Few moments in baseball are as electrifying as a home run that changes the course of a game—or even history.
Whether it’s a dramatic walk-off, a jaw-dropping moonshot, or a championship-clinching blast, these are the 15 most legendary home runs in MLB history, ranked from great to absolute GOAT status.
15. Carlton Fisk Waves It Fair (1975 World Series)
Game 6. Bottom of the 12th. Fisk hits a towering shot down the left-field line and frantically waves his arms, willing the ball to stay fair. It does. The Red Sox win the game, and baseball history gets one of its most iconic moments.
14. David Freese’s Walk-Off (2011 World Series)
Game 6 of the 2011 World Series was already legendary, and Freese added to the chaos with his 11th-inning walk-off bomb to center field. The Cardinals lived to see another day—and then won it all in Game 7.
13. Kirk Gibson’s Limp-Off Homer (1988 World Series)
Gibson could barely walk due to injuries, but that didn’t stop him from launching a pinch-hit, two-run walk-off home run off Dennis Eckersley in Game 1 of the World Series. “I don’t believe what I just saw!” Neither do we, still.
12. Barry Bonds Breaks the Single-Season Record (2001)
Say what you want about the era, but 73 home runs in a season is ridiculous. No. 71 broke Mark McGwire’s record, and No. 73 added an exclamation point to a jaw-dropping display of power.
11. Bill Mazeroski’s World Series Walk-Off (1960)
A World Series-winning home run is a rare gem, and Mazeroski’s Game 7 blast against the Yankees remains one of the greatest ever. Pittsburgh fans still celebrate it like it just happened.
10. Joe Carter Touches ‘Em All (1993 World Series)
There are only two World Series-ending walk-off homers in history, and Joe Carter’s was the more electrifying one. His three-run bomb in Game 6 against the Phillies gave the Blue Jays their second straight championship.
9. Hank Aaron Passes Babe Ruth (1974)
Home run No. 715. The moment when Aaron dethroned Ruth as the home run king, breaking baseball’s most hallowed record and overcoming hate mail and racism to do it. Absolute legend.
8. Bobby Thomson’s “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” (1951 NL Pennant)
“The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!” Thomson’s three-run homer off Ralph Branca in the deciding game of a three-game playoff sent New York into a frenzy and remains one of the most famous calls in sports history.
7. Reggie Jackson’s Three Homers in One World Series Game (1977)
Mr. October earned his nickname by smashing three consecutive home runs on three consecutive swings in Game 6 of the World Series. The Yankees won the title, and Jackson became an icon.
6. Babe Ruth’s “Called Shot” (1932 World Series)
Did he actually call his shot? Who knows! But the legend of Ruth pointing to center field before launching a towering home run in the World Series is baseball folklore at its finest.
5. Aaron Boone Sends the Yankees to the World Series (2003 ALCS)
Red Sox fans still have nightmares about this one. Boone’s 11th-inning walk-off in Game 7 of the ALCS against Boston was a dagger that sent the Yankees to yet another Fall Classic.
4. Albert Pujols Ruins Brad Lidge (2005 NLCS)
Pujols didn’t just hit a home run—he absolutely obliterated the ball, sending it into the stratosphere and shattering Lidge’s confidence in the process. The Astros still won the series, but that homer was an all-time flex.
3. Derek Jeter’s “Mr. November” Shot (2001 World Series)
Past midnight, into November, Jeter crushed a walk-off home run in Game 4 against the Diamondbacks. The Yankees had their Mr. October, and now they had Mr. November, too.
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2. David Ortiz’s ALCS Walk-Off (2004)
Down 3-0 in the series against the Yankees, Ortiz’s 12th-inning walk-off bomb in Game 4 ignited the Red Sox’s historic comeback. Without this homer, the Curse of the Bambino might still be alive.
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1. Kirk Gibson’s World Series Homer (1988)
The No. 1 spot belongs to none other than Kirk Gibson’s 1988 World Series homer. Limping up to the plate, barely able to swing, and then launching a baseball into history? That’s as legendary as it gets.
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