In Wednesday night’s 15-inning marathon 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols finished 3-for-7 with a walk-off RBI single.
With the help of Tom Orf, let’s put that walk-off into Cardinals historical context.
While the walk-off is the most exciting of game-ending hits, it is just one of three related flavors of last at-bat winning hits. As the table below indicates, a road club can also collect a game-winning hit in their last at-bat in the top of the final inning. Finally, a home team can score in their last at-bat in the bottom of the eighth to secure a win.
No matter which of the game-enders interest you, the data is below. The subset of each kind of game-ending hits which were home runs are broken out separately.
When considering the long franchise history of the Cardinals, it is not surprising that Stan Musial leads in two of the three types of last at-bat winning hits. However, Pujols is rapidly moving up the ranks, already leading the Cardinals in eighth-inning last at-bat winning hits.
Last at-bat game-winning hits – Cardinals history
| Walkoff | Road | Home 8th | All | |
| HR-Total | HR-Total | HR-Total | HR-Total | |
| Stan Musial | 12-21 | 8-23 | 3-4 | 23-48 |
| Lou Brock | 3-12 | 5-11 | 1-6 | 9-29 |
| Albert Pujols | 7-11 | 6-7 | 6-10 | 19-28 |
| Ted Simmons | 1-8 | 4-14 | 1-4 | 6-26 |
| Ken Boyer | 5-13 | 5-9 | 0-3 | 10-25 |
| Enos Slaughter | 3-12 | 1-3 | 4-8 | 8-23 |
| Joe Medwick | 3-9 | 1-6 | 3-6 | 7-21 |
| Ozzie Smith | 1-7 | 0-9 | 0-4 | 1-20 |
| Curt Flood | 2-10 | 3-5 | 0-4 | 5-19 |
| Red Schoendienst | 0-9 | 0-7 | 0-3 | 0-19 |
| Terry Moore | 2-9 | 2-7 | 0-1 | 4-17 |
| Tom Herr | 2-9 | 1-6 | 0-2 | 3-17 |
| Ray Lankford | 3-9 | 3-7 | 0-1 | 6-17 |
| Tim McCarver | 1-9 | 1-4 | 2-3 | 4-16 |
| Willie McGee | 2-9 | 0-7 | 0-0 | 2-16 |
| Tom Pagnozzi | 3-10 | 1-5 | 0-1 | 3-16 |
| Ken Reitz | 1-6 | 3-8 | 0-2 | 4-16 |
| Pepper Martin | 3-9 | 1-3 | 0-2 | 4-14 |
| Joe Cunningham | 2-6 | 1-5 | 1-3 | 4-14 |
| Brian Jordan | 1-4 | 2-4 | 2-6 | 5-14 |
| Terry Pendleton | 0-4 | 0-5 | 1-5 | 1-14 |
| Mike Shannon | 0-5 | 1-7 | 1-2 | 2-14 |
I’m a little confused as to how a player can get a game-winning hit in the last AB of the bottom of the eighth or top of the ninth unless a base runner is tagged out. The inning doesn’t stop until the third out is made. In fact, it’s impossible for a home run in the bottom of the eighth or top of the ninth to be the last at bat of that inning. Somebody is going to make the third out.
Yes, hence the three flavors.
It is the team’s last at-bat wins not the player.. When the Cardinals are tied or trailing and take the lead in the team’s last at-bat such as if the game is tied in the bottom of the 8th at home and the Cardinals score to take the lead and hold them in the top of the ninth to win. On the road, tied or behind in the top of the ninth they take the lead-for example in 2006 against the Mets in game 7 of the NLCS Molina’s HR put the Cards ahead in the team’s last inning to bat and held in the bottom of the 9th.
As you know, the only time the player will bat last is on a walk-off hit (the far left column).
I get it now, thanks.
Actually, though, the player that got the winning hit in the bottom of the eighth or top of the ninth can bat last if the go ahead run is scored on his hit and then another runner is tagged out trying to advance on the play.
One of the great things about baseball is that there is probably an exception to every rule! Keeps discussions interesting…
Suppose there is a perfect game thru 8 2/3, then the batter hits a fly and the fielder drops it. The runner, who has been going full speed the whole time, trying for 2nd gets thrown out by the fielder who dropped the ball, for the final out of the game. My understanding is there is no error, so is there still a perfect game even though the runner reached first. How would the play be scored.
Good question, bb, although that play could happen on any of the 27 outs. I don’t know if it would be scored a perfect game or not.
DD17, good point. If it is a perfect game it would have to get an asterisk, since the guy successfully rounding first makes it less pure. I think there was a cards game recently where, with no runners on base, a routine fly was dropped and the batter was thrown out trying for second. If I remember right there was no error. Does anyone know how that was scored.