World Series might have been the most famous walk-off homer in baseball history. Fisk hit his home run while leading off the 12th inning of Game 6 at Boston's Fenway Park against Pat Darcy of the Cincinnati Reds and gave the Red Sox a 7-6 win. However, the Reds won Game 7 and the World Series. Kirby Puckett's walk-off homer in 1991 turned out be more significant because his Minnesota Twins won the World Series. Puckett hit a walk-off homer leading off the 11th inning of Game 6 against the Atlanta Braves' Charlie Leibrandt. Minnesota won the game 4-3 and won the World Series the next day.

Grand Slams

Regular-season walk-off homers are relatively common, but walk-off grand slams, home runs with the bases loaded that score four runs, are much less common. Even rarer are what "Sports Illustrated" calls "ultimate grand slams," walk-off grand slams that give the home team a one-run win. There have been 24 in Major League Baseball history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Babe Ruth hit one in 1925. In 1956, Roberto Clemente hit the only inside-the-park ultimate grand slam.