Hall of Fame second baseman Bill Mazeroski died at the age of 89, the Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Saturday. He passed away on Friday, according to the team.<\/p>\n
Mazeroski is best known for arguably the most legendary home run in baseball history, hitting a walk-off home run in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series against the New York Yankees. Leading off the ninth inning, the homer came off reliever Ralph Terry, breaking a 9-9 tie, at Forbes Field.<\/p>\n
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As Mazeroski rounded the bases, fans ran out of the stands to congratulate Mazeroski and round the bases with him in celebration. He was 24 years old at the time, in his fifth year with Pittsburgh. No other player has ended a World Series with a Game 7 home run.<\/p>\n
Responsible for an iconic moment in the sport, Mazeroski was remarkably modest about his accomplishment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t expect that much attention, just hitting a home run to win a game,\u201d he continued. \u201cI don\u2019t know. I just kind of wish maybe somebody else had hit it, or explained it better than I did. I just never came up with a good way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mazeroski later explained that he wasn’t certain that he hit a home run because the left-field wall at Forbes Field was 406 feet away from home plate in the alley.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know it\u2019s out. I don\u2019t know it\u2019s a home run. But I know I\u2019m going to end up on third if he misplays that ball off the wall,\u201d Mazeroski said in 2015, via MLB.com<\/a>. “So I\u2019m busting my tail getting around there, and by the time I hit second base, I looked down the line and the fans went crazy. From second base, I didn\u2019t touch the ground all the way in.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Mazeroski won two World Series titles with the Pirates, also playing on the 1971 champions that defeated the Baltimore Orioles in seven games. The team retired his No. 9 in 1987 and honored him with a 14-foot bronze statue outside PNC Park, unveiled in 2010<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cMaz was one of a kind \u2014 a true Pirates legend, a National Baseball Hall of Famer and one of the finest defensive second basemen the game has ever seen,\u201d said Pirates chairman Bob Nutting in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cHis name will always be tied to the biggest home run in baseball history and the 1960 World Series championship,” he added. “But I will remember him most for the person he was: humble, gracious and proud to be a Pirate.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite being associated with one of baseball’s most famous home runs, Mazeroski became a Hall of Famer because of his defense<\/a> at second base. He was awarded eight Gold Gloves during his career.<\/p>\n