Baseball 101: Endings

The only place to start is with the finish.

That is how to explain why the most recent baseball season was so compelling. It was an interesting year, capped by a wild World Series, capped by an amazing, 11-inning Game 7. After it was over, one of the players summed it up this way: “I’m 41 years old and I never thought I could love baseball this much.”

And that was the starting pitcher on the losing team, the Blue Jays. He, his teammates and the opposing Dodgers couldn’t believe the high-stakes conclusion, with Will Smith hitting a home run in the 11th and World Series Most Valuable Player Yoshinobu Yamamoto making that run stand up by getting a season-ending double play with runners on first and third.

What made it so tantalizing was that there were so many near endings: What if Jeff Hoffman had not allowed a tying home run by Miguel Rojas with one out in the top of the ninth? What if Isiah Kiner-Falefa had been one inch quicker to the plate and avoided the force play in the bottom of the ninth, giving the Blue Jays the victory? What if Andy Pages hadn’t entered as a defensive replacement in centerfield during the bottom of the ninth and hadn’t been available to outleap Enrique Hernandez and grab Ernie Clement’s long drive to left-centerfield for the third out?

All of it goes to show how elusive and decisive endings are in baseball. Thus, Endings are the focus of this year’s chapter of Baseball 101 — Newsday’s annual look at the game through one particular lens, using 101 examples.

Technically, it no longer can be said that baseball is the only team sport without a clock. The pitch timer was introduced in 2023. But the fact remains that a baseball game ends only when someone does something, not when a clock reaches 0:00. A ballgame ends when somebody scores a run, gets an out or . . . commits a pitch clock violation. That non-timed feature is very rare in other sports (such as a sudden-death goal in hockey).

In baseball, there are endings to games, series, seasons, careers, fads and eras.

Maybe 2026 will see some more. With the collective bargaining agreement scheduled to expire and concern growing about competitive balance, perhaps this year will mark the end of business as usual in baseball. Also, with the arrival of the robotic pitch-calling challenge system (ABS), it is possible we will have seen the end of arguments and ejections over balls and strikes.

In any case, history has shown that the end of something usually leads to the beginning of something else. In that spirit, here’s to spring, to Baseball 2026 and, below, this year's Baseball 101 list, in no particular order (other than No. 1)

1. GREAT ONE’S FINAL HIT. Pirates superstar Roberto Clemente’s final swing in a regular-season game turned out to be one of the most dramatic, climactic, poignant at-bats in MLB history.

Puerto Rico’s greatest ballplayer achieved his 3,000th career hit, the milestone sought by every batter, with a double to left against the Mets’ Jon Matlack. That happened at Three Rivers Stadium on Sept. 30, 1972. No one had any idea he would never get another chance.

Three months and a day later, on New Year’s Eve, Clemente was aboard an overloaded DC-7 cargo plane on a relief mission for earthquake victims in Nicaragua. It crashed into the Atlantic Ocean shortly after takeoff and none of the five people on board survived. Search and rescue efforts recovered only the pilot’s body. Clemente’s body was never found.

Since then, his legend has grown far beyond his baseball career, which was spectacular in its own right: Most Valuable Player in 1966, World Series MVP in 1971, .317 career batting average, 240 home runs, 1,305 runs batted in, 12 Gold Gloves, 15 All-Star Games, 256 assists from rightfield (second in MLB history to Harry Hooper), Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973.

“There was something about him that elevated him to his own realm,” wrote David Maraniss in “Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball’s Last Hero.”

“Much of it had to do with the way he died . . . He was on a mission of mercy, leaving his family on New Year’s Eve to come to the aid of strangers. In Spanish, Clemente means merciful.”

A stadium in Carolina, Puerto Rico is named for Clemente. Worldwide, so are 40 public schools, two hospitals and more than 200 ballfields. Each year, Major League Baseball presents the Roberto Clemente Award to the player who best exhibits character, philanthropy, community involvement and contributions to the sport. Clemente remains an idol in Puerto Rico and an inspiration to all Latino ballplayers, who are present in every stitch of the game’s fabric.

