One of the best things about baseball is the different ways baseball games can end.
From pitchers getting a big strikeout to end the game, or a batter driving in the winning run through a clutch RBI hit, you will likely see a different ending each time you tune into a game.
Those are one of the many reasons that baseball is such a fascinating sport.
You may hear the term “walk off” from your local play by play or radio announcer to describe the end of the game and we will take a look in this article to discover what that actually means.
What is a Walk-Off in Baseball?
A Walk Off in baseball is when the offensive team scores the go-ahead run in the bottom of the final inning.
Walk-offs typically are won off of singles, but can also be done through doubles, walks, hit-by-pitches, errors, a sac fly, or a walk-off home run.
A Walk Off is one of the most exciting plays in baseball and typically results in the offensive team rushing the field to congratulate the person who scored the winning run or the batter.
Contents
- Why is it called a Walk Off?
- What are other words used to describe a walk-off?
- What type of plays lead to the most walk-off hits?
- What is a walk-off grand slam?
- Has there been a walk-off walk?
- What team has the most walk-off hits in a season?
- Has there ever been a walk-off inside the park grand slam?
- Do Teams Walk off the field during a walk-off?
- Can away teams win on a walk-off?
- Do baseball games end on Walk Offs?
- Can a wild pitch be a walk-off?
- What are some of the best walk-offs in world series history?
Why is it called a Walk Off?
Dennis Eckersley famously used the term “walk-off piece” to describe a pitcher’s dejected walk of shame off of the mound after giving up a big hit to lose the game.
Eckersley gave up one of the most famous walk-off home runs in Major League Baseball history to Kirk Gibson in the World Series in 1988 against the Dodgers to Kirk Gibson.
What are other words used to describe a walk-off?
- Game Winner
- Game Ender
- Sudden Victory
- Clutch Win
You may hear walk-offs described in a variety of different ways by radio announcers and fans depending on where you live.
A walk-off home run is one of the most exciting plays in all of baseball and is not that common.
Jim Thome holds the major league record for walk-off home runs with 13 over the course of his long career.
What type of plays lead to the most walk-off hits?
Most of the walk off hits are singles because players typically touch first base and don’t pursue running to 2nd even if they hit a ball that could easily turn into a double.
In most circumstances, walk offs occur when a runner is on second or third and when a batter gets a ball into the outfield.
The runners from third or second can most often make it home safely.
What is a walk-off grand slam?
A walk off grand slam occurs when a batter hits a home run with the bases loaded to take the lead and end the game.
There have only been 250 documented grand slams in major league history with most of those coming with 2 outs.
Here are some of the most recent walk-off grand slams:
- Daniel Vogelback 2021
- David Bote 2018
- Ryan Roberts 2011
- Brian Bogusevic 2011
- Brooks Conrad 2011
- Adam Dunn 2006
- Brian Giles 2001
Only one walk-off grand slam has ever happened in the postseason which occurred in 2011 by Nelson Cruz for the Texas Rangers in the 2011 ALCS.
Has there been a walk-off walk?
Yes, Walk off Walks occur when the bases are loaded and the opposing pitcher walks a batter to force the runner on third home.
Here is a good article that dug into how rare walk-off walks actually are. out of 128,000 games checked, there were only 442 walks.
This equates to around 7 games per season out of 2430 total games across all teams.
What team has the most walk-off hits in a season?
The 1959 Pirates have the most walk-off hits in history with 18 which is quite impressive because they barely finished the season with a winning record at 78-76.
Pirates reliever Roy Face racked up 17 straight wins to start the season which was a major league record.
Here is a list of the other teams that have the most walk-off hits in the bottom of the ninth:
- 1959 Pirates: 18
- 1977 Yankees 17
- 1943 Yankees 17
- 1997 Marlins 16
- 1987 Twins 16
Has there ever been a walk-off inside the park grand slam?
Roberto Clemente is the only player in MLB history to hit an inside-the-park walk-off grand slam in a 9-8 Pirates win over the Cubs in 1956.
