The young Bucs promptly stunned the baseball world with a second-place finish, while Mazeroski blossomed into an All-Star for the first time in his career. Mazeroski told reporters in the jubilant home team clubhouse afterward. Although this is technically not the actual section of wall that Mazeroski's famous home run cleared, a nearby plaque in the sidewalk of Roberto Clemente Drive does mark the spot where the sudden-victory homer cleared the wall. Whether you think so or not, it is nothing short of classic and almost every fan would agree it was quite exciting. A Little League Softball field dedicated to Mazeroski lies on the other side. In 1995, Harrison Central High school, located in Cadiz, Ohio had a field donated by Bill which would later be known as "Mazeroski Field". He also earned his first Gold Glove Award. In the top of the first inning, New York right fielder Roger Maris, the eventual 1960 AL MVP, drilled a home run off Law to give the Yankees a 1–0 lead. The Yankees were rebounding from a soul-crushing defeat after Bill Mazeroski’s bottom-of-the-ninth, walk-off home run in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series. The crowd “sucked in their collective breaths” 1 as Terry delivered a shoulder-high fastball. DESCRIBING THE ninth-inning home run that beat the Yankees in the 1960 World Series in an Oct. 23, 2000, SI article, the former Pirate Bill Mazeroski (above) recalled his own boyhood fantasies: "It was the seventh game of the World Series ... then you hit the home run. Mazeroski forged his legacy in the 1960 World Series, when he slammed two game-winning home runs. Mazeroski was the focus of a staged game-ending triple play as part of a cameo appearance in the 1968 Hollywood hit film The Odd Couple. In his first plate appearance, he singled off Johnny Antonelli for his first career hit. Most baseball fans remember 2001 Hall of Fame inductee Bill Mazeroski as the hero of the 1960 World Series. Mazeroski was born in Wheeling, West Virginia of Polish descent and grew up a Cleveland Indians fan in Rush Run, Ohio. The last came on October 13 in Game 7 off New York Yankees pitcher Ralph Terry at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, and it remains the only so-called walk-off homer to decide Game 7 of a Fall Classic in major league history. MLB held two All-Star Games from 1959 through 1962, List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders, List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise, "Former Point Breeze teen still wonders about lost Mazeroski ball", The Sporting News' Baseball's 25 Greatest Moments: Maz, Audio: Mazeroski's home run to win Game 7 of the 1960 World Series, Baseball's Last Hero: 21 Clemente Stories, National League Second Baseman Gold Glove Award, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bill_Mazeroski&oldid=994317030, Sportspeople from Wheeling, West Virginia, Major League Baseball players with retired numbers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, October 4, 1972, for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 15 December 2020, at 02:29. His 19 home runs and 69 RBI each ranked second at his position in the major leagues. Contact SABR, 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, https://sabr.org/sites/default/files/pirates%20fans.png, /wp-content/uploads/2020/02/sabr_logo.png, October 13, 1960: Bill Mazeroski's heroic homer brings World Series championship to Pittsburgh, October 13, 1960: Bill Mazeroski’s heroic homer brings World Series championship to Pittsburgh, “Moments of Joy and Heartbreak: 66 Significant Episodes in the History of the Pittsburgh Pirates”. After Danny Murtaugh replaced Bragan at the helm in early August of the 1957 season, Mazeroski and the Pirates showed immediate and steady improvement. Phoenix, AZ 85004 After the Yankees had plated two runs to tie the score at 9-9 in the top of the ninth inning, Mazeroski admittedly got caught up in the sudden turn of events. On induction day at Cooperstown, Mazeroski only made it as far into his prepared remarks as thanking the Veterans Committee voters for choosing a player based largely on defensive skills (a rarity) before getting so overcome with emotion that he had to stop. The last came on October 13 in Game 7 off New York Yankees pitcher Ralph Terry at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, and it remains the only so-called walk-off homer to decide Game 7 of a Fall Classic in major league history. Ralph Terry still gets emotional about it now, his voice cracking a few times over the telephone during a conversation Thursday about Game 7 of the 1960 World Series. In 1954, the 17-year-old signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The manager felt that the extra pounds held back Friend and Mazeroski. His son Darren is a retired junior college baseball coach. 10/13/60: Bill Mazeroski wins the 1960 World Series for the Pirates with a dramatic walk-off home run against the Yankees in Game 7 He attended Warren Consolidated High School in Tiltonsville, Ohio, where he overcame family economic hardships to excel in several sports, baseball and basketball in particular. Mazeroski hosts an annual golf tournament, The Bill Mazeroski Golf Tournament. And, so, Pirates fans began to gather at its foot Tuesday at 11:15 a.m., at about the time Forbes Field's gates opened that long-ago Thursday for Game 7 of the World Series. Whitey Ford, who had the best winning percentage of any pitcher in the 20th century and helped the Yankees become baseball's perennial champions in the 1950s and '60s, has died. With the score tied 9-9 Bill Mazeroski slammed Yankee pitcher Ralph Terry’s second pitch over the wall at Forbes Field, winning the game and the Series. He was also in a commercial for FSN Pittsburgh featuring former Pirates first baseman Sean Casey. Mazeroski also was known for extraordinary durability, especially given his chronic leg problems and the physical demands of the second base position. 9 of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Bill Mazeroski, has just hit a pitch that is heading for the trees beyond the left field wall. FILE - In this June 12, 2016 file photo, former New York Yankees pitcher Whitey Ford waves to fans from outside the dugout at the Yankees' annual Old Timers Day baseball game in New York. Originally a shortstop, he was moved to second base and made his major league debut on July 7, 1956, against the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds. 555 N. Central Ave. #416 October 1960; Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: No. In 1987, Mazeroski ran for the Democratic nomination for County Commissioner in his home of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania but his bid was unsuccessful. Bob Skinnerthen singled to dri… He had a career-high 82 RBI in 1966, when he batted no higher than the sixth spot in all except 17 games. A portion of the brick center field wall from Forbes Field remains standing on the University of Pittsburgh campus in Pittsburgh's Oakland District as a memorial. During his 17-year career with Pittsburgh (1956-72), the Hall-of-Famer won eight Gold Glove awards and earned a reputation as one of the finest fielding second basemen in the history of the game. "The home run took a while to sink in because all I could think of was, 'We beat the Yankees! The legendary blast gave the Pirates their first World Series championship in 35 years and set off a wild celebration in Pittsburgh that lasted for days. Houston Astros and future Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan called Mazeroski "the gold standard" for infield defense. Remarkably, Mazeroski was able to accomplish this even though he played nearly half of his games at Forbes Field, whose infield was widely thought to be the worst in the majors because of its alabaster-like surface and many errant hops. Sports Illustrated ranked that home run eighth on its list of the 100 Greatest Moments in Sports History.[1]. And Pittsburgh will always have the Left-field Wall, the one Bill Mazeroski homered over at 3:36 p.m. on Oct. 13, 1960. According to an anecdote recorded at the Internet Movie Database web page on The Odd Couple, the scene was actually filmed just prior to the start of a regular game at Shea Stadium on June 27, 1967.