2. FENWAY FINALE. In Ted Williams’ final career at-bat, he hit a home run over Fenway Park’s right-centerfield bullpen off Orioles pitcher Jack Fisher. That swing on Sept. 28, 1960 was immortalized in John Updike’s classic New Yorker essay, “Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu.” Williams played 19 seasons and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1966.

3. MAZ’S WALK-OFF. Bill Mazeroski of the Pirates became the only player to hit a walk-off home run in a World Series Game 7, against Yankees pitcher Ralph Terry in 1960 at Forbes Field. Mazeroski passed away this past Feb. 20.

4.HERE’S TO YOU, MR. ROBINSON. Jackie Robinson made his debut for the Dodgers on April 15, 1947, ending segregation in modern Major League Baseball.

5. AND TO YOU, MR. DOBY. Larry Doby debuted for the Indians on July 5, 1947, ending segregation in the American League.

6. HOMER HEROICS. The 2025 World Series between the Dodgers and Blue Jays ended in the 11th inning of Game 7 after the Dodgers’ Miguel Rojas tied it with a homer in the ninth, Will Smith hit one two innings later and Yoshinobu Yamamoto escaped a first-and-third, one-out situation with a double-play ball to end it.

7. TERRY’S REBOUND. Terry, who had allowed Mazeroski’s home run, retired the Giants’ Willie McCovey on a line drive to second baseman Bobby Richardson with runners on second and third in the bottom of the ninth to preserve a 1-0 win for the Yankees in Game 7 of the 1962 World Series.

8. WBC DRAMA. Shohei Ohtani of Japan struck out then-Angels teammate Mike Trout of the U.S. in the bottom of the ninth, closing a 3-2 win to end the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

9. METS MIRACLE. Cleon Jones went to one knee as he caught the final out of the Miracle Mets’ 1969 World Series championship.

10. OUT IN STYLE. The last of Cy Young’s 511 wins occurred on Sept. 22, 1911 for Boston at Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field, a 1-0 complete game.

11. BABE’S BURST. The last of Babe Ruth’s 714 home runs was hit May 25, 1935 for Boston at Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field. He hit three homers that day.

12. SHOT HEARD ’ROUND THE WORLD. Bobby Thomson’s home run ended the 1951 playoff series against the Dodgers and launched Russ Hodges’ call: “The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!”

13. STEALING A LINE. Second generation announcer Joe Buck, a baseball history buff, at the conclusion of the 2014 National League Championship Series: “Travis Ishikawa hits one into right! The Giants win the pennant!”

14. BOONE SHOT. Aaron Boone earned his niche in Yankees history with the 11th-inning home run that ended the 2003 American League Championship Series.

15. STRIKE THREE. Carlos Beltran took a called third strike, ending the 2006 Mets’ season in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series. His career had a much happier ending as he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2026.

16. WORDS CAN’T DESCRIBE HIM. Vin Scully ended his 67-year Hall of Fame broadcast career with the Dodgers on Oct. 2, 2016 with this sign-off: “I’ve said enough for a lifetime. And for the last time, I wish you all a pleasant good afternoon.”

17. STERLING SILVER. John Sterling’s signature call: “Thuuuuuuuh Yankees win!”

18. HAPPY TRAILS. Bob Murphy topped off broadcasts of Mets wins with “The Happy Recap.”

19. CAPTAIN’S GOODBYE. In his final at-bat at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 25, 2014, Derek Jeter hit a walk-off single. In his final at-bat overall, at Fenway Park three days later, he hit a single that drove home fellow Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki.

20. CARDINAL RULES. Bob Gibson’s second complete game in four days led the Cardinals to a Game 7 win in the 1964 World Series, effectively ending the Yankees’ 40-year dynasty.