An inside-the-park home run is pretty hard to achieve because most outfielders are skilled enough to retrieve the balls and get them into the infield in a timely fashion.
Inside the park home runs typically require an odd bounce off the bottom or top of the wall or a player slipping and taking a while to get back up to get the ball.
Do Teams Walk off the field during a walk-off?
Most of the time both the winning team and the losing team walk off the field shortly after the winning run scores.
The winning team will likely run toward to player who made the play to generate the winning run.
The team that is on defense will slowly walk off the field with their heads hanging in dejection from suffering a tough loss.
Can away teams win on a walk-off?
No, home teams bat last and as a result, they are the only ones that will be able to get a walk-off hit.
Away teams can have game-winning runs that occur in different periods of the game but they would not qualify as a walk-off.
For instance, if the away time is trailing 5-3 and they hit a game-winning home run to put them up 6-5, they would still need to head back to the field for the bottom of the ninth to try and get the home team out to secure their victory.
Do baseball games end on Walk Offs?
Yes, the baseball game ends immediately in the event of a walk-off play.
This is one of the reasons they are typically so dramatic and typically result in the home team cheering in an enthusiastic fashion.
Can a wild pitch be a walk-off?
Yes, a wild pitch can result in a walk-off and they occur more often than you would think.
Pitchers that enter games with the winning run on base sometimes tighten up and as a result, they lose control of their pitches and they end up getting past the catcher.
Runners that are on third base typically are taking aggressive leads towards the end of the game so any passed ball that gets by most runners are ready to pounce and try to steal home run.
Here are some good highlights of walk-off wild pitches:
What are some of the best walk-offs in world series history?
Some of the most memorable walk-offs in world series history included:
1997 World Series Marlins vs. Indians: Edgar Renteria
2001 World Series Game 7 Dbacks vs. Yankees: Louis Gonzalez
1993 World Series Game 6 Blue Jays vs. Phillies: Joe Carter
2018 World Series Game 3 Dodgers vs. Red Sox: Max Muncy
This was the longest world series game in history.
What are the rarest walk off plays?
Walk-off doubles, Hit by pitch, and errors are the rarest walk off plays while singles and home runs generate the most walk off wins.
How can pitchers avoid walk offs?
As a former pitcher, there is no worse feeling than giving up a walk-off hit to lose the game.
Teams battle for hours and then the game comes down to one play that results in a loss and pitchers take most of the blame.
Relief pitchers that enter games in the bottom of the ninth inning with a runner on base in a close game can give up a hit and be the scapegoat for their teams’ loss, but statistically, unless they give up a home run the runners on base will not even count against their ERA.
Pitchers can avoid walk-offs by the following:
Avoiding Walks
Walking batters late in the game is one of the most likely ways to run into a situation where your team will lose the game on a walk off.
When a game is tied or close in the bottom of the ninth, the teams on offense will play a different style of baseball than they typically play throughout the course of a regular game.
This means that when a player gets on first through a walk, they will do whatever they can to move the runner to 2nd base so that they set themselves up to win the game with a base hit.
Pitchers that avoid walks are the best in these late-game situations.
Keeping the Ball Down in the Strike Zone
Pitchers that can pound the ball low in the strike zone and generate ground balls typically do much better in avoiding walk-offs than a pitcher who gets a ton of fly balls.
Hitters that hit fly balls into the outfield can allow the runner on third base to tag up and score the winning run in plenty of time.
Ground ball pitchers can generate hard-hit balls into the ground which in turn can result in double plays or plays that allow the infield to monitor the runner at third base and then proceed to get the out at the first base.
Getting ahead in the count
Pitchers that put themselves in favorable pitchers counts can get more aggressive during an at-bat and throw off-speed pitches out of the strike zone to get batters to chase them.
Conclusion
Walk-off plays are some of the best in baseball but and there are many different types of plays to keep an eye out for the next time you head to a game and it ends up being close as you enter the ninth inning.
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