Golden pitch


A golden pitch refers to a pitch in a baseball game in which the outcome of the pitch could produce a World Series championship for either team. By definition, a golden pitch can only be thrown in the winner-take-all final game of the World Series and only in the bottom half of the ninth inning or a later inning when the road team has the lead, and the home team has at least one runner on base.
As of the end of the 2025 baseball season, 49 golden pitches have been thrown, by nine pitchers to 15 batters in nine different World Series: 1912, 1926, 1962, 1972, 1997, 2001, 2014, 2016 and 2025.

Background

The term was coined by Wade Kapszukiewicz, a politician from Toledo, Ohio, who introduced the concept in an article for the Spring 2016 edition of the Society of American Baseball Research Baseball Research Journal.
File:Ruth1926-3.jpg|thumb|Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees season|New York Yankees] is tagged out by Cardinals season|St. Louis Cardinals] second baseman Rogers Hornsby to end the 1926 World Series. Yankees batter Bob Meusel was facing a "golden pitch" from Cardinals pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander when Ruth was caught stealing to end the game and give the Cardinals their first World Series championship. |left
The most recent golden pitches occurred in the 2025 World Series when Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw seven against the Toronto Blue Jays in the 11th inning of Game 7. After the Dodgers had taken a 5-4 lead in the top of the 11th on a home run by Will Smith, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. led off the bottom of the 11th with a double. After he advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Isiah Kiner-Falefa, the teams entered a golden pitch situation by which either team could win on the next pitch. The next batter, Addison Barger, reached base on a four-pitch walk. Then Alejandro Kirk stepped to the plate. He hit a foul ball and took a strike for an 0-2 count. On the third pitch of his at-bat, Kirk hit a broken-bat ground ball to Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts, who touched second base and threw to first baseman Freddie Freeman to complete the double play and clinch the Dodgers' ninth world championship.

Plate appearances with golden pitches

Of the 15 plate appearances with golden pitches, five ended with the batter getting out to end the game and the series; a sixth ended when a base runner was caught stealing. None of the 15 at-bats ended with the batting team winning the game, but three concluded with the batter hitting the ball in play and tying the game, and all three times the batting team won later in the game. Five of the 15 plate appearances occurred in extra innings: two in the 10th inning of Game 8 in 19121, one in the 10th inning of Game 7 in 2016, and two in the 11th inning of Game 7 in 2025.
Three of the 15 batters to have faced a golden pitch are in the National [Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|National Baseball Hall of Fame] as of 2025: Tris Speaker, Willie Mays and Willie McCovey. Four of the nine pitchers are Hall of Famers: Christy Mathewson, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Rollie Fingers and Mariano Rivera. Three of the players involved in golden pitches were awarded the World Series [Most Valuable Player Award|World Series MVP] in the same year: Ralph Terry in 1962, Madison Bumgarner in 2014 and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in 2025.
YearBatter, teamPitcher, teamScore during pitchesInning, outs, runners# of pitchesResult of plate appearance
1912Steve Yerkes, Boston Red Sox season|Boston Red Sox]Christy Mathewson, New York Giants season|New York Giants]Giants 2–110th, 1 out, runner on 2nd5Walk
1912Tris Speaker, Boston Red SoxChristy Mathewson, New York GiantsGiants 2–110th, 1 out, runners on 1st & 2nd2RBI single, tie game
1926Bob Meusel, New York YankeesGrover Cleveland Alexander, St. Louis CardinalsCardinals 3–29th, 2 outs, runner on 1st1Babe Ruth caught stealing, St. Louis Cardinals win
1962Chuck Hiller, 1962 [San Francisco Giants season|San Francisco Giants]Ralph Terry, New York YankeesYankees 1–09th, 1 out, runner on 1st7Strikeout
1962Willie Mays, San Francisco GiantsRalph Terry, New York YankeesYankees 1–09th, 2 outs, runner on 1st3Double
1962Willie McCovey, San Francisco GiantsRalph Terry, New York YankeesYankees 1–09th, 2 outs, runners on 2nd & 3rd2Lineout, New York Yankees win
1972Pete Rose, Cincinnati Reds season|Cincinnati Reds]Rollie Fingers, Oakland A'sA's 3–29th, 2 outs, runner on 1st1Flyout, Oakland A's win
1997Charles Johnson, Florida Marlins season|Florida Marlins]José Mesa, Cleveland Indians season|Cleveland Indians]Indians, 2–19th, 1 out, runner on 1st4Single
1997Craig Counsell, Florida MarlinsJosé Mesa, Cleveland IndiansIndians, 2–19th, 1 out, runners on 1st & 3rd3Sacrifice fly, tie game
2001Jay Bell, Arizona Diamondbacks season|Arizona Diamondbacks]Mariano Rivera, New York YankeesYankees 2–19th, 0 outs, runners on 1st & 2nd1Bunted fielder's choice, force out at 3rd base
2001Tony Womack, Arizona DiamondbacksMariano Rivera, New York YankeesYankees 2–19th, 1 out, runners on 1st & 2nd5RBI double, tie game
2014Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals season|Kansas City Royals]Madison Bumgarner, San Francisco GiantsGiants 3–29th, 2 outs, runner on 3rd6Foul popout, San Francisco Giants win
2016Michael Martinez, Cleveland IndiansMike Montgomery, Chicago Cubs season|Chicago Cubs]Cubs 8–710th, 2 outs, runner on 1st2Groundout, Chicago Cubs win
2025Addison Barger, 2025 [Toronto Blue Jays season|Toronto Blue Jays]Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 2025 [Los Angeles Dodgers season|Los Angeles Dodgers]Dodgers 5–411th, 1 out, runner on 3rd4Walk
2025Alejandro Kirk, Toronto Blue JaysYoshinobu Yamamoto, Los Angeles DodgersDodgers 5–411th, 1 out, runners on 1st & 3rd3Groundout double play, Los Angeles Dodgers win