21. THAT’S PAYBACK. The last batter Gibson faced in his career, Don Kessinger, grounded out to first in 1975. One batter earlier, Pete LaCock hit a grand slam. Legend has it that years later, Gibson plunked LaCock in an Old-Timers’ Game.

22. CLOSE FINISH. On the last day of the 1984 season, Don Mattingly went 4-for-5 and edged Yankees teammate Dave Winfield (who went 1-for-4) for the American League batting title, .343 to .340.

23. SOUR ENDINGS. Ken Griffey Jr. raced around the bases from first and slid home with the winning run on Edgar Martinez’s two-run double in the 11th inning as the Mariners beat the Yankees, 5-4, in the final game of the 1995 American League Division Series — ending Mattingly’s playing career and Buck Showalter’s tenure as Yankees manager.

24. SAY HEY. The last hit for Willie Mays was a tiebreaking single off Rollie Fingers in the Mets’ 12th-inning rally in Game 2 of the 1973 World Series.

25. WONDER-ROY. Roy Hobbs, injured and bleeding, hit a legendary pennant-winning home run off the light tower (which exploded) to climax the 1984 movie “The Natural.”

26. WONDER-KIRK. Kirk Gibson, injured and badly limping, hit a walk-off pinch home run to give the Dodgers a 5-4 win over the Athletics in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. Before Game 2, NBC produced a video mashup of Gibson and Hobbs.

27. BELIEVE IT. Hall of Fame broadcaster Jack Buck’s radio call of the Gibson home run: “I don’t believe what I just saw!”

28. WHAT CURSE? The Red Sox won the 2004 World Series, their first championship since 1918, ending The Curse of the Bambino.

29. WHAT GOAT? The Cubs won the 2016 World Series, their first championship since 1908, ending The Curse of the Billy Goat and the longest title drought in pro sports history.

30. OH, DEM BUMS. Johnny Podres’ shutout and Sandy Amoros’ running catch as he raced toward the leftfield foul line won Game 7 of the 1955 World Series for the Brooklyn Dodgers, ending nearly 30 years of their fans’ battle cry — “Wait ’til next year.”

31. DAY TRIPPER. The last World Series day game was in 1987 at the Metrodome, Cardinals vs. Twins.

32. NO-NO. FINALLY. Johan Santana threw a career-high 134 pitches against the Cardinals on June 1, 2012, ending the Mets’ 50-year no-hitter drought.

33. PERFECT ENDING. After the final pitch of his 1956 World Series perfect game, Don Larsen became a catcher of sorts, accepting the leaping hug from batterymate Yogi Berra.

34. HE NEVER LOOKED BACK. Satchel Paige pitched his final pro baseball game at the age of 59 in 1965, throwing three scoreless innings for the Kansas City Athletics.

35. NO MO’ MO. Mariano Rivera left the mound one last time on Sept. 26, 2013, with longtime teammates Derek Jeter and Andy Pettitte having been sent by manager Joe Girardi to make the pitching change.

36. THE BIG TRAIN. Walter Johnson finished 38 of 42 starts for Washington in 1910, going 25-17 with a 1.36 ERA.

37. TWO-TIMERS. No one in Major League Baseball had more than two complete games in 2025. Tanner Bibee of the Guardians, Nick Lodolo of the Reds and Framber Valdez of the Astros each had two.

38. JOE DELIVERED. Joe Carter’s walk-off home run in Game 6 won the 1993 World Series for the Blue Jays over the Phillies.

39. THE MICK STRIKES. Mickey Mantle ended Game 3 of the 1964 World Series with a ninth-inning home run against the Cardinals’ Barney Schultz. It was the 16th of his 18 World Series homers, breaking Babe Ruth’s record.

40. TERRIFIC PAIRING. The Shea Goodbye ceremony featured popular Mets alumni rounding the bases after the final game at Shea Stadium in 2008. It closed with Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza walking out through a gate in centerfield.

