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Yankees History
·14 min read

The 10 Most Rewatchable Yankees Games

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To say we are all starving for baseball is an understatement. Over the past few days I’ve been posing random questions on twitter — what is the most random encounter with an athlete you’ve ever had (mine is meeting Trot Nixon on a ferry to Martha’s Vineyard in the late 90s) and who is an opposing player you have irrational hate for (mine is Brian Daubach). These questions have generated some great responses, but I especially liked this hypothetical question:

Judging from the amount of responses saying 2001 World Series Game 7, many people didn’t understand the nature of the question. You cannot change the result, you just simply don’t remember the result, so you can rewatch and relive the moment like it’s the first time.

The game I expected people to say most often was Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS, and I was right — but it’s 100% warranted. There were some funny ones: June 12, 2009, Mets @ Yankees – Castillo drops the ball! There were some random ones: July 6, 2008, Red Sox @ Yankees – Gardy walks off Papelbon (ok…). There were some recent ones: July 23, 2019, Yankees @ Twins – Hicks makes the catch!

I compiled 10 games along with the Bronx Pinstripes staff to forget and rewatch. Below are the picks in no particular order. But first, some honorable mentions that I guess don’t have the same oomph as more recent games:

— October 10, 2012, ALDS Game 3, Orioles @ Yankees – Raul so cool

— July 1, 2004, Red Sox @ Yankees – The Dive

— October 31 & November 1, 2001, World Series Games 4 & 5, Diamondbacks @ Yankees – Mr. November & DĂ©jĂ  vu all over again

— October 13, 2001, ALDS Game 3, Yankees @ Athletics – The Flip

— October 2, 1978, Division Tiebreaker, Yankees @ Red Sox – Bucky effin’ Dent

Ok, to the games…

October 3, 2017, AL Wild Card Game, Twins @ Yankees – Pandemonium in the Bronx

Picked by: Rohan Arcot, @rohanarcot20

Why it’s rewatchable: The Yankees hadn’t won a playoff game since 2012 and were down 3-0 before they had a chance to bat in a win-or-go-home game.

This is a game that everyone remembers. 2017 was the year of the Baby Bombers and everyone was pumped for the playoffs. But after Severino got knocked out in the top of the 1st, the crowd was silent. Then, Sir Didi struck.

I have never heard the stadium as loud as I heard it after Didi’s 3-run homerun to get the Yankees back in the game. This was the night Didi’s playoff legend was born. This was the night DRob cemented his legacy as a great Yankee reliever. This was the night when the Baby Bombers went from fun and lovable to a serious threat. And this was the night the Yankee Stadium crowd returned. Throughout that postseason and ever since, every opposing team is scared to play in the Bronx because of us. And that night in 2017 was what brought it back. After winning this game, the Yankees reached the ALDS for the first time in 5 years, which for most teams isn’t a big deal, but is eternity for the Yankees. It signaled to the fan base and to the rest of the league that the Yankees were back and are a force to be reckoned with.

Editor’s note: This was the craziest sporting event I’ve ever attended. I remember it was the bottom of the 2nd, about 9:45pm, and my friend Frankie saying to me, “I just need to be on a plan to London tomorrow night.” 

 

September 25, 2014, Orioles @ Yankees – The Captain walks-off for the last time

Picked by: Joe Randazzo, @YankeeLibrarian

Why it’s rewatchable: The game went from a Jeter celebration to a disgrace to a Hollywood ending in the matter of 30-minutes.

This game holds a special place in my heart. I hadn’t watched an inning of baseball in 2014. That night though I had (stupidly) taken some jiu-jitsu class and (stupidly) sparred with someone bigger than me. Well that guy turned out to be one of those loser gym class heroes who takes everything seriously. I had gotten knocked around pretty bad and later that night I just felt sick. I ended up in the hospital for what turned out to be a concussion. While the doctor took his time to come see me I ended up watching most of the game between the waiting room and sitting in a small room in the corner of the hospital for all the jiu-jitsu rejects. I remember when Jeter came up to the plate I thought it was going to be the most Derek Jeter thing in the world for him to come through. Low and behold, Derek Jeter did the most Derek Jeter thing and came through. I think I needed some time away from baseball to really appreciate it the way I do now. That moment kick-started something in me and now here I am writing about the Yankees everyday.

