Scott Podsednik hit a walk-off home run to win a World Series game tonight, making him just the 14th player ever to do so. Was it the least likely walk-off ever?
Not only was Podsednik surely the most unlikely power threat of the 14 walk-off heroes...he was facing one of the toughest pitchers among the 14 victims.
OPS+ of Walk-Off Heroes
184 Dusty Rhodes (1954)
177 Mickey Mantle (1964)
154 Eddie Mathews (1957)
150 Carlton Fisk (1975)
149 Kirk Gibson (1988)
148 Tommy Henrich (1949)
134 Mark McGwire (1988)
125 Derek Jeter (2001)
119 Kirby Puckett (1991)
111 Joe Carter (1993)
106 Chad Curtis (1999)
100 Alex Gonzalez (2003)
94 Bill Mazeroski (1960)
86 Scott Podsednik (2005)
ERA+ of Walk-Off Victims
233 Barney Schultz (1964)
183 Mike Remlinger (1999)
181 Brad Lidge (2005)
161 Jay Howell (1988)
160 Dennis Eckersley (1988)
156 Byung-Hyun Kim (2001)
137 Bob Grim (1957)
136 Bob Lemon (1954)
130 Don Newcombe (1949)
120 Mitch Williams (1993)
112 Charlie Leibrandt (1991)
106 Ralph Terry (1960)
100 Pat Darcy (1975)
73 Jeff Weaver (2003)
Astros fans can take comfort in one stat, though: On four of the fourteen previous occasions where a player has won a World Series game with a walk-off...the other team has rallied to take the Fall Classic.
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20051024000049691