41. DAWN OF THE DH. Ron Blomberg of the Yankees became Major League Baseball’s first designated hitter in 1973, ending the era of pitchers batting in the American League.

42. ONLY OHTANI. The National League adopted the designated hitter rule in 2022, ending the era of pitchers (other than Shohei Ohtani) batting throughout the big leagues.

43. TOO SLOW. The 1926 World Series ended on a caught stealing, with Cardinals catcher Bob O’Farrell throwing to Rogers Hornsby to retire the baserunner, Babe Ruth.

44. MOVE OVER BABE. Hank Aaron hit his 715th career home run on April 8, 1974, ending his chase to surpass Ruth’s record, at the time considered the holy grail of baseball milestones.

45. ROGER THAT. Roger Maris hit his 61st home run of the 1961 season on Oct. 1, ending his chase to beat Ruth’s single-season record.

46. “JUDGEMENT” DAY. Aaron Judge hit his 62nd home run of the 2022 season on Oct. 4, ending his chase to beat Maris’ American League record.

47. NOW PLAYING FIRST BASE. Miguel Cabrera, who hadn’t played defense in two years, was allowed to go to first base for a curtain call in his final game (2023). His Tigers teammates allowed him to take the field by himself.

48. LIKE KISSING YOUR SISTER. The 2002 All-Star Game ended in a 7-7 tie when the teams ran out of pitchers.

49. WHO NEEDS HELP? Tigers first baseman Johnny Neun made a game-ending unassisted triple play in a 1-0 win over the Indians on May 31, 1927.

50. NOT HIM, EITHER. Phillies second baseman Eric Bruntlett made a game-ending unassisted triple play to secure a 9-7 win over the Mets on Aug. 23, 2009.

51. FOLLOW THE BOUNCING BALL. Game 7 of the 1924 World Series ended when Earl McNeely’s routine ground ball hit a pebble and bounced over the head of Giants third baseman Freddie Lindstrom, allowing the winning run to score and giving the Senators their only title.

52. BIG POPI POPS ANOTHER. In Game 4 of the 2004 American League Championship Series, David Ortiz hit a walk-off homer in the 12th to keep the Red Sox alive against the Yankees. It was one of Ortiz’s four career postseason walk-off hits.

53. TOUGH BEAK. Edwin Diaz was injured while celebrating a victory for Puerto Rico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic and was done for the season.

54. NO GAMES TODAY. A strike by the players on Aug. 12 ended the 1994 season.

55. PIAZZA DELIVERY. The post-9/11 baseball pause in New York ended on Sept. 21, 2001. The Mets secured a rousing 3-2 win over Atlanta, powered by Mike Piazza’s eighth-inning home run.

56. DISCO FEVER. The second game of a doubleheader at Chicago’s Comiskey Park on July 12, 1979 was ended before it began because of a riot sparked by Disco Demolition Night. The Tigers were awarded a victory by forfeit.

57. REGGIE, REGGIE, REGGIE! The Yankees ended a title drought dating to 1962 by winning Game 6 of the 1977 World Series. Reggie Jackson (Mr. October) hit three home runs in the clincher.

58. MR. NOVEMBER. That became a nickname for Derek Jeter after his post-midnight walk-off homer in Game 4 of the 2001 World Series, which began on Oct. 31.

59. JUST A BLOOP. Diamondbacks star Luis Gonzalez hit a bloop single over a drawn-in Yankees infield to win Game 7 of the 2001 World Series.

60. WHAT’S IN A NAME? “Who’s on First?” — the classic Abbott and Costello routine — concludes with an exasperated Costello (frustrated about hearing that Who is on first, What is on second and I Don’t Know is on third) saying: “I don’t give a darn” and Abbott replying, “That’s our shortstop.”

61. SAD FAREWELL. Only 6,702 people witnessed the Brooklyn Dodgers’ farewell to Ebbets Field on Sept. 24, 1957 before relocating to Los Angeles.