Editor’s note: Girardi has talked about his original plan to remove Jeter from the top of the 9th inning similar to the way he did with Mariano, except DRob had other plans. He blew the save and (thankfully) Jeter stayed in the game to have a chance to walk it off. The game didn’t matter, but I watched from my couch like it did. The fans acted like it was an October ballgame. Jeter’s teammates acted like they just won the World Series. It was awesome. 

 

April 21, 2012, Yankees @ Red Sox – The Comeback

Picked by: Frank Marco, @FrankieMarco

Why it’s rewatchable: There is nothing sweeter than shutting up a rowdy Fenway Park crowd.

When asked about this, for some reason my mind didn’t go to the playoffs. My mind went to the craziest regular season comeback I have ever watched. April 21, 2012, at Fenway Park back in the Bobby Valentine days.

Sweaty Freddy Garcia didn’t have it that day and got chased for 5 runs in just 1.2 innings. The rout was on. The Sox were up 9-0 by the top of the 6th and if you were like me, you were falling asleep in front of the TV and half paying attention. The Yankees got the scoring started in the top of the 6th inning in what seemed like a meaningless solo home run from Teixeira over the Green Monster. However, in the top of the 7th, something happened – the Yankees started mounting a comeback for the ages.

A bloop single by Russell Martin, infield single by Eduardo Nunez, walk by Jeter, and oppo-taco grand slam by Swisher made it 9-5 Red Sox. A Cano double, Mike Avliles error allowed ARod to reach, setting up a Teixeira oppo-taco 3-run bomb to make it 9-8. What! An! Inning! In the 8th, Nuney singled and stole second, Jeter walked again before Swisher put the Yanks ahead with a booming double off the centerfield wall. The Yankees didn’t look back, piling on to win 15-9. This was one of my most favorite games to watch, and the best part? It all started against Vicente Padilla, who is probably the biggest jerk to ever live.

Editor’s note: I was there. I didn’t leave early. It was awesome. (Back when Bronx Pinstripes was called NYY Universe) 

 

October 31, 2009, World Series Game 3, Yankees @ Phillies – Playoff Pettitte

Picked by: Nick Kirby, @NKirbyNYY

Why it’s rewatchable: This game had it all — a great comeback, controversy with the camera, a pinch-hit bomb, a pitcher driving in a run, and of course, Mo to ice it.

This is a game that often gets overlooked in the 2009 run, but it’s a classic. With the series tied 1-1, the Yankees headed down I-95 to Citizens Bank Park for game 3 in front of a raucous Philly crowd on Halloween night. The Yanks quickly went down 3-0 and the Phillies had Andy Petitte on the ropes. As the series hung in the balance, ARod went off the camera to make it 3-2, and Andy actually drove in the tying run to make it 3-3 in the 5th. Hideki Matsui hit a pinch hit homer (it was an NL park so he couldn’t DH) and Swisher also went deep. The Yankees ended up winning 8-5.

This was the quintessential Andy Petitte playoff start. He didn’t have his best stuff, but he battled through adversity and wiggled out of trouble to get the win. Everyone talks about the Damon double steal in game 4, but I feel like this comeback on the road doesn’t get the recognition it deserves.

Editor’s note: I was so drunk the entire 2009 playoff run that I forgot the details of this game. I vaguely remember watching it at my frat house while a Halloween party was going on downstairs. 

 

October 9, 2009, ALDS Game 2, Twins @ Yankees – ARod’s October

Picked by: Milan Toolsidas, @MToolsidas29

Why it’s rewatchable: There was a lot of pressure on the 2009 Yankees to win. This game reassured the fan base the ’09 playoffs were going to be more like the late-90s than the mid-00s.

This was the best game I have been to. It was my second game at the new stadium and we were sitting at the top of the upper deck behind home plate. While everyone said the new stadium didn’t feel as energetic as the old one, I could feel the building shaking when A-Rod hit the game-tying home run off of Joe Nathan in the 9th. I was getting hugs and high-fives from strangers and loved every second of it. But even before that it was a great game. You had a great pitching duel between A.J. Burnett and Nick Blackburn. I also remember the play where Nick Swisher threw behind the runner and tagged Carlos Gomez before a run scored to keep the game scoreless. And of course there was David Robertson (“Houdini”) getting out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the 11th (which came with some controversy when Mauer’s clear double was called foul). But all in all this was a great game with the fans really into it after missing the playoffs the year before.

