The Miracle Braves Clinch

The Miracle Braves Clinch (1914)

On the Fourth of July, the Boston Braves were in last place. On September 29 they clinched the National League pennant, beating the Cubs 3-2 at Fenway Park, which they had borrowed for the stretch run. The winner wasn't one of their three aces. It was Tom Hughes, a late-season pickup earning his first win for Boston. The Braves took the pennant by 10 and a half games, then swept the heavily favored Athletics in the World Series. They've been the Miracle Braves ever since.

Connie Ryan Dresses for the Weather (1949)

Rain was pouring at Braves Field, Brooklyn led 8-0, and the Dodgers were chasing St. Louis for the pennant, so the umpires kept playing. The Braves had other ideas. Someone built a bonfire of programs and newspapers on the dugout steps. Then Connie Ryan strolled into the on-deck circle in a long black raincoat, and umpire George Barr threw him out. His pinch hitter, Steve Kuczek, doubled off Don Newcombe. It was the only at-bat of his big league career.

The Catch (1954)

Cleveland had won 111 games and came to the Polo Grounds as the World Series favorite. In the eighth inning of Game 1, tied 2-2 with two on and nobody out, Vic Wertz crushed a drive to deep center. Willie Mays, just 23, turned his back to the plate, ran it down, and caught it over his shoulder, then spun and fired the ball back to the infield. Cleveland didn't score. The Giants won in 10 innings and swept the Series.

Tony Gwynn Jr. Spoils the Party (2007)

The Padres were one strike from clinching a playoff spot in Milwaukee, with Trevor Hoffman on the mound. Up stepped pinch hitter Tony Gwynn Jr., son of Padres Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, Hoffman's longtime teammate. He tripled to tie the game. The Brewers won in 11, San Diego lost again the next day, then lost a tiebreaker in Colorado. The Rockies rode that opening all the way to the World Series.