1975 World Series

Lore & Background

In 2003, ESPN ranked it the second-greatest World Series ever played, trailing only the 1991 series, while in 2020, Sam Miller of ESPN named it the best World Series ever. The sixth game of the World Series was a 12-inning classic at Boston's Fenway Park, which culminated with a walk-off home run by Carlton Fisk to extend the series to seven games. The Reds rallied from a 3–0 deficit to win the seventh and deciding game of the series on a ninth-inning single by Joe Morgan after being seven outs away from elimination. This was the third time in five years that a seven-game World Series winner (following Oakland in 1972 and 1973) was outscored, as the 1971 Pirates outscored the Orioles 26–24 and the 1975 Reds outscored the Red Sox 29–23. Reds third baseman Pete Rose was named World Series MVP. Rose batted .370 with 10 hits and two RBIs and scored 3 runs. Umpire Nick Colosi worked the 1971 World Series, making this not the first Fall Classic for all six umpires. Art Frantz later umpired in the 1978 World Series and George Maloney in the 1979 World Series, so both worked additional Fall Classics.

In Their Own Story

The lights at Fenway hummed against the cool October air. In the twelfth inning of Game 6, the ball hung in the darkness, a white speck against the black sky. Carlton Fisk danced down the first-base line, his arms waving frantically, pleading with the ball to stay fair. It struck the pole with a sound that echoed through history. The stadium erupted, a roar of pure disbelief and joy, but the silence that followed in Game 7 was heavier than any cheer. As Joe Morgan crossed home plate, the dream slipped away, leaving only the memory of what could have been.

Reader's Guide

The Red Sox manager in the 1975 World Series was Darrell Johnson.

Did You Know?

• Carlton Fisk's walk-off home run in Game 6 was not the first walk-off home run in World Series history to occur in extra innings; Dusty Rhodes hit a walk-off home run in extra innings in the 1954 World Series.