Editor’s note: Twins got screwed on the Mauer call. They’re never going to beat the Yankees.

 

October 17, 2017, ALCS Game 4, Astros @ Yankees – Return of the Ghosts

Picked by: Andrew Salzone, @AndrewSalzone 

Why it’s rewatchable: The ghosts of Yankee Stadium were on hiatus but returned in the fall of 2017.

The Yankees’ 2017 playoff run was full of magical moments and memorable match-ups. I’ll never forget the Wild Card Game’s electric first inning, or the satisfaction that accompanied the Bombers’ epic win over Cleveland in Game 5 of the ALDS. That being said, my favorite game from the 2017 playoffs is undoubtedly Game 4 against Houston. Down 2-1 in the series and coming off of a statement win in Game 3, this was one that the Yankees had to have. The Yanks got a relatively solid start from Sonny Gray, but a costly Starlin Castro error allowed Houston to take a 4-0 lead in the top of the 7th. Things were feeling pretty bleak, and a 3-1 series deficit seemed almost inevitable. Everything changed, however, when Judge went deep to lead off the bottom of the 7th. The stadium came alive, and so did the Yankees. In the 8th, Frazier, Headley, Judge, and Didi all delivered clutch hits in an inning for the ages. Gary Sanchez capped the night with a two-RBI double that gave the Bombers the lead and completed what is arguably the greatest comeback in recent Yankees history. Headley tripping over himself in the midst of a dramatic rally only added to the insanity. This is a game that I could watch again and again.

Editor’s note: Another game I had the privileged of going to. I was sitting lower level, right field corner. This game was a 5:00pm start so it felt like the team and the crowd didn’t wake up until the later innings. The 8th inning was so loud I actually just got goosebumps thinking about it.

 

August 6, 1979, Orioles @ Yankees – Honoring Munson

Picked by: WB Tarleton, @BloodyBan

Why it’s rewatchable: I’m not crying, you’re crying.

Baseball is such a beautiful sport. It can tear you down, build you back up, and create a memory that changes your life forever. I was 8, and I’ll never forget August 2nd, 1979. Thurman Munson was my first “favorite player.” I had a giant pin with his picture on it that I wore everywhere and still own. I used to go to my grandfather’s house to watch the games with him when they were on WPIX. I was there that day when the 6 o’clock news announced Thurman’s death. I was crushed. I cried. It was the first I realized that these guys could die.

Thurman’s funeral was on August 6th, and the team wanted to go. Commissioner Kuhn balked at the thought of the entire team going to the funeral in Canton, Ohio. George, to his credit, told Kuhn that they were going and would forfeit if not back in time. Some things are more significant than one game, so they went despite Kuhn’s protestations. Probably his best friend on the team, Bobby Murcer, gave the eulogy that reportedly had everyone in tears. There are videos and pictures of players leaving and clearly in emotional pain. They made it back to play the Orioles that night, and I was again at my grandparents’ house to watch on ABC with Howard Cosell announcing.

It was an unprecedented situation, and many did not know how to handle it. Billy Martin told Murcer that he would not play that night, but Bobby informed Martin otherwise. They looked lackluster and fell behind 4-0 by the 6th inning. In the 7th, the old Yankee Stadium magic appeared. Bucky Dent walked, Willie Randolph doubled, and Murcer clobbered one to make it 4-3. The same three worked similar magic in the ninth. Dent walked. Randolph attempted to bunt Dent over, but Tippy Martinez threw it into right field, and the Yankees had runners on second and third. Who was up next? Of course, Murcer. In any other game, Martin probably pinch hits for Murcer as Martinez was a very tough lefty, but not tonight. Bobby would slash a liner down the left-field line, scoring both runners, and get all five RBI’s in the Yankees 5-4 win.

Stadium magic. I still remember Cosell’s call. There was no cheering with my grandfather, but it felt great all the same.

Editor’s note: Moments like this after tragedy are why sports are awesome.