62. . . . AND ANOTHER. Only 11,606 people attended the New York Giants’ final game at the Polo Grounds on Sept. 29, 1957.

63. SEEING RED. The Phillies’ Roy Halladay retired the final 19 Reds batters in his no-hitter in Game 1 of the 2010 National League Division Series.

64. THE IRON HORSE. Terminally ill Lou Gehrig made his public farewell on July 4, 1939, saying “I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth.”

65. TAKE A SEAT. Cal Ripken Jr. didn’t play on Sept. 20, 1998, ending his consecutive-games streak at 2,632.

66. BYE TO PHILLY. The Athletics’ last home game in Philadelphia was Sept. 19, 1954.

67. . . . AND TO KC. The Athletics’ last home game in Kansas City was Sept. 24, 1967.

68. . . . AND TO OAKLAND. The Athletics’ last home game in Oakland was Sept. 26, 2024.

69. SLAMMED. Robin Ventura never got to finish his trip around the bases for a postseason walk-off grand slam. It was the 15th inning of Game 5 in the 1999 National League Championship Series against Atlanta. He was tackled in a celebratory bear hug by Mets teammate Todd Pratt at second base.

70. STAY FAIR! Carlton Fisk stood at the plate, waving for the ball to stay fair in the bottom of the 12th in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series.

71. BUCKNER BLEW IT. The Mets won Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, capping an unlikely comeback when Mookie Wilson’s grounder went through first baseman Bill Buckner’s legs.

72. ALL IS FORGIVEN. Buckner received a two-minute standing ovation at the Red Sox’ 2008 home opener, ending 22 years of hard feelings.

73. BUY ME SOME PEANUTS. The closing crescendo of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game:” “For it’s one, two, three strikes you’re out at the old ball game,” written in 1908 by Jack Norworth — who had never been to a ballgame.

74. WHAT A RELIEF. Pedro Martinez, despite an injury, came out of the Red Sox bullpen and threw six no-hit innings to finish Game 5 of the 1999 American League Division Series against Cleveland.

75. JOE WAS JOLTED. Cleveland third baseman Ken Keltner made two outstanding plays against Joe DiMaggio on July 17, 1941, causing the Yankee Clipper to go 0-for-3 and ending his hitting streak at 56 games.

76. IMAGINE THAT. In Stan Musial’s final career at-bat on Sept. 29, 1963, he hit a single past Reds rookie second baseman Pete Rose, who would break Musial’s National League record for hits 18 years later.

77. HOLD ON THERE. Roger Clemens received a standing ovation when he left Game 4 of the 2003 Yankees-Marlins World Series for his presumed retirement. But he changed his mind, won a Cy Young Award for the Astros in 2004 and returned to the Yankees in 2007.

78. WALK IT OFF. Rays reserve Brett Phillips celebrated by wildly running through the outfield after his two-out, two-strike hit that tied Game 4 of the 2020 World Series, which set in motion a chaotic sequence in which the winning run also scored.

79. RICK CAMP GAME. Played between the Mets and Atlanta on July 4, 1985, it ended at 3:55 a.m. on July 5. It is named for Atlanta pitcher Camp, an .060 lifetime hitter who extended play with his home run to leftfield in the bottom of the 18th inning. He took the loss in the 19th, and then the Stadium held a promised fireworks display.

80. HOME SWEET HOME. Rod Carew of the Twins ended a game by stealing home in the 10th inning against Cleveland on Sept. 1, 1972.

81. THE VOICE OF GOD. Bob Sheppard’s last game as the public address announcer at Yankee Stadium was Sept. 5, 2007, ending a 56-year career. Thanks to a recording, he “appeared” with the starting lineup for the final game at the Stadium in 2008.

82. TAKE THAT! Chris Chambliss ended the 1976 ALCS with a walk-off home run, giving the Yankees their first pennant in 12 years.

