Most memorable game-winning home run?

Being a Torontonian, mine is Carter's, followed by Gibson's. After that it's Alomar's home run against Eckersley in the '92 ALCS.

After Maz's, Carter's walk-off HR to beat the Phillies trumps any other HR in WS history.

Thomson's is still #1 in baseball.

 

That one broke my little heart. :-\

 

One that hasn't been mentioned yet that is a Top 5 candidate and a definite Top 10 candidate, depending on how you view things.
Bucky Dent.
The thread title is "game-winning home run". Dent's HR gave the Yankees a lead they never gave up. So in that sense it was a game-winner.

 

No way I'm dumb enough to dispute what Thomson's shot meant. Same with Joe Carter.

But I remember watching that Kirk Gibson shot live. The man could barely walk, and there's no way he reaches base any other way short of some deep shot into the the corner badly misplayed by an outfielder or something like that. The only way Gibson makes a difference is by putting it over the wall - nothing else. And keep in mind that he didn't exactly have the lower-body drive needed in the midst of his swing to go deep.

Yet he did it. And while it didn't win titles for his team like Thomson and Carter, it set the tone for a Dodgers team not many of the seamhead sorts gave a serious chance to beat the mighty A's.

 

Not game-winning, but game-saving ... Dave Henderson's home run in Game 5 of the '86 ALCS was the biggest "Holy shit!" home run I've witnessed given what was on the line and that the Red Sox were one strike away from losing the pennant.

And that game was incredibly compelling for several more innings. It might be the most exciting game I've ever seen.

 

That home run also indirectly led to the downfall of Donnie Moore.

 

When I said "way up there," I didn't mean ahead of Thomson and Maz. Or maybe even Carter, since Carter's won the World Series. But it ain't far from the top.

 

Indirectly?

 

What's sometimes forgotten is that if Don Baylor doesn't hit a home run earlier in the inning, Henderson never gets a chance to hit his. Incredible game.

 

I didn't want Bubbler to feel bad. Obviously, that HR cemented his downfall, but Moore had an issue or two before that.

 

Because I was in the stadium, I'll add Magglio Ordonez's walk-off homer to put the Tigers into the 2006 World Series. It didn't have nearly the drama of Thomson, since the Tigers were up 3-0 in the series and were going to extra innings at worst, but this was a team that was only three years removed from 119 losses.

 

Why I would I feel bad? I know it led to Moore's downfall, but it doesn't make it any less dramatic.