 

October 21, 2000, World Series Game 1, Mets @ Yankees – Kings of New York

Picked by: Mike Gwizdala, @MikeGwizdala

Why it’s rewatchable: 1996 was unexpected. 1998 was sweet. 1999 was the cherry on top. 2000 was the one they had to have.

I thought about The Babe’s Called Shot, Larsen’s Perfect Game, Maris with 61 in ’61 but technically this is a rewatch. The buzz before that series was palpable. A Subway Series. New York was the epicenter of the baseball world in October. It was the first Subway Series World Series since 1956 and city bragging rights were on the line. How cool to experience something that was the norm for the first half of the century but hadn’t happened for a couple of generations.

This one had all of the emotional swings and a gritty, gutty Yankee victory. A sold out Yankee Stadium with two bulldogs on the bump in Andy Pettitte and Al Leiter. The Ghosts keep Todd Zeile’s ball in the yard, David Justice throws it in to Derek Jeter, who, like a QB on the run, fires home to Jorge Posada to nail the nonchalant lazy base-running of Timo Perez to escape the sixth. Justice, who was the Yankee MVP after the trade deadline, made the Metsies pay in the home half with a two-run double. This game also had the trademark Armando Benitez blowup. Paul O’Neill coaxed a clutch 10-pitch walk in the ninth and came around to tie it at three on a Chuck Knoblauch sac fly. Then to boot, you got your money’s worth on the price of that token ticket with extra innings! Bottom 12, the Yankees loaded the bases and Jose Vizcaino burned his old team by driving in Tino Martinez with a single to left for the winning run. It was a back breaker for the Mets and bedlam in the Bronx for the Yankees! New York – New York, all eyes on us, can’t beat it!

Editor’s note: Zeile’s ball staying in the park makes no sense but at the same time makes perfect sense. That’s why the Yankees are the Yankees and the Mets are the Mets. 

 

October 16, 2003, ALCS Game 7, Red Sox @ Yankees – Aaron Bleepin’ Boone

Picked by: Rich Kaufman, @RAKcity27

Why it’s rewatchable: This felt like the World Series even though the Marlins technically won.

This has always been my favorite Yankee game of all-time — it really doesn’t get much better. The Yankees and Red Sox were at the apex of their rivalry, where every game felt like life or death. Game 7 featured Roger Clemens against Pedro Martinez, and while the legendary pitching match-up didn’t live up to the hype, the rest of the game did. It was perhaps the greatest comeback in Yankees history, filled with clutch hits and tense, heart pounding at-bats, that I’d love to relive in real time. Posada’s bloop hit to tie still gives me chills, and of course, Boone’s moonshot off Wakefield caught everyone by surprise. This also represented the last great game between the two teams under the Curse of the Bambino. The Red Sox were so close, yet the Yankees broke their hearts and ripped it all away from them. I miss those days.

Editor’s note: Despite the fact I wrote about ’96 World Series Game 4 (below), this is clearly the most rewatchable game in Yankees history and also one of the most rewatchable in MLB history.

 

October 23, 1996, World Series Game 4, Yankees @ Braves – Turning Point

Picked by:@Andrew_Rotondi Andrew Rotondi,

Why it’s rewatchable: With this comeback win, the vibe went from “the Braves are going to gentleman sweep us” to “holy crap, we have a series now.”

The Yankees were demolished at home in games 1 and 2 by the defending champion Braves. Atlanta was “the better team” and merely proving it. Then Cone stepped-up in Game 3 to keep the Yankees from embarrassing themselves, but the Braves still had the upper-hand and took a 6-0 lead into the 6th of Game 4. It looked like a 3-1 series deficit was inevitable until Jeter kick-started a 3-run rally in the 6th. Bobby Cox brought in closer Mark Wholers for a 6-out save, but he got only one before the game was tied.

The tension in Leyritz’s 6-pitch at-bat is off the charts. I was only 8-years old at the time so I couldn’t comprehend the magnitude of the moment, but I have agida just rewatching this 24-years later so I can only imagine the feeling in the moment. The ka-thunk sound the ball makes hitting the back wall simultaneous with Buck’s call is chill-inducing.

The Yankees took the lead in the 11th on a Wade Boggs bases-loaded walk and never looked back in the series. Pettitte pitched the best game of his life the next night and Girardi’s triple in Game 6 cemented the Yankees’ 23rd championship.