83. WELCOME. In his first game as a Met (April 9, 1985), Gary Carter hit a walk-off home run in the 10th.

84. STRUCK HIM OUT. The last of Nolan Ryan’s 5,714 strikeouts came while pitching for the Rangers against the Angels’ Greg Myers on Sept. 17, 1993.

85. HE MADE IT. Trey Yesavage began 2025 with Class A Dunedin and ended it in the World Series with Toronto.

86. TAKE WHAT YOU CAN. Fans carried away seats, signs and other keepsakes after the last game at the pre-refurbished old Yankee Stadium on Sept. 30, 1973.

87. THREE’S COMPANY. Three teams were within one game of first place on the final day of the 1967 American League pennant race. The Red Sox clinched by beating the Twins while the Tigers lost. Carl Yastrzemski went 4-for-4, completing a Triple Crown season.

88. ROYAL FLUSH. The Pine Tar Game had two endings. The first was on July 24, 1983 when George Brett’s two-run home run in the ninth inning was nullified by umpires because his bat had excessive pine tar, giving the Yankees a 4-3 victory. But the Royals protested, the league ruled in their favor and the game was resumed on Aug. 18, resulting in a 5-4 Royals win.

89. GRAND OLD MAN. Connie Mack, 87, retired in 1950 after 50 seasons as manager of the Philadelphia Athletics.

90. IMPERFECT CALL. Armando Galarraga’s bid for a perfect game ended with two outs in the ninth on a blown call on a play at first base on June 2, 2010. Umpire Jim Joyce later apologized to the Tigers pitcher, who received accolades for his sportsmanlike response to Joyce’s error.

91. NAME THAT TEAM. The Cleveland team’s nickname ended a 106-year run as Indians with the change in 2021 to Guardians.

92. DUKE OF EARL. At the end of the Orioles’ final game at Memorial Stadium on Oct. 6, 1991, former players, in uniform, ran to their old positions. Former manager Earl Weaver then walked out to the mound.

93. BATTERYMATES. After the final game at Milwaukee County Stadium on Sept. 28, 2000, Warren Spahn threw a ceremonial pitch to Del Crandall, reenacting their first pitch at the stadium on April 14, 1953.

94. SLIDE, SID, SLIDE! Sid Bream slid home, beating leftfielder Barry Bonds’ throw, ending Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS as Atlanta beat the Pirates.

95. MAN OF STEAL. The last of Rickey Henderson’s 1,406 stolen bases came for the Dodgers against the Rockies on Aug. 29, 2003.

96. JUST ONE MORE. The 2007 Rockies won 21 of their last 22 regular-season games, then a tiebreaking game, then all seven of their National League postseason games before losing in the World Series to the Red Sox.

97. HOW IT ENDED. Both pennants were decided on the final day of the 1949 season. The Yankees beat the Red Sox to edge them by one game and the Dodgers won to protect their one-game lead over the Cardinals. Ted Williams lost his Triple Crown bid by falling .0002 short of George Kell for the batting title.

98. OUT OF TIME. Major League Baseball’s first walk-off pitch clock violation occurred on June 22, 2024 when Nationals pitcher Kyle Finnegan failed to deliver on time, walking in the Rockies’ winning run.

99. BALL FOUR. The last line in Jim Bouton’s groundbreaking book “Ball Four”: “You spend a good piece of your life gripping a baseball, and in the end, it turns out it was the other way around all the time.”

100. ONE AND ONLY. Moonlight Graham had his debut and farewell the same day, June 29, 1905. He played one inning for the Giants and never batted. He was immortalized as a character in the novel “Shoeless Joe” and its movie adaptation, “Field of Dreams.”

101. FATHER’S PLAY. The ending dialogue in “Field of Dreams”: Ray Kinsella says to a young version of his father, “Hey, Dad, you want to have a catch?” John Kinsella says, “I’d like that.”