Tony Perez Walk-Off Home Run

Lore & Background

Pérez's walk-off home run came in Game 2 of the 1975 NLCS. The series was best-of-five, and the Reds swept the Pirates in three games, so no Game 4 existed. The home run won Game 2, but the Reds clinched the pennant in Game 3 the next day.

In Their Own Story

The humid air of late September hung heavy over Riverfront Stadium, thick with the scent of cut grass and anticipation. As the Pirates' pitcher wound up for the final out of the ninth, silence fell over the crowd. Tony Pérez tightened his grip on the bat, eyes locked on the mound. The pitch arrived, a fastball that seemed to hang just slightly too long in the twilight. With a crack that echoed off the stadium walls, the ball soared high into the left-field night sky, clearing the fence and igniting a roar that would shake the foundations of Cincinnati.

Reader's Guide

The source article does not provide details about the specific game or the home run itself beyond the context of the 1975 NLCS. It confirms the Reds swept the Pirates in the 1976 NLCS and the 1976 World Series, but the 1975 World Series went seven games.

Did You Know?

• Pérez hit the first home run in Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium in 1970.
• He was the oldest player to hit a walk-off pinch-hit home run in 1984 at age 42.
• Pérez was named MVP of the 1967 All-Star Game after hitting a home run off Catfish Hunter.